Single Fee Structure to Apply in All Urban Local Bodies; Religious Buildings Exempted, Online Payment Made Mandatory
Srinagar, July 29 :
In a significant move aimed at ensuring uniformity and transparency in the building permission process, the Jammu and Kashmir Government has approved a common building permission fee structure for the entire Union Territory, bringing all Municipal Corporations, Municipal Councils, Municipal Committees and Development Authorities under a single policy framework.
According to an order issued by the Housing and Urban Development Department on Tuesday, the revised fee structure will be applicable uniformly across J&K and has come into effect from July 29, 2026.
As per the new notification, residential houses and housing colonies will attract a building permission fee of ₹80 per square metre, while commercial and institutional buildings, including shops, offices, industrial units, hospitals, schools and other public establishments, will be charged ₹270 per square metre.
For mixed-use buildings comprising both residential and commercial components, the government has fixed the fee at ₹150 per square metre. However, religious structures have been completely exempted from payment of the building permission fee.
The government has also introduced a uniform debris and construction waste management charge. Under the revised norms, residential projects will be required to pay ₹3,000, whereas commercial, institutional and other non-residential buildings will have to deposit ₹10,000 towards waste management.
The order further stipulates that any construction undertaken without obtaining prior permission will attract a compounding fee equivalent to 40 per cent of the prescribed building permission fee, in addition to the regular charges, for cases eligible under the relevant provisions.
Officials said the fee will be calculated on the total approved built-up area of the proposed construction and will be collected exclusively through the Online Building Permission System (OBPS) to ensure transparency and ease of compliance.
The government has also made it clear that no Urban Local Body or Development Authority will be permitted to revise or alter the notified fee structure without obtaining prior approval from the Housing and Urban Development Department.
The decision is aimed at eliminating disparities in fee structures across different urban areas, streamlining the building approval process, and establishing a transparent, uniform and citizen-friendly regulatory mechanism throughout Jammu and Kashmir.(KNC)