RAJUK Building Plan Approval in Dhaka: Documents, Drawings and Process

Written and reviewed by Architect Kazi Mohammad Alam Kaiser, Institute of Architects Bangladesh (IAB) member K-172 · Studio Archifiction · Last reviewed 6 November 2026

If you are planning a new building in Dhaka, or revising an approved plan, RAJUK building plan approval starts with your plot and your papers, not with a polished facade. This page explains the approval routes, the documents an owner actually needs, how RAJUK approval drawings are coordinated, and who is responsible for what. Studio Archifiction is an architect-led firm in Dhaka. We review land records, test planning feasibility, prepare and coordinate RAJUK-ready drawings, and support ECPS submission within an agreed written scope. RAJUK makes the decision. No architect or consultant can guarantee approval.

The first useful question is not “how many floors can I get?” It is “what do the land records, the verified survey, the road and access, the current planning status, the proposed use and the applicable rules allow us to test?” Answering that early protects you from paying for a design that later needs major revision.

Which RAJUK approval route do you need?

RAJUK and ECPS use several related stages. The labels and their required evidence are not interchangeable, so confirm the current route before anyone prepares a final drawing package.

On a phone, swipe the table sideways to see every column.

RAJUK approval for an apartment building (G+6 or G+7)

Short answer: an apartment building on your own plot in Dhaka normally moves through RAJUK’s ECPS portal in two stages: Land Use Clearance (the planning permit stage) first, then the Construction Permit. In our experience, plan about 1 to 2 months for the first and about 3 to 6 months for the second, queries included (checked November 2026).

• Who this is for: a landowner or family building flats on their own plot, for example parking plus six or seven floors.
• What decides the floors: the plot’s FAR, road width, ground coverage and setbacks, not the G+6 or G+7 label. Our RAJUK DAP and FAR guide works through a 4 katha Bashundhara example.
• Government fee: BDT 50 per square metre of total floor area for residential use, for the construction permit. For that 4 katha example, about 1,124 sqm, it comes to about BDT 56,200 before VAT.
• Drawings: the architectural set goes in first; structural, electrical and plumbing drawings follow within the time the rules allow. See the submission checklist.
• After construction: the occupancy certificate is a separate application.

The steps are in the process section. Rule numbers and official sources are in the time and cost table.

The rules behind the process in 2026

Five instruments sit behind approval right now. They are related, not interchangeable:

• Dhaka Metropolitan Building Rules 2025. The current metropolitan building-control framework. It structures the Planning Permit, Construction Permit and Occupancy Certificate stages. For years Dhaka ran on the older Imarat Nirman Bidhimala 2008 (ইমারত নির্মাণ বিধিমালা ২০০৮), and most of the FAR, setback and floor-count assumptions owners still hear come from that retired rulebook. Recheck every old assumption against the 2025 rules before you commit money to a design. If the project is a family house, our house design guide shows what to settle before anyone draws.
• DAP 2022-2035 with its later amendments. The area plan that interacts with your plot and proposal. Since 14 December 2025 it is read together with the Dhaka Metropolitan Building Rules, which changed how a plot’s FAR is taken from the DAP block and the road width. Nobody should promise you FAR, height or a floor count from plot size alone. Our RAJUK DAP and FAR guide works through a FAR calculation and shows why. It also hosts the 2025 and 2008 gazettes for download.
• BNBC 2020. The technical building code for structure, fire and life safety, and services. “BNBC compliant” only means something when a relevant professional has actually reviewed the design. For an existing building that showed new cracks after the November 2025 earthquake, our Bangla guide on reading wall cracks after the Dhaka earthquake explains which cracks need an engineer.
• RAJUK Act 2026 and the Bangladesh Building Regulatory Authority Act 2026. The current institutional statutes. They are context for how the authority works, not a substitute for the application checklist.

Where official pages disagree with each other, and right now some legacy ECPS material does conflict, the honest approach is to name the conflict and route the decision to the live application and a qualified review. We follow that approach on this page instead of pretending one blog sentence is law. Current notices sit on the official RAJUK website.

The RAJUK building plan approval process, step by step

1. Confirm jurisdiction, land authority and application route

Start with the plot, not the elevation. Confirm the land is within RAJUK jurisdiction, identify the land or housing authority, check the proposed use and any revision status, and select the correct ECPS application. This is where the Dhaka Metropolitan Building Rules 2025, the amended DAP and BNBC 2020 get read against your actual project.

2. Check whether the ownership story is consistent

The deed or lease, mutation or khatian, tax record, survey, plot area, dag and mouza information, owner identity and any power of attorney should tell one consistent story. Legitimate differences do happen, through inheritance, joint ownership, a lease or an authorised attorney, but each difference needs its supporting correction, title-chain or authorisation document. A drawing cannot repair a record gap. Ownership questions go to a qualified legal professional before detailed design, not after.

3. Verify the site, boundaries, road and access

Use a reliable survey. Plot edges, levels, adjoining roads and their verified widths, access, existing structures and relevant nearby features all affect the design envelope. Road and access information can influence buildable scale, parking, circulation, fire response and external clearances.

4. Test planning feasibility before freezing the plan

The architect should test land use and occupancy, FAR, ground coverage, setbacks, height and category controls, parking, stairs, lifts, means of egress, fire and life safety, light, ventilation, drainage and services as applicable. Plot size alone does not establish an allowable floor count, whatever a neighbour or a broker has promised.

5. Coordinate the RAJUK approval drawings

RAJUK drawing approval in Dhaka is not one attractive floor plan. The live Construction Permit checklist refers to architectural, structural, electrical and plumbing plans or drawings according to the rules. Columns, stairs, parking, shafts, equipment, drainage, area statements and service routes should tell one consistent story across the whole submission.

6. Add only the reports and NOCs your project triggers

External requirements depend on location, use, scale, access, fire risk, aviation constraints, environment and infrastructure. Possible authorities include fire, environment, civil aviation, transport, housing or highway and utility bodies. The objective is not to collect every NOC in Dhaka. It is to identify your actual triggers early, at feasibility stage, before the design is fixed.

7. Submit one consistent dataset and respond to queries

The plot area, use, floor count, total floor area, road information, professional details and drawings entered in ECPS should match each other. The current portal says application payment is online. Save the submission record, and answer authority queries with coordinated revisions rather than changing one sheet in isolation. After the permit, follow the current Construction Start Notice step and build to the approved drawings before the Occupancy Certificate stage.

RAJUK documentation requirements: the owner checklist

Use this as a preparation checklist, not as a universal legal list. The selected ECPS application and its current official checklist decide what must actually be uploaded for your plot.

One thing decides your paper list before anything else: which authority controls the land. A private plot inside RAJUK jurisdiction, a plot in a RAJUK or National Housing Authority project, a housing-society plot, land under a cantonment board, a plot inside a pourashava area and rural land under a Union Parishad do not carry the same requirements. A postal address that says Army or pourashava does not by itself decide the approving authority, so confirm the controlling authority before anything else. It changes the documents, the route, and even which FAR and setback rules apply.

• Plot inside RAJUK jurisdiction. The 2025 RAJUK route through ECPS applies: current title, survey, tax and identity records, the permission-stage documents, coordinated drawings and any triggered NOCs.
• Dhaka Cantonment Board or DOHS controlled area. A different regime entirely. The Board’s own route and the current cantonment building by-laws control the forms, fees, signed drawings and clearances, not RAJUK’s checklist.
• Army or authority land inside RAJUK jurisdiction. RAJUK processing may still apply, plus the allotment or lease record and the controlling authority’s construction permission or NOC.
• Pourashava area outside a development authority. The municipality’s own committee, current form and local requirements apply. There is no universal pourashava checklist, whatever any blog claims.
• Union Parishad area, rural land outside any municipality. Approval sits with the Union Parishad for that location under local government rules, not with a development authority and not through ECPS. The owner still has to produce a coordinated drawing set. What changes is who receives it, how the fee is assessed and how long the review takes. Our Salanga community market in Sirajganj is an example of building outside the RAJUK area, and its first phase was completed in 2025.

Core documents, normally collected

• Ownership deed, lease or allotment document. Names, plot details, area and authority must be consistent across everything you submit.
• Khatian or mutation record. Use the record type relevant to your land and route, with the mutation order and DCR where applicable.
• Current land-development tax or land-tax evidence. Confirm it is up to date before you apply.
• NID or passport and owner photo. In the identity format the live form requests.
• Digital survey map with plot-corner coordinates. Coordinates, dimensions, area, road and site plan must agree with each other.
• RS, MS or City Survey map, mouza or site map. Follow the record type and the selected ECPS route.

Conditional documents, triggered by title, jurisdiction or project

• Power of attorney. Needed when an authorised person applies or acts for the owner.
• Title-chain, succession or court documents. Previous deeds, partition, probate, succession or correction evidence, where the ownership history needs support.
• Approved layout or allotment information. Relevant when the plot sits inside an approved housing or project layout.
• Current PP, LUC or LSP decision or record. Use the current route for your application, not a blanket answer from any article.
• Indemnity bond and income-tax return slip. Listed on the current CP checklist. Verify the current format for your application.
• Easement, clearance or NOC. Only where ownership, access, location or another authority triggers it.
• Plot-joining map. Only for joined plots, where applicable.
• Prior approved drawing and permit. For revisions. The original approval record anchors a revised application.
• Developer enlistment certificate. Where a developer company is part of the application.
• Previous notice, rejection, query or case record. Share it before design starts so the team understands the history. Hiding it only delays you later.

And a third layer sits above both lists: whatever the live ECPS application workspace or the reviewing authority requests for your specific case. The final upload set depends on the selected application, the approving authority, land tenure and project classification, so treat these lists as preparation and the live workspace as the final word.

RAJUK approval drawings: the submission checklist

The exact sheet list depends on the route and the project. This is the coordination checklist we run before uploading RAJUK approval drawings, with the responsible professional for each part.

• Site and location plan, by the architect and surveyor. Boundaries, coordinates, adjoining roads, access, nearby structures, north point and scale.
• Architectural floor plans, by the architect. Use, dimensions, circulation, stairs and lifts, parking, shafts, rooms, openings and accessibility where applicable.
• Sections, elevations and roof plan, by the architect. Levels, heights, setbacks and open space, facade openings, roof and services, and the relevant annotations.
• Area and rule calculations, by the architect. Plot area, FAR, ground coverage, setbacks, height, floor areas, occupancy and use, parking and egress as applicable.
• Structural drawings and calculations, by the structural engineer. Foundation and structural system with project-specific analysis, coordinated with the architecture.
• Electrical drawings, by the electrical professional. Loads, routes, rooms and equipment, and safety coordination as required.
• Plumbing, sanitary and drainage drawings, by the plumbing or MEP professional. Water, waste, drainage, shafts, tanks and connections, coordinated with the rest of the set.
• Fire and life-safety material, by the relevant professionals. Means of egress, detection and alarm, firefighting and equipment where the route requires it.
• Professional details and signatures. Names, roles, registration data and digital signatures must match the portal records.
• Sheet coordination and revision control, by the lead architect. Same grid, dimensions, cores and column positions, areas, use, title, revision and date across every file.
• File and upload quality. Readable scale, orientation, filenames, scan quality, version and the requested format and size.

Conditional reports and NOCs

Large, special or location-sensitive projects can require additional material. Screening should happen at feasibility stage, before the design is fixed. Common triggers and the bodies involved:

Conditional reports and NOCs: common triggers

Trigger	Body involved	What it can change
Fire and life-safety category	FSCD	Stairs, exits, refuge, detection, equipment and access
Aviation, height or location	CAAB or another location clearance	Permissible height and design assumptions
Environment or sensitive use	DoE (clearance and environmental report)	Siting, services and mitigation
Traffic or major access impact	DTCA or a traffic study	Access, circulation, parking and the road interface
Government housing or highway adjacency	NHA, RHD or the relevant authority	External confirmation of land or access jurisdiction
Large or special site conditions	Utility, drainage, geological, flood, waste and planning reports	The scheme itself and the submission route

What usually causes a query, correction or delay?

Most delays we see are preventable, and almost all of them are created before submission, not after it:

What causes a query, correction or delay, and how to prevent it

Cause	What goes wrong	Prevention
Record mismatch	Owner name, plot area, dag, mutation, map or survey disagree	Resolve it before detailed design, with legal advice where needed
Unverified road or access	The design relies on a claimed width the record does not support	Verify before calculating the envelope
Wrong application route	Planning, revision or LSP requirements found after the drawing set is complete	Screen the route first in ECPS
Area inconsistency	Totals, FAR table, floor plans and schedules use different numbers	Keep one checked area schedule and update everything together
Discipline conflict	Columns block parking, shafts move, stairs or services disagree	Run a coordinated architecture, structure and MEP review before upload
Late NOC or report	A location or use trigger appears after concept approval	Build a trigger register at feasibility stage
Poor version control	Old sheets or unreadable scans get uploaded	Use a submission register, clear filenames and a final upload check
Overpromised scheme	A floor count was promised before survey and rule checks	Treat early targets as targets, not entitlements

How long does RAJUK approval take, and what does it cost? The official figures for 2026

Two clocks run on every application. The first is yours: land records, survey, feasibility, design decisions and the coordinated drawing set. The second is the authority’s review, and the Dhaka Metropolitan Building Rules 2025 (gazetted 14 December 2025) put time limits on it. The same rules fix the government fees in their Appendix 4, which you can check in RAJUK’s official copy of the 2025 gazette (gazette pages 13516 and 13517). The table gives those figures with the rule they come from, plus what the stages have taken on our own files when the papers were clean.

Two cautions. The ECPS FAQ page still shows the older BDT 1,000 Land Use Clearance fee and the 15 working days of the 2008 rules; the 2025 gazette supersedes both, and the live amount is calculated inside your ECPS application, so pay what the portal shows and keep the receipt. And the statutory clock only runs on a complete file: a query, a revision or an external clearance restarts the count, which is why the practice column is longer than the rules column.

How to check RAJUK plan approval status online

RAJUK applications now run through ECPS, the Electronic Construction Permitting System at ecps.gov.bd. So the online check happens inside the applicant’s own ECPS account, not on a public page.

1. Log in to the ECPS account used for the application. This is the owner’s or applicant’s account, created at registration.
2. Open the application from your dashboard. The record shows the current stage, any query from the reviewing department and any notice issued to you.
3. Answer queries inside the same record. Upload coordinated revisions there, so the file stays complete and traceable.
4. Keep the application number and every payment receipt. You need them for any follow-up at the RAJUK zone office.

If a consultant files for you, ask for the application number and a screenshot of the status page after every change. You should never have to guess where your file stands.

Is there a RAJUK approved plan list you can search?

Not for individual buildings, as far as we could find in October 2026. Neither ECPS nor the RAJUK website offers a public search that confirms whether a particular building’s plan is approved. The RAJUK website does publish some updated lists, including approved layouts of private residential housing projects, which help when the plot sits inside a housing project.

For a single building, or a flat you plan to buy, verify it this way:

• Ask the owner or developer for the approval letter and the approved drawing set, with the application or permit number.
• Match the details: plot number, plot area, use, floor count and building outline should agree with what stands on site.
• Count the floors. More floors on site than in the approved set is a warning sign, whatever the brochure says.
• If anything looks inconsistent, confirm with the RAJUK zone office that covers the plot.

Approval status can affect bank loans and resale, so do this check before you pay anything.

Who is responsible for what?

Approval goes more smoothly when everyone knows their lane. This is how the responsibility actually divides:

On a phone, swipe the table sideways to see every column.

What Studio Archifiction can help with

Studio Archifiction provides an architect-led building design service in Dhaka and architectural consultancy. Depending on the written appointment, the scope can include initial document review, site and feasibility review, architectural design, RAJUK-ready drawing preparation, coordination with structural and MEP professionals, submission documentation support, responses to drawing-related queries, detailed drawings and site-stage review. If you are looking for an architect for RAJUK plan approval support, this is the shape of the work we actually do.

Our building design work is led day to day by Alamgir M Mahmud, our Lead Architect for building design and Institute of Architects Bangladesh member M 063, with design direction from Principal Architect Kazi Mohammad Alam Kaiser, IAB member K-172. Any proposal we send identifies which consultants are included, which documents the owner must supply, which reports and NOCs are separate, how many design revisions are included, who files and follows up in ECPS, and what happens after a query. Studio Archifiction is not RAJUK and cannot guarantee an approval date or outcome.

From first discussion to RAJUK-ready drawings: how the design phase runs

To start, we do not need much: the land location, the plot size or a digital survey if you have one, the front road width, and the building type you have in mind. With that we run the first feasibility pass, testing FAR, setbacks, ground coverage and parking against the current rules. Then we sit with you and talk honestly about what the plot can carry: a realistic floor count, floor sizes, parking numbers and the design elements that matter to your family or your business. Our proposal comes after that conversation, with the scope of work written out clearly, so nothing important is left assumed.

Once the requirements are locked, we develop design options with plans and 3D views, so you compare real alternatives instead of accepting one take-it-or-leave-it scheme. After you finalise a direction, the detailed drawing phase begins, and that is where the RAJUK-ready set takes shape: architectural details coordinated with structural, electrical and plumbing drawings for ECPS submission. If queries or revisions come after submission, we support those too. After approval, the next steps follow the agreed scope. Some clients take us through construction; others keep us for top supervision. We prefer to handle a building from design start to project end, because that is how the drawings, the site and the budget stay in one line.

A real example: Dr. Jasim’s Residence, Bashundhara

On a 4 katha plot we handled feasibility, building design, RAJUK approval documentation, structural and MEP coordination, construction and site supervision for a G+6 residential building. Mid-project the client’s priorities shifted toward rental income and the budget tightened. We protected the planned spaces and adjusted materials instead of cutting usable area, and the building is complete and in use today. The full building design and documentation case study shows how RAJUK-ready drawings are coordinated on a live project. The family duplex on its top two floors, and what a duplex needs on the drawings, is covered in our guide to duplex house design in Bangladesh.

Comparing firms before you appoint one? Our shortlist of top architecture firms in Bangladesh explains what to check first.

What to send for an initial plot-and-document review

The same review applies whether you need RAJUK approval for an apartment building, a duplex house or a commercial plot; only the drawing set and the NOCs change. You do not need a complete file to start. Send what you have from this list:

• Plot location and a map pin
• Plot size, edge dimensions and any available survey
• Deed or lease, mutation or khatian, current land-tax evidence and available maps
• Land authority, housing project or approved-layout information
• Verified road and access record, if available
• What you want to build and the intended occupancy or use
• Target floors, units, parking and special functions, clearly labelled as targets
• Any previous approval, revised plan, notice, rejection, query or existing construction
• The service scope you prefer: feasibility, design, drawings, submission support, coordination or site review

Frequently asked questions

What documents are required for RAJUK plan approval?

Common groups include ownership and identity records, mutation or khatian and tax evidence, survey and map information, the applicable planning decision, coordinated drawings, professional details, and conditional NOCs or prior approvals. The live checklist for your selected application controls the final list.

Do I always need a Land Use Clearance before a Construction Permit?

Under the 2025 rules a planning permit, the old Land Use Clearance, normally comes before the construction permit. Some legacy ECPS pages still use the LUC wording, so confirm the plot’s land authority and the route shown in your live ECPS application, then verify it with the responsible professional before submission.

Does RAJUK approve only the architectural drawing?

No. The current Construction Permit checklist refers to architectural, structural, electrical and plumbing plans or drawings according to the applicable rules. Project-specific fire and other technical material may also apply.

Is a soil test always uploaded?

A soil investigation may be required for safe structural design, depending on the ground and the project. Confirm the engineering need and whether your selected application requires the attachment. Do not treat it as a universal portal item.

How many paper copies are required?

Use the live ECPS checklist and the current zone instruction. The present process is electronic. Do not print a fixed quantity based on a legacy FAQ or an old article.

How long does RAJUK approval take?

The 2025 rules set the authority’s clock: a planning approval decision within 30 working days (45 for sites above 5 acres and special buildings), and a building construction committee recommendation within 45 days of a complete drawing set, with 30-day windows for completing an incomplete file. In our recent Dhaka projects a clean file has taken about 1 to 2 months for the planning permit and 3 to 6 months for the construction permit, queries included. Your own preparation (records, survey, coordinated drawings) comes before either clock, so ask for a project-specific programme rather than a guaranteed date.

What does RAJUK approval cost?

Government fees under the 2025 rules, Appendix 4: BDT 5,000 for the planning approval application, BDT 50 per square metre of total floor area for a residential construction permit (BDT 75 for hostels and hotels, BDT 150 for business and mercantile buildings), BDT 1,000 for the occupancy certificate, plus 15 percent VAT per the ECPS FAQ. A 4 katha parking-plus-six residential building of about 12,100 sft works out at about BDT 56,200 before VAT for the construction permit alone (12,100 sft is about 1,124 sqm at BDT 50 per sqm); it is not the total approval budget. Third-party costs (digital survey, soil test, NOCs) and the consultant’s fee are separate; the live amount is calculated inside your ECPS application.

What if I am revising an approved plan?

Share the prior approved drawing and permit before design work starts. The current CP checklist identifies the previously approved drawing as applicable to a revised Construction Permit.

Can a consultant guarantee approval?

No. A consultant can assess feasibility, prepare and coordinate the submission, respond to queries and reduce avoidable errors. RAJUK decides.

Who can handle RAJUK approval documentation for my building?

An architect-led team that can prepare the coordinated drawing set and manage the ECPS file for you. Studio Archifiction offers this as a full service in Dhaka: feasibility, RAJUK-ready drawings with structural and MEP coordination, ECPS submission, query responses and follow-up until RAJUK decides. Our building work is led by IAB members (K-172 and M 063). No consultant can guarantee approval.

How is a consultant’s fee for RAJUK plan approval calculated?

It is quoted per project. Plot size and floor count, use, application route, the condition of the land papers, triggered reports and NOCs, and whether full building design is included all change the work. Ask for a written scope that lists what is included and excluded. Government charges are separate and paid online inside ECPS. For reference, Studio Archifiction’s design consultancy fee is roughly BDT 50 to 100 per sft of the flats’ usable floor area including balconies (the parking floor, stair, lift and lobby are not charged), usually about BDT 4 to 8 lakh in total for a 4 katha parking-plus-six building (November 2026). The full scope, toward BDT 100, covers architectural design with 3D views, the RAJUK-ready drawing set with ECPS submission and query responses, structural and MEP design, working drawings and the BOQ; a smaller scope costs less, and site-stage review is priced by the number of visits. Government and RAJUK fees, printing and other costs are extra, and the fee is fixed in writing once the scope is agreed; the full scope table is on our building design page.

How can I check RAJUK plan approval status online?

Log in to the ECPS account used for the application and open the application record. It shows the current stage, queries and notices. If a consultant filed for you, ask for the application number and a status screenshot after each change.

Is there a public RAJUK approved plan list?

Not for individual buildings, as far as we could find in October 2026. The RAJUK website publishes some lists, including approved private housing project layouts. For a single building, ask for the approval letter and approved drawings and match them with the building on site.

What happens after approval?

Build in accordance with the sanctioned plan and the coordinated technical documents, follow the required construction-stage process including the Construction Start Notice, and prepare for the Occupancy Certificate stage after completion and before use. The current OC checklist includes completion and as-built technical documents.

রাজউক থেকে প্ল্যান পাস করতে কত সময় ও খরচ লাগে? (২০২৬)

Official sources checked for this page: the ECPS portal and its current permit checklists, the RAJUK official website, the Dhaka Metropolitan Building Rules 2025, the December 2025 building rules gazette, the current DAP amendment and BNBC 2020.