Bengaluru, Sept. 11 -- The Karnataka government on Tuesday announced that small buildings on plots up to 1,200 square feet will no longer need an Occupancy Certificate (OC). This applies to houses that are ground plus two floors or stilt plus three floors.

This decision was made because around 4,000 such buildings are built every year, and inspecting each one for an OC has become difficult due to limited staff. The government used its powers under the Greater Bengaluru Governance Act, 2024, to bring in this change, the Deccan Herald reported.

After a Supreme Court order in December 2024, getting an OC became mandatory for getting electricity, water and sewage connections. This left lakhs of homeowners without basic services, especially ...