LocalLand & propertyBeta

Building permit (house map approval)

नक्सा पास (भवन निर्माण अनुमति)

Responsible office

Municipality / rural municipality building permit section (नगरपालिका / गाउँपालिका)

नगरपालिका / गाउँपालिका

Who can applyLandowners who want to build, extend or alter a house or building; building without an approved map is not legal.

Typical timeNot published as a total processing time — confirm at the municipality. KMC's Building Construction Procedure 2075 appears to set a 15-day public-notice period (read from legacy-font text; unconfirmed).

Taxes / chargesNot stated

01 · Before you apply

Essential information

Legal basis

Local Government Operation Act 2074; Building Act 2055 and National Building Code; municipal building bylaws (KMC Building Construction Procedure 2075; KMC Building Standards 2080, first revision 2082, and its 2083 amending Act; Pokhara Building and Infrastructure Construction Standards 2080); each municipality's Finance Act 2083 (fees)

Fee information as of

Not published

Source updated

2083 BS (KMC Building Standards amending Act 2083 listed on KMC e-BPS, checked 12 Oct 2026); KMC procedure dated 2075

Data confidence

low

02 · Prepare

Documents you need

Bring original documents together with readable photocopies. Names, dates and record details should match across every document.

Application form from the municipality/rural municipality (in Kathmandu and Lalitpur, filed online through e-BPS by the registered designer)
Current fiscal year's property-tax paid receipt from the ward office
Trace map (ट्रेस नक्सा) certified by a surveyor, showing the plot number, issued within the last 3 months
Road-access recommendation (घरबाटो सिफारिस) from the ward
Four-boundaries recommendation (चारकिल्ला) from the ward
Land ownership certificate (जग्गाधनी प्रमाणपुर्जा): original and photocopy
Bank consent letter if the land is mortgaged
Owner's citizenship copy and passport-size photo
Five witnesses confirming the land is not disputed, with their signatures, citizenship copies and passport-size photos
Building drawings prepared by an engineer to municipal standards, plus structural analysis under the National Building Code
Designer/engineer's licence and qualification documents (KMC procedure 2075, annex 1 — partly legible)
For an organisation: its registration certificate and PAN/VAT certificate (KMC procedure 2075, annex 1 — partly legible)

03 · At the office

Step-by-step process

1
Collect the ward tax receipt, ward recommendations (road access, four boundaries) and the trace map.
2
Hire a designer/engineer registered with the municipality (KMC's e-BPS publishes a designer list) to prepare the architectural and structural drawings to the building standards.
3
The designer submits the application online through the municipality's electronic building permit system (e-BPS); in Kathmandu Metropolitan City the file passes the Registration, Technical, Revenue and Ward desks.
4
A public notice goes to neighbours (KMC sends it by SMS; the notice period appears to be 15 days — confirm) and any objections are examined.
5
Municipal technicians check the drawings against the building bylaws and the National Building Code.
6
Pay the permit fee and receive a temporary permit to build up to plinth/DPC level.
7
At plinth/DPC (damp-proof course) level, apply for the superstructure permit; engineers inspect the work against the approved drawings.
8
Receive the permanent (superstructure) permit and complete construction as approved; track the file on the e-BPS application-tracking page.
9
Apply for the building completion certificate (निर्माण सम्पन्न प्रमाणपत्र) when finished.

04 · Cost

Fees and charges

Permit fee per sq ft — Kathmandu Metropolitan City

KMC's Finance Bill/Act 2083 PDF (legacy Preeti font) was checked; no per-sq-ft permit fee could be read

Not published in sources found — confirm at the municipality

Permit fee per sq ft — Lalitpur Metropolitan City

Lalitpur's Finance Act 2083 was not found on its website

Not published in sources found — confirm at the municipality

Permit fee per sq ft — Pokhara Metropolitan City

Pokhara's posted Finance Acts end at 2080; FY 2083/84 not found online

Not published in sources found — confirm at the municipality

Ward recommendations and tax receipt

Not published — varies by local level

05 · Digital options

Online services

Kathmandu Metropolitan City electronic building permit system (e-BPS)KMC e-BPS reference documents: building procedure, building standards 2080 (revised 2082), 2083 amending Act, National Building Code KMC e-BPS application tracking Lalitpur Metropolitan City e-BPS Lalitpur Metropolitan City e-BPS file tracking (नक्सा फाइल खोजी)Pokhara Metropolitan City acts and directives (building standards 2080, building regularisation procedure 2080)

06 · Read carefully

Important notes

Procedures differ by municipality: some issue a temporary permit, a permanent permit and then a completion certificate.
Kathmandu and Lalitpur run online permit systems (e-BPS); in KMC the registered designer files the application and the owner can track it online.
KMC's stage details come from its Building Construction Procedure 2075, which is in a legacy font and only partly legible; the desk names and SMS notice are clear, the day counts are not — confirm.
Kathmandu Metropolitan City collected about Rs 296.5 million in map-pass fees in the first 9 months of FY 2081/82 (down from about Rs 498.2 million a year earlier), which it put down to buildable land running out.

07 · Where to go