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The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai has issued detailed procedural guidelines for its Occupancy Certificate amnesty scheme, offering a route to regularisation for approximately 20,000 buildings across Mumbai that were occupied before 17 November 2016 but never received a mandatory OC.
The scheme covers eligible residential, hospital and school buildings with individual units having a carpet area of up to 80 sqm, subject to prescribed approvals and conditions.
What the Scheme Offers
The amnesty is designed to resolve OC pendency caused by procedural and documentation-related issues rather than unauthorised construction. Key financial concessions include:
- 50% discount on regular charges for revalidation fees, balcony regularisation and penalties for specified violations
- No penalty for conversion of elevation or free-of-FSI features into habitable residential use for proposals submitted within six months of the SOP
- 50% discount on the prevailing penalty for proposals submitted between six and twelve months
- No discount available after one year
- Concessions on premium for additional FSI and fungible compensatory FSI in specified cases, subject to the 80 sqm RERA carpet-area limit
How to Apply
Applications must be submitted online through the AutoDCR system by an architect or licensed surveyor.
To establish that a building was occupied before 17 November 2016, applicants can submit property assessment records, an authorised electricity bill, a municipal notice regarding occupation without an OC, or a certificate from the concerned architect.
Buildings must have an Intimation of Disapproval, approved plans and a valid Commencement Certificate to be eligible.
The SOP addresses specific administrative hurdles that have historically held up OC issuance including non-submission of Building Completion Certificates, incomplete infrastructure in layouts, pending tax clearances and missing drainage completion certificates.
The scheme provides a structured path through each of these blockers.
Important Boundaries of the Scheme
The amnesty does not legitimise unauthorised construction. Pending cases before courts or the Anti-Corruption Bureau will require orders from the competent authority or court before an OC can be granted.
The scheme also does not absolve owners or developers of liabilities under applicable laws.
A 15-day objection window applies after publication of each proposal on AutoDCR, during which interested parties can raise complaints or representations.
Also Read: BMC Approves OC Amnesty Scheme for Pre-2016 Buildings
Partial OC Option for Individual Flat Owners
The SOP also opens the door for individual flat owners or occupants to seek a partial OC.
In such cases, additional floor area index, fungible compensatory area or transferable development rights can be used proportionately, subject to prescribed limits.
The guidelines confirm that granting an OC in such cases should not result in an increase in occupant load and consequently, additional parking spaces will not be insisted upon for partial OCs.
Also Read: BMC's OC Amnesty Scheme: 5 Things Homeowners Must Know
Why This Matters for Mumbai's Property Market
The absence of an OC has long been one of Mumbai's most persistent residential market problems limiting resale, blocking home loans and leaving residents in legally uncertain occupancy.
For 20,000 buildings and the hundreds of thousands of homeowners within them, the amnesty scheme opens a practical, time-limited pathway out of that uncertainty.
The financial concessions for early applications are designed to create urgency.
For property owners who act within six months, the cost of regularisation drops significantly making now the right time to assess eligibility and begin the process.
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