CMDA, DTCP or local body: who approves plans for this land
Drop a pin on the land and get the planning authority that governs it, CMDA, DTCP or a local planning authority, with the kind of local body it falls in and the survey parcel under the pin. That tells you where a building plan or layout goes for approval.
Sign in with your phone to run it. You see the price and approve it before anything runs.
- The parcel under the pin, so the answer is tied to a survey number and not a vague locality
- The jurisdiction type (corporation, municipality, town or village panchayat) that decides which rulebook applies
- The local planning authority name where one exists between the state body and the local council
1 creditper run, charged only when a record comes back
What we need
One thing at a time. Fill it in and press Run.
The answer
From the register, with its date and source.
Nothing run yet. The answer appears here with everything this mini adds:
- The parcel under the pin, so the answer is tied to a survey number and not a vague locality
- The jurisdiction type (corporation, municipality, town or village panchayat) that decides which rulebook applies
- The local planning authority name where one exists between the state body and the local council
Planning authorities, briefly
A planning authority is the body that approves layouts and building plans for an area under the Tamil Nadu Town and Country Planning Act, 1971: CMDA for the Chennai Metropolitan Area, and DTCP or a local planning authority elsewhere.
- Chennai region
- CMDA
The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority plans the Chennai Metropolitan Area, including land well outside the city corporation.
- Rest of the state
- DTCP
The Directorate of Town and Country Planning, through its regional offices and the local planning authorities it oversees.
- The permit itself
- Local body
A corporation, municipality, town panchayat or village panchayat issues the building permit. The answer names which kind the land is in.
How to find the planning authority for a plot
- 1
Place the pin on the land
Tap the plot on the map, paste a Google Maps link, or use your location while you stand there.
- 2
Press Run
The state planning boundary layer is read at the pin, and the survey parcel under it is found.
- 3
Read the authority and the local body
The authority says who clears the plan; the jurisdiction line says which rulebook and fee schedule apply.
CMDA, DTCP, local planning authority and local body
Four names you will meet when a plan is submitted, and what each one does.
| CMDA | DTCP | Local planning authority | Local body | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Covers | The Chennai Metropolitan Area | Tamil Nadu outside the Chennai Metropolitan Area | A notified planning area, such as a town and its surroundings | Its own corporation, municipality or panchayat limits |
| Approves | Layouts and larger building plans in its area | Layouts and larger building plans across its regions | Plans in its area, under DTCP | Issues the building permit, and may approve small buildings itself |
| Where it shows in the answer | The authority line | The authority line | The local planning authority line | The jurisdiction line |
When it helps with land
Before buying a plot
A layout sold as approved should carry the approval of the authority this answer names. An approval from any other body is a question to ask.
Before drawing a plan
The authority and the kind of local body decide the rules, the fees and the office the file goes to.
On the edge of a boundary
Villages near the Chennai Metropolitan Area limit are easy to get wrong by name. The pin reads the boundary itself.
This says which body approves plans here, not that anything on the land was approved. Check the approvals recorded on the survey number, and confirm the file with the authority before you pay.
Questions people ask
Is my land under CMDA or DTCP?
Drop a pin on the land above and press Run. The answer names the planning authority from the state planning boundary layer at that exact spot, with the survey parcel under the pin.
What is the difference between CMDA and DTCP?
CMDA is the planning authority for the Chennai Metropolitan Area. DTCP, the Directorate of Town and Country Planning, covers the rest of the state through its regional offices and local planning authorities.
What is a local planning authority?
A body set up for a notified planning area, usually a town and the villages around it, that handles planning there under DTCP. Where one covers the pin, the answer names it.
Who actually issues the building permit?
The local body, the corporation, municipality or panchayat, issues the permit after the planning authority's clearance where one is needed. For small residential buildings the local body may approve on its own.
Why are the district or village names in the answer slightly different?
The planning boundary layer carries its own copy of the place names, and some are older than the district changes since 2019. The parcel line gives the current revenue names; use those.
It found no planning area at my pin.
No planning area in the boundary layer covers that spot. Outside the Chennai Metropolitan Area and the notified local planning areas, layouts and buildings normally come under DTCP with the local body issuing the permit, but that is the general rule, not a reading at your pin, so confirm it with the local body. Nothing found is not charged.
Does this tell me the land use zone?
No. It names the authority. The zone (residential, commercial, agricultural and so on) is on the master plan or development plan sheet; for the Chennai region the planning map mini finds the sheet that covers a neighbourhood.
When is it charged?
Only when an authority is found at the pin.