The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) is responsible for the regulation of developments in Chennai Metropolitan Area by issuing Planning Permission (PP) under section 49 of the Tamil Nadu Town and Country Planning Act1971.

CMDA has delegated powers to the local bodies within the Chennai Metropolitan Area to issue Planning Permission for ordinary buildings and building under categories such as Industrial, Residential, Institutional and Commercial. Planning Permission for the other major developments will be issued by CMDA itself. Any builder who does not meet the requirements with the concerned sanctions is at a liability for penalty or even prosecution.

The building permission, if granted, is subject 10 rigorous inspection involving the authenticity of the land, geo-location of the building, safety regulations, height and other criteria set by the Municipal authorities of Chennai.

The application can be files under Chennai city Municipal Corporation / Municipality / Town Panchayat / Panchayat Union depending upon the
location of the building. Major developments must be filed under the CMDR itself. The applicants or land owners can view the stages of their
application in the website of corporation of Chennai.