DTCP Licence Check in Gurugram: How to Verify a Project
Contents
A brochure that says “DTCP approved” is not proof of anything. Only the licence details in the department’s own records, matched to your exact plot or tower, count as evidence. This guide walks you through a DTCP licence check in Gurugram, step by step. The same method works for Faridabad, with one difference in the RERA authority, covered below.
This is a buyer’s due-diligence guide, not legal advice. For a large purchase, have a property lawyer review the documents as well.
What a DTCP licence is, and what it is not
DTCP is the Department of Town and Country Planning, Haryana. It grants colony licences under the Haryana Development and Regulation of Urban Areas Act, 1975, for plotted colonies, group housing, commercial projects, affordable housing and other schemes. A separate licence is required for each colony.
A licence is only one of several approvals. Keep them apart in your mind:
| Document | Issued by | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Colony licence | DTCP Haryana | The developer may set up a colony of a stated type on stated land |
| CLU (change of land use) | DTCP Haryana | The land’s permitted use, such as residential or commercial |
| Zoning plan and building plan approval | DTCP Haryana | What can be built, and where |
| RERA registration | HRERA | The project is registered, with declared dates and status updates |
On a real HRERA project record, the licence, the demarcation-cum-zoning plan and the building plan approval are listed as separate approvals, each with its own date. Verify each one separately.
Before you start: collect these details
Ask the seller or sales team for the following in writing:
- The licence number and date. Licence numbers follow an “XX of YYYY” pattern, such as 123 of 2021.
- The licensee’s name, the licensed area in acres, the village or sector, and the licence purpose.
- The HRERA registration number for the specific phase or tower you are buying.
- Copies of the CLU permission (where applicable), zoning plan and sanctioned building or layout plan.
The licence number should appear on the RERA certificate, the builder-buyer agreement and the sanctioned layout plan. If it is missing from any of them, ask why.
Step 1: Find the licence on the TCP Haryana portal
Use only the official site, tcpharyana.gov.in. The licence search page lets you filter by status, circle, district, purpose and licence year. For a DTCP licence check in Gurugram, choose the district, pick the purpose (group housing, plotted colony, commercial) and enter the year from the licence number.
Menus on government portals move around, and we could not confirm the current layout. If you cannot find the page, the department also publishes colony lists by district. The Gurugram residential plotted colony list, for example, shows file IDs, total area in acres and the number of licences per colony. You can also visit the District Town Planner’s office. A third-party directory lists the Gurugram planning and enforcement offices at HUDA Complex, Sector 14. Confirm contact details before you travel.
When you find the entry, check that these match what you were told:
- Licence number and year
- Licensee name
- Purpose (for example, group housing versus commercial)
- Village or sector
- Area in acres
- Status
Step 2: Check the licence validity
The department’s published text of the Act says a licence is valid for five years and renewable for two years at a time, on payment of the prescribed fee. Older copies of the law are still online and show shorter terms. The 1976 Rules, for instance, mention two years from the date of grant. Do not rely on a generic rule. Read the “valid up to” date on the licence itself.
Real records show how it looks. One Faridabad project on HRERA lists a licence dated 06.11.2025 and valid till 05.11.2030. Some policy licences add their own deadlines. A DDJAY (affordable plotted colony) licence, for example, requires completion within seven years (5+2) from the grant date.
Worked example (hypothetical)
Say a licence is “45 of 2022”, granted 10 March 2022, with a five-year term. It is valid up to 9 March 2027. Today is 20 October 2026, so about 140 days remain. If the project promises possession in December 2028, the licence must be renewed at least once before then.
An upcoming renewal is not automatically a red flag. It is normal. But ask for the renewal application or order, and check on the portal whether the status has been updated.
Step 3: Check the licensed area
Licence documents state the area in acres and the village (revenue estate). One Faridabad group housing licence, for instance, gives 6.29375 acres in two villages in Sector 114. Compare that with the area on the HRERA record and your plans.
Three things commonly cause confusion:
- A colony can hold several licences and uses. The Gurugram colony list shows single colonies with multiple licences and separate group housing or school areas inside them. Make sure your licence matches your part of the land.
- Land handed to the government. Some licences require 10% of the licensed area to be transferred free of cost to the government for community facilities.
- Phases. A RERA registration may cover only part of the licensed land.
Worked example (hypothetical)
| Item | Figure | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Licensed area | 12.5 acres (about 50,586 sq m) | The full land parcel under the licence |
| Area registered with HRERA | 2.8 acres (about 11,331 sq m) | One phase only |
| Remaining licensed land | 9.7 acres | Later phases, or land for other uses |
Here the RERA area is smaller than the licence, and that is fine. If the RERA area were larger than the licensed area, you would need a written explanation before paying anything. The conversion used is roughly 4,047 sq m per acre.
Step 4: Check CLU and the permitted land use
CLU, or Change of Land Use, is the DTCP permission that changes a plot’s legal use from agricultural to residential, commercial, institutional or industrial.
Sources describe how CLU and the licence relate in different ways. One guide says the order is CLU first, licence second, plots third. Another says a project needs CLU or a development licence that subsumes it. A third stresses that CLU concerns the permitted land use, while a development licence serves a different purpose. In practice, ask the developer which permission applies to your land and get the paper. Then check:
- The reference number, the approved use, the district, village and Khasra numbers, and the approval date with any conditions.
- That the approved use matches what you are buying. A commercial CLU does not support a residential sale.
- Whether the approval carries a validity period or lapse conditions. An old CLU that was never acted on may have lapsed.
CLU alone does not let anyone build. Haryana’s procedure for certain CLU-granted sites in Gurugram and Faridabad requires a separate building plan approval, and later an Occupation Certificate.
Step 5: Verify the HRERA registration
Gurugram and Faridabad fall under different RERA authorities. Gurugram RERA covers projects only in Gurugram, and Panchkula RERA covers the rest of Haryana. That means Faridabad projects are on HRERA Panchkula. A Faridabad project record on the portal confirms this. It shows HRERA Panchkula as the authority and Faridabad as the district.
- Open haryanarera.gov.in and go to the registered projects or project search page.
- Pick the right authority. The options include RERA-PKL, RERA-GRG and H-REAT, and a Gurugram project uses RERA-GRG.
- Search by project name, promoter name, district or registration number.
- Open the registration certificate and the project details. Note the validity date, promoter name and approved layout.
Registration number formats differ. Gurugram examples start with RC/REP/HARERA/GGM/, while Faridabad projects use a different pattern such as HRERA-PKL-FBD. Always search with the number you were given, not just a similar-looking name.
On the record, find the field for the licence number issued by the Town and Country Planning Department. The details in these forms are a declaration by the applicant. So HRERA showing a licence number does not prove the licence is valid. You still confirm it on the TCP portal in Steps 1 to 3.
Registration is required for projects over 500 sq m of land or more than eight apartments, and it must be in place before advertising, booking or offering units for sale. A “registration applied for” pitch with a booking amount demanded is a warning sign. For a Haryana project, also note the registration expiry. Under the Haryana rules, a promoter applies for extension within three months before registration expires. Under Section 6 of the Act, force majeure extensions run up to one year in aggregate.
Step 6: Cross-match with sanctioned plans
At the time of booking, the promoter must make the sanctioned plans, layout plans and specifications available. After these are disclosed to a buyer, the promoter cannot make additions or alterations to them without that person’s consent, except minor changes. So the plan you see today is the one you should hold them to.
Use this table as a worksheet. Every row should agree across all sources.
| Check | TCP portal / licence copy | HRERA record | Plans and agreement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Licence number | Listed | Same number quoted | Printed on layout and agreement |
| Name | Licensee | Promoter (may differ) | Seller in agreement |
| Location | Village and sector | Same location | Same on plan |
| Area | Licensed acres | Registered area (equal or smaller) | Plan area within licence |
| Purpose | Group housing, plotted, commercial | Same category | Unit type matches |
| Dates | Grant and validity | Registration validity | Possession date within validity |
If the promoter and licensee are different companies, that is not automatically a problem, since collaboration arrangements exist. But ask for the agreement between them. The HRERA form itself asks whether the applicant is the owner-licensee of the land.
Finally, check the order of dates. In one real record, the licence and zoning plan are dated 6 November 2025 and building plans were approved on 22 July 2026. A building plan approval dated before the licence would need an explanation.
Red flags to stop on
- The licence number cannot be found on the TCP portal or district list.
- The validity date has passed and no renewal proof is provided.
- The licence purpose (say, commercial) does not match what is being sold (residential).
- The RERA area is larger than the licensed area.
- Names on the licence, RERA record and agreement do not line up, with no explanation.
- You are pushed to pay a token amount before you have seen the documents.
Gurugram vs Faridabad: what changes
| Item | Gurugram | Faridabad |
|---|---|---|
| Licence check | TCP Haryana portal | TCP Haryana portal |
| RERA authority | HRERA Gurugram | HRERA Panchkula |
| District Town Planner office | HUDA Complex, Sector 14 | Sector 12 (per a third-party directory; confirm) |
| Registration number pattern | RC/REP/HARERA/GGM/… | HRERA-PKL-FBD-… (example pattern) |
After the documents check out
Once the paperwork matches, compare projects on location and price. You can read the Gurugram locality guide or browse new projects in Gurugram. For the other city, see the Faridabad guide and new projects in Faridabad. To narrow by builder, use the all projects page.
These checks do not replace a title search, an encumbrance check or a lawyer’s review of the agreement. They only confirm that the project’s planning approvals are real and consistent. Rules, portal layouts and policy terms change, so confirm current requirements with the department or HRERA before paying.
Frequently asked questions
How do I check a DTCP licence number online in Gurugram?
Go to tcpharyana.gov.in and use the licence search, which filters by status, circle, district, purpose and licence year. Then match the number, licensee, area and purpose against what the seller told you.
How long is a DTCP licence valid in Haryana?
The department's published Act text says five years, renewable for two years at a time on payment of the prescribed fee. Individual licences print their own "valid up to" date, so read that on the licence copy.
Is a DTCP licence the same as RERA registration?
No. DTCP grants the licence to develop a colony, while HRERA registers the project. The HRERA project form asks for the licence number issued by the Town and Country Planning Department, so the two records should agree.
Which RERA authority covers Faridabad projects?
Gurugram RERA covers projects only in Gurugram, and Panchkula RERA covers the rest of Haryana. Faridabad projects are therefore registered with HRERA Panchkula.
What is CLU, and is it the same as a DTCP licence?
CLU (Change of Land Use) is the DTCP permission that changes land from agricultural to residential, commercial, institutional or industrial use. It is a separate approval from the colony licence, so ask which one applies to your land and get the document.
The licence number is not showing on the TCP portal. What should I do?
Do not pay anything yet. Ask the seller for a copy of the licence, check the district colony list, and confirm with the District Town Planner's office. Portals can lag, but an unverifiable licence needs a written explanation.
If a project is on HRERA, does that prove its DTCP licence is valid?
Not on its own. The HRERA project form is based on the applicant's declaration. Confirm the licence number, validity and area separately on the TCP Haryana portal.
Sources
- Town and Country Planning Department, Haryana – Licence Cases search
- The Haryana Development and Regulation of Urban Areas Act, 1975 (TCP Haryana)
- Gurugram Residential Plotted Colonies – colonies details (TCP Haryana)
- Haryana Development and Regulation of Urban Areas Rules, 1976
- Haryana Development and Regulation of Urban Areas Act, 1975 (ULB Haryana copy)
- HRERA project record (Faridabad) – View Form (A-H)
- HRERA project record – licence declaration
- HRERA uploaded licence document (DDJAY, 7-year completion)
- HRERA uploaded licence document (Faridabad, Sector 114)
- HRERA uploaded licence document (10% community area condition)
- Haryana Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Rules, 2017
- HRERA Guide: Real Estate Regulations in Haryana (Gurugram vs Panchkula)
- RERA Haryana: How To Check Verified Projects In Gurugram
- Haryana RERA (HRERA) Guide – project search
- List of RERA Registered Projects in Gurgaon (registration number format)
Updated 20 October 2026. This article is general information, not legal or financial advice; check current rules and project details before you decide.
