The Tamil Nadu government has simplified the procedure of processing planning permission applications in notified hill areas under the Hill Area Conservation Authority (HACA).
As per the fresh regulations, for all the notified hill areas, the ‘no -objection certificate’ (NOC) from the Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO) shall be exempted, since revenue details could be verified through the online services of the government platform.
If the proposed site was located in the notified hill stations, the change of land use proposals, up to 2 hectare in urban areas and up to 4 hectare in rural areas shall be processed with similar procedures followed in non-HACA areas.
“All the other proposals exceeding the limits specified above shall be sent to the Director of Town and Country Planning to be placed before the HACA Committee. NOC from the Forest and Geology & Mines Departments are required for all the change of land use proposals.”
For sites located in the hill stations, the layout applications need not be placed before the HACA committee for prior clearance. “NOC from the Forest Department and Geology & Mines Department are required for the proposed developments that conform to the land use permissible in the approved Master Plan, and similarly, such NOC should be obtained for any development intended in non-plan area”.
Wherever the NOCs have already been obtained for change of land use from the concerned departments, NOCs need not be obtained for layout development again, the G.O. issued in this regard said.
All the building permission applications may be processed with revised NOC requirements: NOCs from the Forest department and Geology & Mines department are required for proposed developments which conform to the land use permissible in the approved Master Plan and similarly such NOC should be obtained for any development intended in non-plan area.
NOCs from the Forest and Geology & Mines Departments are not required if the development is proposed in an approved layout. Wherever the NOCs have already been obtained for change of land use, the same NOCs need not be obtained for building development again, the G.O. issued by the Housing and Urban Development Department on February 24 said.
If the proposed site was located in other than hill stations, the change of land use proposals, up to 2 hectare in urban areas and up to 4 hectare in rural areas shall be processed with the same procedures followed in the non-HACA areas. In these site/s, the layout applications need not be placed before the HACA committee for prior clearance.
The list of villages notified for the new procedure includes Valparai Municipality in Coimbatore district, Kodaikanal Municipality and Pannaikaadu town panchayat and 15 villages under Kodaikanal panchayat union in Dindigul district, Elagiri village panchayat under Jolarpet panchayat union in Tirupattur district.
Udhagamandalam, Coonoor, Gudalur, Nelliyalam Municipalities, 11 town panchayats and 13 village panchayats under Udhagamandalam panchayat union, six village panchayats under Connoor panchayat union, 11 village panchayats under Kotagiri panchayat union and five village panchayats under Gudalur panchayat union in the Nilgiris district are also notified in the list. Nine village panchayats under Yercaud panchayat union in Salem district, Manimutharu town panchayat in Tirunelveli district and Highways in Theni district are also in the list.
Published – February 27, 2026 01:08 am IST
