Building permission, occupancy certificate and BPS 2025 check in Andhra Pradesh before buying (Vizag, Vijayawada, Guntur, Tirupati)

Checked against official sources on 14 Oct 2026 · Not legal advice · Government websites change, so re-check before you rely on a step.

OC vs completion certificate (AP-RERA FAQ)

• Q16: the occupancy certificate relates to occupation of the apartment or building, with civic infrastructure such as water, sanitation and electricity, and is habitable. The completion certificate certifies that the whole project was developed according to the sanctioned plan, layout plan and sections approved by the competent authority.
• Q26: open parking areas are common areas, conveyed to the association of allottees after the OC; the promoter can't sell open parking. Covered parking and garages may be sold.
• Q32: a project without an OC or completion certificate is treated as "ongoing" (with listed exceptions), so it must be on AP-RERA if it crosses the thresholds. Check the project on AP-RERA.

New houses and small buildings: Self Certification Scheme 2025

G.O.Ms.No.120 (13-07-2025) adds the Self Certification Scheme (SCS 2025) to the AP Building Rules, 2017, in all urban local bodies. As we read it:

• It covers non-high-rise residential buildings on plots up to 4,000 sq m (high-rise means 18 m and above). The online system (OBPS) issues proceedings instantly after the fee is paid, on a trust basis.
• It applies only to plots in approved layouts, layouts regularised under LRS 2008 or LRS 2020, village sites and gramakantam, areas with approved circulation patterns, and redevelopment of buildings with approved plans or that existed before 1985. It does not apply to buildings in unauthorised layouts, CRZ areas or group development schemes.
• The licensed technical person (LTP) must upload a plinth-level inspection report within 7 days of the plinth beam. For the OC, the LTP submits a completion certificate and the authority does a joint inspection.
• Only 10% to 15% of files are randomly picked for inspection by town planning staff. So a fast permission is not proof the building matches the plan; compare floors and setbacks yourself.
• For buildings that attract RERA registration, the G.O. says the owner and LTP must register with AP-RERA soon after getting building permission.

Permissions are filed through the state's online building permission system (APDPMS portal, linked from DTCP AP). The portal loads only in a browser, so its public search for a permission number is (to verify).

Built without permission? BPS 2025 in plain words

• Which buildings: constructed after 1-1-1985 and before 31-08-2025, in municipal corporations, municipalities, nagar panchayats and gram panchayats under UDAs, VMRDA, APCRDA (except the Capital City Area), VK-PCPIR UDA and IALA.
• How: online only, at bps.ap.gov.in (it opened to a login page when we checked), within 120 days from the notification. The notification date and any extension are (to verify); G.O.Ms.No.225 is dated 12-11-2025.
• Papers asked for: registered title document, EC and market value certificate, sanctioned plan if any, dated photographs, drawings of the violated area, indemnity bond, and a structural stability certificate from a licensed structural engineer.
• Never eligible: government land, land without title, water bodies, master-plan road alignments, layout open spaces, sites under ownership litigation, parking areas in the sanctioned plan, and any floor built after 31-08-2025.
• Result: approved BPS proceedings are treated as the occupancy certificate for a building complete in all aspects. The authority should decide within 6 months of the last date for applications.
• Scale: the G.O. records about 59,041 unauthorised constructions reported in the UCIMS portal as on 31-08-2025, including 49,056 deviations and 9,985 additional floors.

What it means for you

• Green: permission proceedings and sanctioned plan match the building, the OC (or approved BPS proceedings for a finished building) is issued, and the project shows on AP-RERA where required.
• Amber: "BPS applied", "OC under process", or a self-certification permission with no OC yet. Ask a lawyer or engineer; an application alone is not approval.
• Red: extra floors built after 31-08-2025, the building in an unauthorised layout, open parking being sold, or a site under litigation. Don't pay a token.

Then finish the other checks

• Layout approval and LRS check for the land under the building.
• EC online, CC online and prohibited property search.
• Buying from abroad? NRIs and OCIs can't buy agricultural land, plantation property or a farm house (RBI Master Direction, para 3.1.1).

We don't check properties for anyone. This page shows what AP-RERA's FAQ and the two DTCP AP orders say, as we read them on 14 Oct 2026. Government orders are also published at goir.ap.gov.in. Property in Hyderabad? See our Telangana building permission and OC guide.

FAQ

Official sources

• AP-RERA FAQs (Q15, Q16, Q26, Q32)
• DTCP AP: G.O.Ms.No.120, 13-07-2025, Self Certification Scheme 2025 (PDF)
• DTCP AP: G.O.Ms.No.225, 12-11-2025, Building Penalisation Scheme 2025 (PDF)
• DTCP AP (home)
• APDPMS portal
• AP Government Orders (goir.ap.gov.in)
• RBI Master Direction on acquisition of immovable property (id 10196)

Not legal advice. We don't check properties or certify ads. A lawyer must confirm title, and the Authority's own notices override anything on this page.