Latest building permit fee applicable for renewals too
Thiruvananthapuram: You are mistaken if you think that the recent increase in the building permit fee only applies to new ones applied for by the Kerala Local Self-Government Authority. The recent increase applies to both new building permits and renewals.
Officials clarified that the new rates would also apply to permits set to be renewed. The Local Self-Government Department (LSGD) cleared the air on the old permits with a decision on Saturday.
Even if existing permits for construction in local authorities are renewed, new fees will have to be paid, officials said. If the permit is renewed before the expiration date, only 10% of the new rate has to be paid, otherwise 50% has to be paid, they added.
For small houses in panchayats, the permit fee has been increased from Rs 525 to Rs 7,500 while for large houses the increase ranges from Rs 1,750 to Rs 25,000.
In urban areas, the permit fee has been raised from Rs 750 to Rs 15,000 for small houses, while it has been raised from Rs 2,500 to Rs 37,500 for large houses. The government has announced that the building regulations will be amended accordingly for this purpose.
Building permits used to be granted for three years, but a 2019 amendment extended them to five years. A three-year residence permit could be extended up to three times. After it has been made for five years, it can only be renewed once. After obtaining the approval in advance, the construction of the building is delayed for various reasons and renovation becomes necessary.
At the same time, while it has been ordered that old fees must be charged to those who applied for new permits by April 9th, the necessary changes in the software have yet to be made. Officials said work is underway.
No refund request yet
No decision has been made to reimburse the higher fees already charged for old applicants. However, the same is awaiting government scrutiny, said MB Rajesh, Minister of the Department of Local Self-Government (LSGD).
After April 10, Kerala local authorities received millions of rupees in revenue. A good percentage of this is the additional fees received from old applicants.