Building a House
LDA map approval for a house: documents, fees and how long it takes
LDA map approval for a house: Rs 15 per sq ft scrutiny fee plus Rs 10,000 processing, 21 days in approved schemes. Documents, steps, penalties, DHA.
Building a House · Property
SBCA building plan approval in Karachi: documents, fees and timeline
SBCA building plan approval for a Karachi house: Rs 16.50 or Rs 12 per sq ft scrutiny fee, six plan sets, 15 days (5 for pre-approved designs), steps.
- Scrutiny fee (house)
- Rs 16.50 or Rs 12 per sq ft, by FBR area category
- Decision time
- 15 days; 5 days for SBCA pre-approved designs
- Plan sets
- 6, signed by an SBCA-licensed professional
- Penalty for misrepresentation
- 4 times the scrutiny fee
Summarize it for me
AI Summary
SBCA building plan approval for a house in Karachi goes through SBCA's Single Window Facility. The scrutiny fee is Rs 16.50 per sq ft of covered area in FBR valuation categories I, A-I, II, III, IX and X, or Rs 12 in categories IV to VIII (January 2023 notification). You need a forwarding letter from your land agency, an SBCA-licensed professional, six sets of plans and your ownership papers. SBCA says it approves within 15 days once objections are cleared, or 5 days for its pre-approved designs.
SBCA building plan approval for a house in Karachi costs a scrutiny fee of Rs 16.50 or Rs 12 per sq ft of covered area, depending on your area’s FBR valuation category. You apply through SBCA’s Single Window Facility with a licensed architect or engineer, six sets of plans and a forwarding letter from your land agency. SBCA says it approves within 15 days once objections are cleared, or 5 days for its own pre-approved designs.
The Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) sets these rules in the Karachi Building and Town Planning Regulations 2002 (KB&TPR), as amended. Everything below comes from SBCA’s own website and PDFs, read on 22 October 2026. The fee notice is a scanned gazette page, which we read page by page.
What documents are required for SBCA building plan approval?
SBCA’s FAQ and its documents list ask for:
- Six sets of plans showing elevations, sections and the site plan.
- Copy of your valid CNIC (or NICOP), and the attorney’s if one applies for you.
- Two passport-size photographs of the owner, and recent photographs of the site.
- Ownership papers for your type of plot (see the table below).
- Sub-division, amalgamation or change of land use papers, if any apply.
Every document must be signed and stamped by your SBCA-licensed professional.
Which ownership papers you need depends on who leased the land to you:
| Land agency | Before lease | After lease |
|---|---|---|
| KDA, LDA, MDA (development authorities) | Allotment, possession, acknowledgement of possession, site plan, transfer order if you’re not the first allottee | Lease, sale deed, mutation |
| KCHS Union societies, PECHS, other private societies | Allotment, possession, site plan, transfer order | Lease, sale deed, mutation |
| KMC | Mutation or extract, site plan, lease or sub-lease | Same |
| Board of Revenue | Extract, site plan, lease or sub-lease | Same |
| Katchi abadis (KMC, SKA) | Not accepted | Lease, site plan, possession order |
In every case SBCA also needs a forwarding letter from the land-owning agency confirming your title and the land use.
How does the SBCA building plan approval process work?
- Get e-forwarding from your land agency. KDA, KMC, LDA, MDA, the cooperative societies registrar or your private society sends it through SBCA’s portal, confirming title, land use and plot size. The plot is checked against the scheme’s approved layout plan.
- Hire an SBCA-licensed professional. An architect or engineer on SBCA’s licensed list prepares and signs the drawings and supervises the work on site.
- Submit the proposal. Your professional submits it online and you pay the scrutiny fee by e-payment. Then hand in the hard copy of the documents at SBCA’s smart counter.
- Keep the acknowledgement receipt. It is issued after the scrutiny fee is paid. A fee for an extra floor or basement is paid separately.
- Wait for the site report. SBCA’s system asks the district director for a site report within 3 working days. If none arrives, the Single Window Facility goes ahead on the basis that the plot is vacant and not in litigation.
- Answer any objections. Approval is due within 15 days after you clear them, or 5 days for a pre-approved design.
- Collect the approval from the Single Window Facility with your original CNIC or NICOP.
If the plot is a protected heritage site, evacuee trust property, near the Quaid’s Mazar podium, or affected by a road reservation, your professional needs an NOC from SBCA’s Architecture and Planning Section. That section should decide within 4 days, and the 15-day clock stops until it does.
What is the SBCA map approval fee?
SBCA’s fee notification (Notification No. Chief Executive/SBCA/2023/01, dated 10 January 2023, printed in the Sindh Gazette on 26 January 2023) sets these scrutiny fees per sq ft:
| Building type | FBR categories I, A-I, II, III, IX, X | FBR categories IV, V, VI, VII, VIII |
|---|---|---|
| Residential | Rs 16.50 (was Rs 15) | Rs 12 (was Rs 11) |
| Commercial or public sale project | Rs 22 | Rs 17.50 |
| Industrial | Rs 20 (all categories) | Rs 20 |
| Amenity | Rs 12 (all categories) | Rs 12 |
The same rates apply to completion and regularisation plans. The notification says SBCA can revise the fee from time to time. On 22 October 2026, SBCA’s website still linked this 2023 notification, and we found no newer one.
Which FBR category is my area?
The categories come from FBR’s property valuation table for Karachi. SBCA’s website links the 2022 table (S.R.O. 345(I)/2022). Some examples from it:
| Area | Residential category | House fee per sq ft |
|---|---|---|
| Gulshan-e-Iqbal Block 17 | A-I | Rs 16.50 |
| North Nazimabad Blocks B and F | I | Rs 16.50 |
| Gulshan-e-Iqbal (except Blocks 4, 6, 7, 17) | II | Rs 16.50 |
| Nazimabad | II | Rs 16.50 |
| Gulshan-e-Maymar (except sectors W, Y, Z) | IV | Rs 12 |
| Malir City | V | Rs 12 |
An area that isn’t listed counts as the nearest lower category. FBR has issued newer valuation tables since 2022, and we didn’t check whether any area moved category, so confirm yours with your architect.
Example (our calculation): a house with 2,000 sq ft of covered area pays Rs 33,000 at Rs 16.50, or Rs 24,000 at Rs 12. Your architect’s and engineer’s fees are extra. To turn plot sizes into square feet, use our marla to square feet converter.
How long does SBCA building plan approval take?
SBCA’s FAQ and its Single Window Facility flow both give 15 days for a house plan with no outstanding objection, and 5 days if you use an SBCA pre-approved design. The clock stops while a heritage or road-reservation NOC is pending.
SBCA offers pre-approved designs for 60, 80, 120 and 240 sq yd plots, with plans, elevations, sections and working details. You can get them from the Single Window Facility or SBCA’s website. With one, your professional charges only for certifying the plans and inspecting the work, not for design.
Can I apply for SBCA approval online?
Partly. Your licensed professional submits the proposal online and you pay by e-payment, but you still hand in a hard copy of the documents for the acknowledgement receipt. In February 2026 the Sindh government said Category-I approvals were already fully online, and that Categories II and III were moving to the same system (The News and Zameen, 22 and 23 February 2026).
SBCA’s Category-I covers a bungalow on a plot up to 399 sq yd with up to ground plus two floors. Since September 2023, though, SBCA’s flow says the Single Window Facility handles all residential plots whatever their size, except Old City Area plots.
To check your SBCA approval online, enter your proposal number on SBCA’s file tracking page (sbca.gos.pk/home/file_tracking) or scan the QR code on your receipt. SBCA sends an SMS to you and your professional at each stage. The issued permit carries a QR code that shows whether it is genuine and its status.
What comes after approval?
Build to the approved plan. Your licensed professional supervises the work on site. For the completion certificate, SBCA’s documents list asks for the approved architectural plan plus your allotment, possession, lease, site plan, mutation and the land agency’s forwarding letter.
Plan the build with house construction stages and budget it with house construction cost in Pakistan. Building in Lahore or Islamabad instead? See LDA map approval and CDA building bylaws.
More guides: Bahria Town Karachi review · DHA Karachi review · LDA map approval · Property
Questions people ask
What is the SBCA map approval fee in Karachi?
The scrutiny fee for a house is Rs 16.50 per sq ft in FBR valuation categories I, A-I, II, III, IX and X, and Rs 12 per sq ft in categories IV to VIII, under SBCA's January 2023 notification. An extra floor or basement is paid separately.
How long does SBCA building plan approval take?
SBCA says its Single Window Facility approves a house plan within 15 days once any objections are cleared, and within 5 days if you use one of its pre-approved designs.
How can I check SBCA approval online?
Enter your proposal number on SBCA's file tracking page, or scan the QR code on your acknowledgement receipt. SBCA also sends an SMS at each stage, and the permit's QR code shows whether it is genuine.
Do I need SBCA approval in DHA Karachi?
No. In DHA Karachi, plans go to DHA and then to Cantonment Board Clifton, which gives final approval.
Sources
- FAQ's (Single Window Facility), Sindh Building Control Authority (accessed 22 Oct 2026)
- Required Documents for Approval of Proposed Building Plan, Sindh Building Control Authority (accessed 22 Oct 2026)
- Karachi Building & Town Planning Regulations (Amendment) 2023, fee notification (Sindh Gazette, 26 Jan 2023), Sindh Building Control Authority (accessed 22 Oct 2026)
- Submission of Automated Construction Permit, Single Window Facility flow (22 May 2025), Sindh Building Control Authority (accessed 22 Oct 2026)
- Categories of Development Works, Table 3.1, Sindh Building Control Authority (accessed 22 Oct 2026)
- FBR valuation of immovable property, Karachi (S.R.O. 345(I)/2022), Federal Board of Revenue, posted by SBCA (accessed 22 Oct 2026)
- Sindh rolls out tech-driven reforms in SBCA (23 Feb 2026), Zameen.com News (accessed 22 Oct 2026)
- Nasir announces SBCA reform and enforcement framework (22 Feb 2026), The News (accessed 22 Oct 2026)
- Town Planning & Building Control, DHA Karachi (accessed 14 Oct 2026)
Photo: Ahmad Haq / CC BY-SA 4.0
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