Authorities Made Easy: Building Permission and Land Diversion in Indore (2026 Guide)

In Indore, building permission for a house inside city limits comes from Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC), filed online by an empanelled architect or engineer on the state's ABPAS 3.0 portal. Residential plots of up to 186 sq m can get deemed approval there, and plots of up to 300 sq m can be approved by the architect or structural engineer.

If the land is still recorded as agricultural, it has to be diverted first. Since the 2018 amendment to the Madhya Pradesh Land Revenue Code, 1959, you no longer wait for an order: you work out the premium yourself, deposit it, and tell the Sub-Divisional Officer, and the land counts as diverted from that day. Diversion is only allowed for a use the Indore Development Plan permits, so the plan comes first.

First question: which authority governs your plot?

The Madhya Pradesh Bhumi Vikas Rules, 2012 split the work between two kinds of "Authority". Rule 2(5), as quoted by the Madhya Pradesh High Court in a 2025 Indore case (W.P. 6351 of 2025), names:

• The Director of Town and Country Planning (TNCP), for development permission in planning areas: subdividing land, changing its use, and building on it.
• The municipal corporation (or council, nagar parishad or gram panchayat), for building permission to construct, alter or demolish a building within its jurisdiction.

For a house in Indore that means:

• Indore Municipal Corporation: grants building permission inside corporation limits. In the 2025 case, the court recorded that the application has to be filed through the corporation's online portal, and that the portal would not accept it until the property tax was validated. IMC had resolved on 8 April 2022 that all property tax dues must be cleared before permission for additions and alterations. Check your dues on the IMC website before you file.
• Directorate of Town and Country Planning: prepares and modifies the Indore Development Plan and grants development permission. Since 28 August 2026, according to TeamLease RegTech, an amendment to rule 2(5)(c) lets the local authority permit construction on plots of up to 500 sq m that conform to the approved Development Plan, without a separate development permission. I could not open the gazette text itself, so ask your architect to confirm it before relying on it.
• Indore Development Authority (IDA): plans and sells land through town development schemes notified under section 50 of the Madhya Pradesh Nagar Tatha Gram Nivesh Adhiniyam, 1973, as the notices on IDA's website show (Scheme 94, Scheme 140, the TPS schemes and others). If IDA allotted your plot, its disposal rules (Vyayan Niyam 2018, on the same site) and your allotment and lease or sale papers govern use and transfer, so read them before you design. Building permission for IDA scheme plots inside the city still went to IMC in the High Court case, which concerned a hospital in Scheme 94.

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

Step one: the land record and the Development Plan

Start with the revenue record. The Revenue Department's website links to khasra, khata (B-1) and map copies on MP Bhulekh, the state land records portal. Check who is recorded as bhumiswami, whether there is a bank mortgage or dispute, and whether the land is still agricultural.

Then check the zone. The Indore Development Plan 2021, prepared by TNCP, is still the plan in force: TNCP keeps modifying it, for example a residential land use change at village Baroli proposed under section 23-A of the 1973 Act in March 2023. IDA hosts the Development Plan 2021 land use map.

A successor plan has been in the works for years, but no draft has been published. On 11 August 2026 the Free Press Journal reported that the state had put the Bhopal and Indore master plans on hold, quoting an officer that the draft would stay unpublished until approved. TNCP's website lists drafts for Bhopal (2047), Dhar and Khandwa (2041), but none for Indore as of 17 October 2026. So for now, the 2021 plan, as modified, decides what your plot can be used for.

Step two: diversion, if the land is still agricultural

Madhya Pradesh calls conversion diversion (vyapavartan). The Madhya Pradesh Land Revenue Code (Amendment) Act, 2018 (Act 23 of 2018, published in the gazette on 27 July 2018) rewrote the process. It deleted the old section 172, under which you applied for permission to divert, and replaced section 59. Under the new section 59:

• Self-assessment (59(5)): the bhumiswami calculates the premium and the revised land revenue and deposits the amount in the prescribed way. The rates are prescribed by the state.
• Intimation (59(6)): you give written intimation to the Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO), with the deposit receipt. The land is deemed diverted from the date of that intimation.
• Check (59(7)): the SDO verifies your calculation. If you paid too little, you pay the difference within 60 days; if you paid too much, the excess is refunded within 60 days.
• Penalty (59(9)): if you divert without intimating, the SDO assesses the premium and revenue and adds a penalty of 50 per cent of the amount due, with revenue recoverable for up to five years.
• Only for a permitted use (59(10)): land may be diverted only for a purpose allowed under the law regulating land use. Diversion under section 59 does not authorise a change of use against that law.

In practice, the Revenue Department's homepage lists vyapavartan (diversion) among the services on MP Bhulekh, where the intimation and payment are made online. The Free Press Journal reported from an Indore workshop in 2021 that the permission requirement had gone and that the acknowledgement of the application is now the proof of diversion. Keep that acknowledgement with your title papers, and check that the khasra entry changes.

Step three: building permission on ABPAS 3.0

Madhya Pradesh issues building permission online through the Automated Building Plan Approval System (ABPAS). The Urban Development and Housing Department's website links its "building permission" (bhavan anugya) service to abpas.mpurban.gov.in, now titled ABPAS 3.0. The state's ABPAS 3.0 instructions say:

• Who files: an empanelled architect, structural engineer, engineer, supervisor, or group and agency. The portal scrutinises the drawings against the rules automatically and issues a digitally signed permission.
• Deemed approval for residential cases on plots of up to 186 sq m (about 2,000 sq ft).
• Authorised approval for plots of up to 300 sq m, where the architect or structural engineer approves the case.
• Mandatory documents: the supervision form (Appendix B, rule 16(9) of the Bhumi Vikas Rules), proof of ownership such as the sale or lease deed, a key plan, specifications, and a consolidated e-affidavit.
• Conditional documents: the approved layout plan if the plot is in an approved or regularised colony, an airport NOC if the plot is affected, and NOCs for nazul or archaeological areas.

The instructions do not spell out the conditions for deemed approval. An earlier version, announced by the state's public relations department in July 2023 for plots of up to 105 sq m, applied only in TNCP-approved layouts and layouts with development permission. My reading is that a plot in an unapproved colony should not expect the fast route, but confirm with your architect. Larger plots go through the full application, which IMC may sanction, sanction with conditions or refuse under rule 27 of the Bhumi Vikas Rules.

Whatever the route, the drawings still have to meet the Bhumi Vikas Rules on setbacks, FAR and height. Our explainer on setbacks, FAR and height limits walks through those terms, and the drawing set your architect should hand over lists what a complete submission looks like. On 15 December 2025 the state also added green building incentives to the rules, with up to 5 per cent extra FAR for certified buildings and Eco Niwas Samhita compliance for residential projects, according to TeamLease RegTech.

Step four: start, plinth, completion and occupancy

Rule 31 of the Bhumi Vikas Rules, quoted in the same High Court order, makes the owner responsible for building to the sanctioned plan and the Development Plan, whatever the inspections find. It also requires you to:

1. Give notice of the intention to start work (Appendix E-1).
2. Give written notice to the Building Officer when work reaches plinth level, so it can be inspected (Appendix E-2).
3. Give written notice of completion (Appendix E-3).
4. Get occupancy permission (Appendix E-4) before anyone moves in.

The authority must issue the occupancy certificate within 30 days of your request. If it neither issues it nor asks for changes within that time, occupancy permission is deemed issued. Keep the permission, the stamped drawings, the diversion acknowledgement and the occupancy papers together, because a buyer's lawyer or a bank will ask for all of them. Our stage-by-stage construction timeline shows where these notices fall in a typical build.

The sequence, in one place

1. Confirm the authority: IMC inside city limits; check any IDA lease conditions.
2. Pull the khasra and B-1 on MP Bhulekh and check the zone in Development Plan 2021.
3. If the land is agricultural and the zone allows housing, self-assess and deposit the premium, then intimate the SDO online.
4. Clear any IMC property tax dues on the property.
5. Appoint an empanelled architect or engineer. They file on ABPAS 3.0.
6. Build to plan, giving the start and plinth notices.
7. Give the completion notice and get occupancy permission.

Frequently asked questions

Is diversion the same as land conversion?

Yes in substance. Madhya Pradesh uses diversion (vyapavartan) for changing land from one use to another, such as agricultural to residential, under section 59 of the Madhya Pradesh Land Revenue Code, 1959. Since the 2018 amendment it works by self-assessment and intimation to the SDO, not by a permission order.

Do I need the SDO's order before I can build on diverted land?

No. The land is deemed diverted from the date you intimate the SDO with the deposit receipt. The SDO then checks your calculation, and any shortfall must be paid within 60 days. Diversion only works for a use the Development Plan allows.

Do I need map approval for a small house in Indore?

Yes, but the route is faster for small plots. ABPAS 3.0 offers deemed approval for residential plots of up to 186 sq m and approval by the architect or structural engineer for plots of up to 300 sq m. The application is still filed online by an empanelled professional.

Which master plan applies in Indore in 2026?

The Indore Development Plan 2021, as modified by TNCP. A new plan has not been published as a draft; in August 2026 the Free Press Journal reported that the state had put it on hold.

Why does it matter whether my plot is in an IDA scheme?

Because IDA allots scheme property under its own disposal rules, and your allotment and lease or sale papers can restrict use and transfer in addition to the building rules. Read them before you design. Building permission for a plot inside city limits still comes from IMC.

Approvals go faster when the person filing has done it in Indore before. Browse architects on MOA, see their published work and message them directly, with no commission on either side.

Sources

• Revenue Department, Government of Madhya Pradesh: Madhya Pradesh Land Revenue Code (Amendment) Act, 2018 (Act 23 of 2018), Madhya Pradesh Gazette (Extraordinary) of 27 July 2018, clause 31 (new section 59) and clause 86 (deletion of section 172) (accessed 17 Oct 2026)
• Revenue Department, Government of Madhya Pradesh: homepage links to land records and the diversion service on MP Bhulekh (accessed 17 Oct 2026)
• High Court of Madhya Pradesh at Indore: W.P. No. 6351 of 2025, order of 1 May 2025, quoting rules 2(5), 19, 27 and 31 of the MP Bhumi Vikas Rules, 2012 and the IMC resolution of 8 April 2022 (accessed 17 Oct 2026)
• Government of Madhya Pradesh, Invest MP single window: Instruction for Applying Building Plan Approval through ABPAS 3.0 (accessed 17 Oct 2026)
• Urban Development and Housing Department, Madhya Pradesh: ABPAS 3.0 portal and department homepage (accessed 17 Oct 2026)
• Directorate of Town and Country Planning, Madhya Pradesh: notice of proposed modification of Indore Development Plan 2021 under section 23-A, village Baroli (March 2023) and homepage notices list (accessed 17 Oct 2026)
• Indore Development Authority: homepage, scheme notices and Indore Development Plan 2021 land use map (accessed 17 Oct 2026)
• Indore Municipal Corporation: online services (accessed 17 Oct 2026)
• TeamLease RegTech: Government of Madhya Pradesh Amendment to Land Development Rules (amendment of 28 August 2026 to rule 2(5)(c)) (accessed 17 Oct 2026)
• TeamLease RegTech: amendments to the Madhya Pradesh Bhumi Vikas Niyam, 2012 (notification UDH-3/0324/2025/18-5 of 15 December 2025) (accessed 17 Oct 2026)
• Free Press Journal: MP Govt Puts Bhopal, Indore Master Plans On Hold (11 August 2026) (accessed 17 Oct 2026)
• Free Press Journal: Indore workshop on changes in Land Revenue Code (30 September 2021) (accessed 17 Oct 2026)
• Public Relations Department, Madhya Pradesh, release of 13 July 2023 on deemed building permission for plots up to 105 sq m (as republished by Indian Employees) (accessed 17 Oct 2026)