TG-bPASS to BuildNow: GHMC Building Permission Rules, Charges and Steps (2026)

If you search for TG-bPASS today, you land on a law that still applies and a portal that no longer takes applications. Building permissions in GHMC are now filed on BuildNow, which the state launched to replace TG-bPASS, and the TG-bPASS application portal closed after 15 December 2025. The self-certification rules of the TG-bPASS Act, 2020 still decide what you need: nothing but a ₹1 registration on a plot up to 75 sq yd, instant approval for a house on a plot up to 500 sq m and 10 m high, and a 21-day single window above that.

This guide covers the portal: routes, plots under 100 sq yd, charges, status, the permission copy and the mistakes that get houses sealed. For land records, NALA conversion, lakes and who covers which area, read our Hyderabad building permission and land conversion guide.

TG-bPASS or BuildNow: what is current in 2026

TG-bPASS has two meanings, and only one of them has ended.

• The law is still in force. The Telangana State Building Permission Approval and Self-Certification System Act, 2020 (Act 12 of 2020, published in the Telangana Gazette on 19 September 2020) sets the tiers, the self-certification and the penalties. A 2021 government memo (No. 6120/Plg.I/2020/MAUD) confirms it took effect on 16 November 2020 and applies to GHMC.
• The portal has been replaced. BuildNow was launched for GHMC in March 2025 and extended to the HMDA region in April 2025, according to the press list on its home page. Its notice board told applicants to finish pending TG-bPASS applications by 15 December 2025, after which the TG-bPASS portal would close permanently. BuildNow's own FAQ calls its district committees "BuildNow (TG-bPASS 2.0)".

The old TG-bPASS website is still online as an information page, which is why it still ranks. Do not file there.

GHMC building permission rules in 2026: who approves and which rulebook

GHMC is no longer one corporation. G.O.Ms.No.55 of 11 February 2026 split the enlarged GHMC into Cyberabad, Malkajgiri and a smaller GHMC (our Hyderabad guide lists the zones in each). G.O.Ms.No.45 of 5 February 2026 lets the corporation approve buildings of up to 10 floors anywhere in the Core Urban Region (CURE), keeps layouts with HMDA, and applies GHMC's building rules and "existing fee structure" to all of CURE. Both orders are on the BuildNow GOs and Acts page. So whichever of the three corporations your plot falls in, the rules, fees and portal below are the same.

The design rules are the Telangana Building Rules, 2012 (G.O.Ms.No.168, 7 April 2012, as amended), which set setbacks, heights, parking and the occupancy certificate. There is no separate "GHMC building rules 2026": the latest amendment listed on BuildNow is G.O.Ms.No.95 of 21 March 2026, on transferable development rights.

The four routes on BuildNow

Section 7 of the Act sets the tiers, and BuildNow's flow chart and timelines fill in the detail for houses.

The flow chart splits the instant tier by height: ground plus one, or stilt plus two, is approved instantly; ground plus two, or stilt plus three, instantly with a mortgage. That mortgage comes from rule 25(d) of the Building Rules: the owner hands 10 per cent of the built-up area to the corporation by notarised affidavit, entered in the registration department's prohibitory register until the occupancy certificate is issued. Rule 25(e) exempts individual buildings on plots up to 200 sq m and up to 7 m high in a municipal corporation, including GHMC.

GHMC building permission below 100 sq yards

Up to 75 sq yd, with only a ground or ground plus one floor, you need no building permission and no occupancy certificate. You still register online with a ₹1 token and self-certify your title, plot size and floors (section 7(2) of the Act). BuildNow's FAQ says the ₹1 can be paid with your first property tax receipt. The Act adds a warning that matters: a plot bigger than 75 sq yd cannot be split to use this route.

From 75 to 100 sq yd (63 to 84 sq m), you need a building permission, but it is the instant, self-certified kind. What you may build comes from Table III of rule 5 of the Building Rules, in the row for plots of 50 to 100 sq m:

• Up to 7 m high: a front setback of 1.5 m where the road is up to 18 m wide, and no side or rear setback.
• Up to 10 m high: the same front setback, plus 0.5 m on the remaining sides.
• Front setback on wider roads: 3 m where the abutting road is wider than 18 m.
• Stilt parking: G.O.Ms.No.7 of 5 January 2016 added a stilt floor to the parking column for plots under 200 sq m, and rule 5(c) leaves a parking stilt out of the permitted height.

Road widening, a lake buffer or a layout condition can cut into these numbers on a real plot. See our explainer on setbacks, FAR and height limits and our guide to what you can build on a small plot.

GHMC building permission required documents

BuildNow's checklist is short for houses.

• Always: a site photograph from the front, and ownership documents (the sale deed and link documents).
• If they apply: the property tax receipt, vacant land tax receipts for the last three years, site photographs if work has started, a market value certificate where registration office data is not available, the layout approval for an approved layout, or BRS approval.
• Unapproved layout or open plot: an ownership or link document registered before 26 August 2020.
• Drawings: optional for the instant tiers, but uploading DCR drawings is mandatory if you want digitally signed building plans. The 2021 memo says the instant tiers issue a registration certificate or building permit order, and instructs banks to accept them for home loans without a signed plan.

How to apply on BuildNow, step by step

1. Check the plot: ownership, layout status, lakes or nalas nearby, and the corporation.
2. Log in to the BuildNow Application Portal. The FAQ says owners may file themselves.
3. Upload the documents and drawings, and submit the self-certification.
4. For single-window files, any shortfall is raised within 10 days, and you have 15 days to reply before the application is rejected automatically.
5. Pay the fee. The FAQ says the fee is paid after the fee intimation letter, within 15 days, or within another 15 days with 10 per cent interest.
6. Download the permit order and plans. No hard copy is issued.
7. Display the permission at the site, build exactly to it, and upload stage photographs as the Act requires (section 10(5)).
8. Apply for the occupancy certificate if your tier needs one.

GHMC building permission charges

What the published orders do set:

• Development charges: G.O.Ms.No.223 of 30 August 2016, the latest revision listed on BuildNow, sets ₹125 per sq m for the GHMC area when vacant land is put to residential use, with one column for land and one for built-up area.
• Building permit fee: rule 19 of the Building Rules provides for an initial fee of 2 per cent of the permit fee, capped at ₹10,000, with the balance collected before the permission is released. The permit fee rate itself is not published.
• City Level Infrastructure Impact Fee: under rule 21, none is charged for the first 15 m of height, so an ordinary house pays nothing.
• Environmental Impact Fee: ₹8 per sq ft, but only where the built-up area exceeds 10,000 sq ft (G.O.Ms.No.17, 23 July 2025).
• Corrections: a user charge of ₹5,000 per application to correct an application or proceedings (Memo No. 3220/PLG.III/2023, 16 May 2023).

A worked example, for illustration only. Take the 100 sq yd plot above with a ground plus one house of about 144 sq m (72 sq m a floor, about 1,550 sq ft). Development charges on built-up area come to 144 × ₹125 = ₹18,000. The impact fee and environmental fee are nil at this size,. The unpublished permit fee is added on top, so read the letter line by line. For the build itself, see our Hyderabad construction cost breakdown covers the money that matters more.

GHMC building permission status and permission copy download

• Status: BuildNow lists real-time status updates on WhatsApp among its features, and its home page has "Application Search" and "Citizen Search" links. When we checked on 2 November 2026, both opened the Application Portal login, so expect to sign in.
• Permission copy: the FAQ says the approved permission copy can be downloaded by quoting the building application number, and that plans and proceedings are downloaded rather than collected.
• Older permissions: for a TG-bPASS-era or older permission, try the same search, then the corporation's town planning section or the BuildNow helpline (040-22 66 66 66, 10 am to 6 pm, Monday to Saturday). GHMC's citizen charter, which predates BuildNow, lists a certified copy at ₹500 on filing, within 15 days.

Validity, display and the mistakes that get houses sealed

• Validity: 3 years for a non-high-rise building and 5 years for a high-rise, per BuildNow. Rule 19(d) also says construction must start within 18 months, and the permission can be revalidated for 2 more years on payment of the permit fee.
• Display it at the site. In September 2026 the Telangana High Court (Justice B. Vijaysen Reddy) directed the GHMC, Cyberabad and Malkajgiri commissioners to make sure permissions are displayed at construction sites. Work without one on display is to be stopped, and plots under 75 sq yd are to show their registration certificate, Deccan Chronicle reported.
• Do not split a plot to dodge the rules. The same order called splitting larger plots into small ones to get self-certified permissions a "disturbing trend". It said extra floors cannot be regularised under sections 455-A and 455-AA of the GHMC Act unless a permission could have been granted for them.
• Self-certification puts the risk on you. Under section 7(4) of the Act the applicant is personally accountable for a false declaration, section 7(5) makes the owner accept demolition without notice for any violation, and section 9 allows imprisonment of up to three years. BuildNow's FAQ adds penalties of up to 25 per cent of the land value for deviations.
• Occupancy certificate: not required for houses on plots up to 200 sq m and up to 7 m high, issued instantly on self-certification for plots of 200 to 500 sq m, and in 21 days above that (BuildNow timelines). Where you gave a 10 per cent mortgage, the OC is what releases it.

Who prepares and signs the drawings

For the instant tiers the owner can file alone, and drawings are optional. The occupancy certificate is different: section 8 of the Act requires the self-certification to be attested by a Licensed Technical Personnel (LTP), who shares liability for a false statement. In practice, a house that must fit Table III and be structurally sound needs a registered architect or licensed engineer from the start. Check an architect on the Council of Architecture register. LTP licences are moving online: under Circular Memo No. 7860/2026/Plg. of 1 October 2026, existing LTPs must digitise their licences on the BuildNow LTP portal by 15 November 2026. Our sanction drawing guide, coming soon, will cover what a full submission set contains.

Official portals

• BuildNow: applications, search, checklist, timelines and FAQs
• BuildNow GOs and Acts: the TG-bPASS Act, the Building Rules and every amendment
• TG-bPASS: information only, closed to applications
• GHMC building permissions: the corporation's own page
• BuildNow LTP portal: licences for architects and engineers

Frequently asked questions

What is the full form of TG-bPASS?

Telangana State Building Permission Approval and Self-Certification System. The Act of that name (Act 12 of 2020) is still law, but applications now go through BuildNow.

Is GHMC building permission required for a 100 sq yard plot?

Yes. Only plots up to 75 sq yd with ground or ground plus one are exempt, and even they register for ₹1. A 100 sq yd house gets instant approval on self-certification, with a 10 per cent mortgage if it goes above 7 m.

How do I check my GHMC building permission status?

Sign in to the BuildNow Application Portal and use Application Search with your application number, or follow the WhatsApp updates BuildNow sends. The helpline is 040-22 66 66 66.

How can I download my GHMC building permission copy?

From BuildNow, by quoting the building application number. The corporation does not issue a hard copy, and banks accept the digital approval for loans.

Can I still log in to TG-bPASS?

No new applications are accepted there. BuildNow's notice said the TG-bPASS portal would close permanently after 15 December 2025.

An architect who has filed on BuildNow recently will know where your plot's file is likely to stall. Find a COA-verified architect on MOA and choose your city in the city filter.

Sources

• Government of Telangana: TS-bPASS Act, 2020 (Act 12 of 2020), Telangana Gazette, 19 September 2020, sections 7 to 10 (accessed 2 Nov 2026)
• MA&UD Department: Building Rules, 2012, G.O.Ms.No.168, 7 April 2012, rules 5 (Table III), 19, 21, 25 and 26 (accessed 2 Nov 2026)
• MA&UD Department: G.O.Ms.No.7, 5 January 2016, amendments to the Building Rules (stilt parking, shelter fee) (accessed 2 Nov 2026)
• MA&UD Department: G.O.Ms.No.223, 30 August 2016, rates of development charges in the HMDA area (accessed 2 Nov 2026)
• MA&UD Department: Memo No. 6120/Plg.I/2020/MAUD, 28 January 2021, acceptance of TS-bPASS permit orders for loans (accessed 2 Nov 2026)
• MA&UD Department: G.O.Ms.No.45, 5 February 2026, building permission powers and fee structure in CURE (accessed 2 Nov 2026)
• MA&UD Department: G.O.Ms.No.55, 11 February 2026, constitution of the Cyberabad, Malkajgiri and Greater Hyderabad corporations (accessed 2 Nov 2026)
• BuildNow: GOs and Acts list, including G.O.Ms.No.17 (23 Jul 2025), G.O.Ms.No.95 (21 Mar 2026) and Memo No. 3220/PLG.III/2023 (accessed 2 Nov 2026)
• BuildNow: home page notices and features, flow chart, checklist, timelines and FAQs (accessed 2 Nov 2026)
• TG-bPASS: information site and salient features (accessed 2 Nov 2026)
• GHMC: building permissions page and citizen charter (accessed 2 Nov 2026)
• Deccan Chronicle: HC red flags fraudulent split of land for permit (9 Sep 2026) (accessed 2 Nov 2026)
• Council of Architecture: register of architects (accessed 2 Nov 2026)