The maximum time for the approval of a planning permission application was 27 days in cases involving queries or clarifications.
| Photo Credit: JOTHI RAMALINGAM B
The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) can no longer summon applicants or registered architects to appear in person for planning permissions.All scrutiny must be done only online, as per a circular prescribing time-bound guidelines for the processing of planning permission and building permit applications.According to the circular issued by the GCC’s Town Planning Department, planning permission and building permits must be processed within the specified timelines to avoid inconveniencing the public.The document said that Assistant Executive Engineers should conduct site inspections within seven days of an application being submitted online.The inspection report should be uploaded to the GCC portal within two days of the inspection, and the documents verified within five days of the report being uploaded, it said. If additional particulars are required, officials should seek them through the online portal within two days of scrutiny, it added.Applicants must be given seven days to furnish the requested particulars online. Once the required documents satisfy the prescribed conditions, fee calculations must be completed online and the competent authority must approve the planning permission application within three working days.The circular also directed that the demand advice for the payment of fees be generated automatically through the online portal.Plans and permits should be digitally signed by Executive Engineers within 24 hours of payment by the applicant, enabling the approved documents to be viewed online.According to the document, applications should be processed on a first-in, first-out basis.It stated that the maximum time for the approval of a planning permission application was 27 days in cases involving queries or clarifications.In cases where applications are complete and no additional particulars are sought, approval should be granted within 18 days.The circular also laid down the procedures for cases in which the planning permission had already been granted by the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority.In such cases, site inspection and document scrutiny by the GCC are not required, and building permit applications forwarded by the CMDA should be sanctioned within seven days, the document further stated. Published - June 01, 2026 11:53 pm IST
