No Occupancy Certificate needed for 30x40 rural homes: Karnataka Govt gives major relief

New RDPR order exempts select newly-built houses under gram panchayat limits from mandatory OC, easing access to basic services

In a major relief to farmhouse owners and new homeowners in rural Karnataka, the state government on Wednesday announced an exemption from the mandatory occupancy certificate (OC) for certain categories of residential buildings under gram panchayat limits.

According to officials from the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RDPR) Department, the exemption applies to newly constructed residential houses built on 30x40 square feet plots located in rural areas governed by gram panchayats. The relaxation has come into effect immediately.

As per the official RDPR notification, residential buildings with a structure of ground floor plus two floors (G+2) or stilt plus three floors (Stilt+3) constructed on 30x40 sqft plots will no longer be required to obtain an occupancy certificate. This exemption applies even if the construction was carried out without prior plan approval or sanction from the jurisdictional authorities.

Also Read:Bengaluru airport introduces paid premium pick-up zone for corporate cabs at Terminal 1

Earlier, all newly built houses within gram panchayat limits were required to undergo a detailed inspection process before an OC was issued. This involved physical verification by gram panchayat officials and town planning authorities, scrutiny of building plans, and validation of certificates issued by licensed engineers and architects. The government noted that these procedures were placing excessive pressure on local bodies, many of which are understaffed.

Officials said the prolonged OC process was causing delays in file clearance and affecting the delivery of essential government services. To reduce administrative burden and speed up service delivery, the rules were relaxed for homes built on 30x40 sqft plots.

Also Read:Silk Board-KR Puram ORR revamp gets green signal; ₹450 crore project split into two packages

The absence of an occupancy certificate had become a serious problem for homeowners, as electricity supply companies (Escoms) and local bodies were denying basic amenities such as electricity connections, water supply, and drainage services. This followed recent Supreme Court guidelines linking access to essential services with the availability of valid OCs.

Notably, the Karnataka government had issued a similar exemption a few weeks ago for newly constructed buildings within the jurisdiction of the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) and other urban local bodies, waiving the OC requirement there as well.

Also Read:New Year relief for investors: Govt keeps small savings interest rates unchanged