Authorities Made Easy: Building Permission and Land Conversion in Ahmedabad (2026 Guide)

Before you rely on any of this: building regulations, fee schedules and portal addresses change often, sometimes several times a year. This guide was updated in October 2026; two things in it are still moving, a July 2026 draft change to the building rules and a proposal on NA certificates in town planning areas. Everything below links to its source. Always confirm the current position on the official portal, or with an architect who has recently filed in your area, before you spend money or sign anything. This is a plain-English guide, not legal advice.

Ahmedabad is one of the better-organised places in India to get a building approved. Gujarat has one statewide rulebook, the Comprehensive General Development Control Regulations (CGDCR) 2017, and one online system that can issue permission for a small house as soon as the software checks pass and the fee is paid.

The traps sit before that. The first is jurisdiction: Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), the Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority (AUDA) and Gandhinagar's bodies all grant permissions, and the boundaries moved in 2020. The second is land. Unlike Maharashtra, Gujarat had not, as of October 2026, folded land conversion into the building permission, so if the record still calls your land agricultural, NA permission from the Collector is a separate step.

First question: which authority governs your plot?

This decides who scrutinises your plans and who issues the Building Use permission at the end.

Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC): plots inside city limits. Those limits were enlarged by a state notification of 18 June 2020 to take in the Bopal-Ghuma municipality, Chiloda-Naroda, Kathavada and parts of nearby villages (notification, hosted by AUDA). AMC's building permission department is listed at ahmedabadcity.gov.in.
Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority (AUDA): set up in 1978 for development outside AMC. AUDA's own page puts its area at about 1,866 sq km, including 169 villages and 5 growth centres, with development controlled under its Revised Development Plan 2021. Outside AMC but inside this area, AUDA is your authority.
Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation (GMC) or GUDA: the same 18 June 2020 round brought Pethapur, Kudasan, Raisan, Sargasan, Koba and other villages into GMC (notification). Beyond the city, the Gandhinagar Urban Development Authority covers the surrounding villages.

If the seller cannot tell you which applies, treat that as a warning sign. Our plot due diligence checklist covers the other checks to run before you pay.

The rulebook that applies in Ahmedabad

All three authorities work to CGDCR 2017, made under the Gujarat Town Planning and Urban Development Act, 1976. First notified on 12 October 2017, it was modified on 3 October 2019 and amended several times between 2020 and 2024. The Town Planning and Valuation Department keeps every notification, with dates, on its CGDCR page; take your copy from there, not from an old PDF.

One change is pending. On 28 July 2026 the Urban Development and Urban Housing Department published a draft variation to move CGDCR to a "zone-wise negative list", following the principle that everything is permitted unless prohibited, as recommended by the Union Cabinet Secretariat's Deregulation Cell. It is a proposal open to objections for two months from its Gazette publication, so ask your architect whether it is final before relying on it. For what setbacks, FSI and height limits mean, see our explainer on setbacks, FAR and height limits.

Step one: the land record, the TP scheme and your final plot

Gujarat's land records, rural and urban, are on the Revenue Department's AnyRoR. The record tells you who owns the land and whether it is still agricultural.

Ahmedabad also runs on town planning (TP) schemes; the first was taken up in 1917 for Jamalpur, according to the Town Planning and Valuation Department. Under a scheme, each landholding (the original plot) is redrawn as a final plot: in the department's words, reduced in size, better in shape and with better access, with land deducted for roads, public uses and housing for weaker sections.

So your plot may be known by a TP scheme and final plot number. CGDCR's document list for development permission asks for proof of your right to build and a certified part plan and zoning certificate from the authority. On eNagar these come with the F-Form, which shows the final plot's area and ownership under the scheme. Read them before you buy: a final plot can be smaller than the land in the deed.

Step two: NA permission, if the land is still agricultural

In Gujarat, land conversion and building permission remain separate:

Who decides: non-agricultural (NA) permission is a revenue matter for the District Collector, not for AMC or AUDA. AUDA's building permission FAQ lists the Collector's NA order first among the approvals to have before applying. The FAQ is undated and predates CGDCR, so treat it as a guide to the order of steps.
Where to apply: online on the Revenue Department's iORA portal (Integrated Online Revenue Applications), which has services for NA permission, NA with premium and permission to pay premium.
Premium: payable where the land is new or restricted tenure. Even after a notification of 8 February 2024 let long-farmed tenant land move to old tenure without a conversion fee, the premium for conversion to non-agricultural use still applies (LiveLaw, 1 Apr 2025). We could not find a current official rate table, so get the figure for your survey number from iORA or the Collector's office.

Diagram of who grants building permission around Ahmedabad and the order of approvals: the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation inside city limits, AUDA outside them, and the Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation or GUDA towards Gandhinagar; then a path from reading the land record, to NA permission from the Collector if the land is still agricultural, to development permission on ODPS, a plinth-level notice and Building Use permission — Start with who governs the plot and what the land record says; the revenue step comes before the building permission only if the land is still agricultural. Diagram: MOA

What about land inside a TP scheme?

In September 2016 the state announced that land in approved TP schemes would be treated as non-agricultural, so that a separate NA approval would not be needed there (DeshGujarat, 2 Sep 2016). As reported, the approving authority would take the Collector's no-objection certificate, due within 30 days, and the land would then move to city survey. Land on which premium is due, government land and land under legal proceedings were excluded.

The position is still not as simple as "TP land is automatically NA". In February 2026 The Secretariat reported that developers still had to obtain an NA certificate before starting projects, and that the state was only considering an exemption for new TP schemes. We found no notification making that law as of 16 October 2026. In practice: if your final plot shows as NA or has a city survey property card, there is no separate revenue step; if the record says agricultural, budget time for the Collector.

Step three: building permission on ODPS

Development permission in Gujarat is filed on the Online Development Permission System (ODPS) on eNagar, in use since 1 May 2018 under a resolution of 26 April 2018 that grants permission on self-declared, self-certified documents. Under the ODPS 2.0 circular of 2 December 2020, applying to every corporation and development authority from 3 December 2020:

Buildings up to 15 m in height must be applied for online. Taller buildings can be filed online or offline.
The software checks 15 "vital" parameters, including margins, parking, height, FSI, ground coverage, permissible use and fire regulations. Fail one and the application is rejected; other issues are flagged for the architect to fix.
Plans are accepted on the architect's or engineer's self-certification, with an undertaking and an indemnifying self-declaration.
For buildings up to 15 m, the approved plans (with a QR code) and the development permission are issued online as soon as the scrutiny fee is paid. If a later inspection finds a breach, the permission stands revoked.

CGDCR goes further for the smallest homes. Regulation 3.6.1 of Part I (as notified in 2019) lets a person building a single residential building of up to 125 sq m start construction without first waiting for permission, provided the appointed architect or engineer ensures compliance, the plans are submitted within 30 days of starting, and the professional and the owner file an affidavit. That puts the risk on you and your architect.

Either way, the filing is done by a Person on Record, an architect or engineer registered with an authority; one registered with AMC, AUDA or another large corporation or authority can practise statewide. A permission can be revalidated a year at a time, up to four years in all. Where the building's height or use calls for fire approval, that is applied for on the state's Fire Safety Compliance Portal.

Step four: the milestones people miss

Plinth level. CGDCR requires the architect or engineer on record and the owner to notify the authority, with a compliance certificate, when construction reaches set stages, plinth level among them, and CGDCR's inspection table provides for a check by the authority's inspector at plinth level.

Building Use (BU) permission. Gujarat's occupancy certificate is mandatory under CGDCR before anyone uses the building; use without it is unauthorised. After the completion notice, the authority inspects and is to decide within 21 days. Banks and buyers will ask for it.

If something was built without permission: the impact fee scheme

The Gujarat Regularisation of Unauthorised Development Act, 2022, known as the impact fee scheme, lets owners regularise unauthorised work for a fee. It does not cover anything built on or after 1 October 2022, or work on road alignments, reserved land, government land or water bodies.

The application window has been extended six months at a time. The latest listed on the Urban Development Department's GRUDA page is a Gazette notification of 15 December 2025 extending it by six months from 17 December 2025, which takes it to about mid-June 2026. The page, last updated on 24 June 2026, lists no later extension. Treat it as closed unless a new notification appears.

The sequence, in one place

Confirm whether AMC, AUDA, GMC or GUDA governs the plot.
Read the land record on AnyRoR; get the part plan, zoning certificate and F-Form.
If the land is still agricultural, apply for NA permission on iORA and pay any premium due.
Appoint an architect or engineer registered as a Person on Record.
File for development permission on ODPS against CGDCR 2017 as amended.
Notify the authority at plinth level; build to the sanctioned plan.
Get Building Use permission before moving in.

For a realistic budget once approvals are in hand, see our Ahmedabad construction cost breakdown.

Official portals for Ahmedabad

eNagar: ODPS building permission, Building Use certificate, part plan, zoning certificate and F-Form
Town Planning and Valuation Department: CGDCR 2017 and every amendment
Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation: building permission department
AUDA: development plan, TP schemes and permissions outside AMC
AnyRoR: rural land records and urban property cards
iORA: NA permission and premium applications

Frequently asked questions

Do I need NA permission to build a house in Ahmedabad?

Only if the land record still shows the land as agricultural. Then you need NA permission from the Collector, applied for on iORA, before the building permission. If the plot is already NA, or is city survey land with a property card, there is no separate revenue step.

Can I start building a small house before the permission comes through?

CGDCR allows it for a single residential building of up to 125 sq m, if the plans reach the authority within 30 days of starting and an affidavit is filed. Otherwise, for buildings up to 15 m, ODPS issues permission online once the checks pass and the fee is paid.

Is Gujarat's impact fee scheme still open?

The last extension we found ran six months from 17 December 2025, to about mid-June 2026, and the department's page listed nothing later as of its 24 June 2026 update. It never covered work done on or after 1 October 2022.

Is Bopal under AMC or AUDA?

The Bopal-Ghuma municipality was brought into AMC by the notification of 18 June 2020, so for most plots there AMC is the authority. At the edges, confirm with your survey or final plot number.

Approvals go faster with someone who has filed with your authority before. See architects and interior designers in Ahmedabad on MOA, or browse architects on MOA and message them directly, with no commission on either side.

Sources

Town Planning and Valuation Department, Gujarat: CGDCR 2017 and modification notifications (list of 2017 to 2026 notifications) (accessed 16 Oct 2026)
Urban Development and Urban Housing Department: draft notification GH/V/159 of 2026, CGDCR zone-wise negative list (28 Jul 2026) (accessed 16 Oct 2026)
Urban Development and Urban Housing Department: CGDCR 2017 Part I, Procedure Regulations (3 Oct 2019), regulations 3.6 to 3.9, 4.1 and Schedules 2A and 4C (accessed 16 Oct 2026)
Urban Development and Urban Housing Department: circular on ODPS 2.0 for buildings up to 15 m (2 Dec 2020) (accessed 16 Oct 2026)
Town Planning and Valuation Department: About TP schemes (accessed 16 Oct 2026)
Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority: About us and FAQ for building permission (accessed 16 Oct 2026)
Urban Development and Urban Housing Department: notifications enlarging AMC and GMC limits (18 Jun 2020) (accessed 16 Oct 2026)
Gandhinagar Urban Development Authority: home page (accessed 16 Oct 2026)
Government of Gujarat: eNagar services, AnyRoR, iORA and the Fire Safety Compliance Portal (accessed 16 Oct 2026)
DeshGujarat: Gujarat govt abolishes non-agriculture (NA) approval process in urban town planning (TP) areas (2 Sep 2016) (accessed 16 Oct 2026)
The Secretariat: Gujarat eyes land reform move to improve ease of doing business in realty sector (26 Feb 2026) (accessed 16 Oct 2026)
LiveLaw: Balancing reform and responsibility, rethinking land conversion policies (1 Apr 2025) (accessed 16 Oct 2026)
PRS India: Gujarat Regularisation of Unauthorised Development Act, 2022 (Gujarat Act 1 of 2023), section 8 (accessed 16 Oct 2026)
Urban Development and Urban Housing Department: GRUDA Act 2022 page and Gazette notification GH/V/393 of 2025 (15 Dec 2025) (accessed 16 Oct 2026)
Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation: building permission department (accessed 16 Oct 2026)