Srinagar, July 29 (JKNS): The Jammu and Kashmir Government has notified a uniform building permission fee structure across the Union Territory under the Jammu & Kashmir Unified Building Bye-Laws (UBBL), 2021, replacing the existing system of varying charges imposed by different Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) and Development Authorities.
According to Government Order No. 157-JK(HUD) of 2026, dated July 29, 2026, a copy of which lies with news agency JKNS, the Housing & Urban Development Department said the move aims to ensure uniformity, transparency, predictability and ease of doing business in the building permission process across Jammu and Kashmir.
The order, issued by Commissioner/Secretary, Housing & Urban Development Department, Mandeep Kaur (IAS), states that all previous notifications, orders and instructions issued by Municipal Corporations, Municipal Councils, Municipal Committees and Development Authorities prescribing separate building permission fees stand superseded with immediate effect.
As per the notified schedule, residential buildings, including housing colonies, will attract a building permission fee of ₹280 per square metre, while commercial, public/semi-public (PSP), industrial and other special category buildings will be charged ₹270 per square metre. Mixed-use buildings will be charged ₹150 per square metre.
The government has also fixed malba (construction debris) security at ₹3,000 as a lump sum for residential buildings and ₹10,000 for all other categories.
For cases requiring compounding, the order provides that a compounding fee equivalent to 40 percent of the applicable building permission fee shall be levied in addition to the normal permit fee.
The order exempts religious buildings from payment of building permission fees.
The government further directed that the uniform rates shall apply to all Municipal Corporations, Municipal Councils, Municipal Committees and Development Authorities irrespective of jurisdiction, and the fee shall be calculated on the basis of the total approved built-up area.
It also ordered mandatory integration of the revised fee schedule into the Online Building Permission System (OBPS)/Auto-DCR platform, ensuring uniform application throughout the Union Territory.
The order makes it clear that no Urban Local Body or Development Authority shall revise, enhance, reduce or alter the notified building permission fee without prior approval of the Housing & Urban Development Department.
The department has directed all concerned authorities to update their building permission procedures, citizen charters and online portals accordingly, while Commissioners of Municipal Corporations, Vice Chairpersons of Development Authorities and Chief Executive Officers/Executive Officers of Municipal Councils and Committees have been made responsible for ensuring strict implementation of the order.
The Housing & Urban Development Department said the fee structure may be reviewed in future, and any revisions will be notified separately by the government. (JKNS)