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

In Vadodara, building permission comes from one of two bodies: the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) inside city limits, or the Vadodara Urban Development Authority (VUDA) in the developing belt around it. Both work to Gujarat's statewide rulebook, CGDCR 2017, and both take applications on the same online system. If your land is still recorded as agricultural, non-agricultural (NA) permission from the Collector is a separate step that comes first.

The Gujarat process is the same as in Ahmedabad, and our Ahmedabad building permission guide covers it step by step. This page covers what is particular to Vadodara: a boundary that moved in 2020, a development plan from 2012, restricted zones, and the Vishwamitri.

VMC or VUDA: which one governs your plot?

• Vadodara Municipal Corporation: plots inside city limits. Those limits grew on 18 June 2020, when a state notification brought seven villages into VMC: Bhayli, Sevasi, Bil, Karodiya, Vemali, Undera and Vadadala (Land Conflict Watch, Sep 2020, which also records a challenge by village panchayats in the High Court). VMC's own Town Development Department page now lists town planning schemes in Bhayli, Sevasi, Bil, Vemali and Vadadala.
• Vadodara Urban Development Authority: the development area outside VMC. VUDA was set up under the Gujarat Town Planning and Urban Development Act, 1976 and started work on 1 February 1978, according to its development plan page. Its official site is vuda.co.in, the address the state's Urban Development Department gives on its list of urban development authorities. Its office is at VUDA Bhavan, Karelibaug.
• The Collector: NA permission is a revenue decision, not a VMC or VUDA one. More on this below.

The surest answer is the zoning certificate. VUDA's development permission FAQ lists it with the DP or TP part plan and the F-Form as certified copies you get from the authority before applying, and VMC's FAQ asks for the same zoning certificate and B or F form. The body that issues it is the one you file with. Both FAQs are undated, so use them for the order of steps only. If a seller cannot produce these papers, run the rest of our plot due diligence checklist before you pay.

VUDA's development plan: which one is in force

The development plan decides your zone, and the zone decides what you can build. VUDA's history, from its own page:

• The first development plan was published in draft in 1979 and came into force on 25 November 1984.
• The first revision came into force on 26 November 1996.
• The second revision, the "Revised Draft Development Plan 2031", was sent to the state for approval in November 2007. VUDA's site labels its maps "Sec. 17 2nd RDP 18.01.2012" (section 17 of the Act is the state's sanction) and keeps the older VUDA GDCR of 1994 only for matters before 18 January 2012.

VUDA's citizen charter (in Gujarati, marked as updated to 18 June 2025) says the revised plan has applied since 2012 and that work on a new, GIS-based plan is being planned. We found no published draft of a third revision as of 17 October 2026. Meanwhile the plan is changed plot by plot: VUDA's home page lists recent development plan variations for survey numbers in Pavlepur, Kalali and Talsat.

The Vadodara rules inside CGDCR

CGDCR 2017 places VUDA in category D1 alongside the development authorities of Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Surat and Rajkot, and anyone registered as an architect or engineer on record with VMC or VUDA may practise across Gujarat (Part I, Table 1.1 and regulation 4.1.1). Part II, as notified on 3 October 2019, gives VUDA its own FSI table (Table 6.9). For the residential zones:

Zone in the VUDA plan	Base FSI (free)	Maximum FSI
Existing village (gamtal)	2.0	2.0
Residential 1 (R1)	1.8	2.7
Residential 2 (R2)	1.2	2.5, or 3.6 within 200 m of a road 36 m or wider
Residential 3 (R3)	0.75	2.5
Restricted Residential Zone	1.8	2.1
Restricted Zones RZ-1 and RZ-2	0.3	0.3
Restricted Zones RZ-3, RZ-4 and RZ-5	Nil	Nil

FSI between the base and the maximum is chargeable, priced as a share of the Jantri rate. The table has been amended since 2019: a September 2022 notification replaced the industrial row, and an April 2023 notification proposed a lower charge for chargeable FSI. Ask your architect for the current figures, and see our explainer on setbacks, FAR and height limits.

The restricted zones are the part to read twice. Under regulation 8.5 of Part II, RZ-1 permits only works needed to control floods or prevent pollution of a river, pond or lake and the land around it; RZ-2 adds buildings of up to 5% of the plot, ground floor only, that preserve the landscape; RZ-3 allows no development at all; and RZ-4 covers places of historical, natural or architectural interest around Laxmi Vilas Palace, to be kept open. If your zoning certificate shows one of these codes, do not expect to build a normal house there.

Part II also has VUDA-only provisions on villages inside the air pollution boundary and on road setbacks measured from the centre line of five named roads. Our guide to architects and interior designers in Vadodara summarises those, so we do not repeat them here.

The Vishwamitri: what is on record

The Vishwamitri runs through the city, which flooded in August 2024. What we could source on building near it:

• CGDCR Part II bars development in any area the development plan designates as a water body, pond or talav, and requires margins from designated water bodies as set out in the regulations.
• In September 2024, after the floods, VMC served notices on about 10 properties for building without the required margin or encroaching on public land near the river, giving 72 hours to respond. The commissioner said the corporation had run three drone surveys of the river and checked them against revenue and town planning records (DeshGujarat, 24 Sep 2024).
• In March 2025 work began on a ₹62.22 crore project to deepen and widen 24.7 km of the river, aiming to raise its carrying capacity from 800 to 1,100 cusecs (DeshGujarat, 10 Mar 2025).

We found no notified, Vishwamitri-specific setback distance as of October 2026, so we do not give one. If your plot is near the river or a lake, ask your architect to check the development plan sheet and the zoning certificate for a water body designation or a restricted zone before you buy.

Town planning schemes: check both lists

Under a town planning (TP) scheme, your landholding becomes a final plot, usually smaller than the original to make room for roads and public uses, as the Town Planning and Valuation Department explains. In Vadodara, check two lists:

• VMC's list sorts schemes into draft, preliminary and final, with F-Forms for schemes 51 (Kalali), 52 (Tarsali) and 58 (Vadadala). VMC's FAQ asks for the Town Planning Officer's opinion where a property is in a draft scheme.
• VUDA's list shows nine final schemes, including Padra 1 and 2, Bil 1, Sevasi 1 and Bhayli 1 to 4, plus schemes still at the draft or preliminary stage. Some names, such as Bhayli and Sevasi, appear on both lists because those villages moved into VMC in 2020, so confirm which body now administers your final plot.
• New schemes: in August 2026 VUDA published draft TP Schemes 3 and 4 for Padra, about 128 ha of residential and 118 ha of industrial land, the first new schemes there in over 35 years, with one month for objections (DeshGujarat, 7 Aug 2026). If your land is inside a draft scheme, its final shape is not settled yet.

NA permission in Vadodara

As in the rest of Gujarat, if the land record on AnyRoR still shows agricultural land, you need NA permission from the Collector, applied for on the Revenue Department's iORA portal, before the building permission. Premium is payable on new or restricted tenure land; we found no official rate table, so get the figure for your survey number from iORA or the Collector's office.

For land in approved TP schemes, the state announced in 2016 that a separate NA approval would not be needed: the authority would take the Collector's no-objection within 30 days, with exclusions for premium land, government land and land under dispute (DeshGujarat, 2 Sep 2016). In February 2026 The Secretariat reported that developers still had to get an NA certificate and that the state was only considering an exemption for new TP schemes. We found no notification making that law as of 17 October 2026.

Filing, inspections and Building Use

• Filing: both bodies take applications on the Online Development Permission System on eNagar. Under the ODPS 2.0 circular of 2 December 2020, buildings up to 15 m are filed online and approved on the professional's self-certification once the software checks pass.
• Fire: where height or use calls for it, fire approval goes through the state's Fire Safety Compliance Portal; VMC's fire NOC form asks whether the site is in the VMC or VUDA area.
• During construction: VUDA's FAQ says progress certificates in Forms 6a to 6d, signed by the architect, structural designer and supervising engineer, are due at plinth and at each upper floor, with the site visit fixed by phone or SMS.
• Building Use permission: VUDA's FAQ says its planning assistant inspects within 21 days of the completion notice, and that before issuing BU it should make sure trees have been planted on the site or take a deposit for them. VMC's FAQ gives the same 21 days for its final inspection.

For work done without permission, Gujarat's impact fee scheme (GRUDA 2022) applied. The last extension on the GRUDA page is a notification of 15 December 2025 adding six months from 17 December 2025, to about mid-June 2026, with nothing later listed on 17 October 2026.

The sequence, in one place

1. Get the zoning certificate and confirm whether VMC or VUDA governs the plot.
2. Check the zone: if it is RZ-1 to RZ-5 or a water body, stop and take advice.
3. Check the TP scheme status on both lists and get the F-Form or part plan.
4. Read the land record on AnyRoR; if it is still agricultural, apply for NA on iORA.
5. Appoint an architect or engineer registered as a person on record.
6. File on ODPS, submit progress certificates from plinth upwards, and get BU permission before moving in.

Frequently asked questions

Is Bhayli under VMC or VUDA?

Bhayli was brought into VMC by the notification of 18 June 2020, and VMC now lists its final TP schemes. Confirm with the zoning certificate for your plot.

Which development plan applies in VUDA's area?

The second revised development plan, which VUDA's site dates to 18 January 2012. VUDA says a new GIS-based plan is being planned, but we found no published draft as of October 2026.

Can I build near the Vishwamitri?

It depends on the zone. Land designated as a water body allows no development, and RZ-1 and RZ-2 allow little beyond flood-control works. Check the zoning certificate first.

Do I need NA permission for a plot in a Vadodara TP scheme?

If the land record already shows non-agricultural use or a city survey property card, no. If it still says agricultural, budget time for the Collector, because the proposed exemption for TP schemes was not law as of October 2026.

Approvals go faster with someone who has filed with VMC or VUDA before. See architects on MOA and message them directly, with no commission on either side.

Sources

• Vadodara Urban Development Authority: Development plan of VUDA, home page (DP variations, GDCR 1994 note) and town planning schemes (accessed 17 Oct 2026)
• VUDA: FAQ on development permission (undated) and Nagrik Adhikar Patra, updated to 18 Jun 2025 (in Gujarati) (accessed 17 Oct 2026)
• Urban Development and Urban Housing Department, Gujarat: Urban Development Authorities (accessed 17 Oct 2026)
• Vadodara Municipal Corporation: Town Development Department, town planning schemes, FAQs and fire NOC form and BU checklist (in Gujarati) (accessed 17 Oct 2026)
• Urban Development and Urban Housing Department: CGDCR 2017 Part I, Procedure Regulations (3 Oct 2019), Table 1.1 and regulation 4.1.1 (accessed 17 Oct 2026)
• Urban Development and Urban Housing Department: CGDCR 2017 Part II, Planning Regulations (3 Oct 2019), regulation 6.1(3), Table 6.9 and regulation 8.5 (accessed 17 Oct 2026)
• Town Planning and Valuation Department, Gujarat: CGDCR 2017 and modification notifications, including those of 13 Sep 2022, 13 Apr 2023 and the draft of 28 Jul 2026 (accessed 17 Oct 2026)
• Urban Development and Urban Housing Department: circular on ODPS 2.0 for buildings up to 15 m (2 Dec 2020) (accessed 17 Oct 2026)
• Town Planning and Valuation Department: About TP schemes (accessed 17 Oct 2026)
• Government of Gujarat: eNagar, AnyRoR, iORA and the Fire Safety Compliance Portal (accessed 17 Oct 2026)
• Urban Development and Urban Housing Department: GRUDA Act 2022 page and Gazette notification GH/V/393 of 2025 (15 Dec 2025) (accessed 17 Oct 2026)
• Land Conflict Watch: 7 villages in Gujarat's Vadodara notified within city limits, residents oppose move (Sep 2020) (accessed 17 Oct 2026)
• DeshGujarat: VMC issues notice to 10 entities for margin rule violation, encroachment near river Vishwamitri (24 Sep 2024) (accessed 17 Oct 2026)
• DeshGujarat: Rs. 62.22 crore work to deepen and widen Vishwamitri River kicks off (10 Mar 2025) (accessed 17 Oct 2026)
• DeshGujarat: After 35 years, VUDA announces two new TP schemes for Padra (7 Aug 2026) (accessed 17 Oct 2026)
• DeshGujarat: Gujarat govt abolishes non-agriculture (NA) approval process in urban town planning (TP) areas (2 Sep 2016) (accessed 17 Oct 2026)
• The Secretariat: Gujarat eyes land reform move to improve ease of doing business in realty sector (26 Feb 2026) (accessed 17 Oct 2026)