Electricity connection without an occupancy certificate in Karnataka: what the rules say now

Why the OC became a problem

An occupancy certificate (OC) is issued by the local body or planning authority when a building is completed as per its sanctioned plan. Following a Supreme Court judgment on building violations, KERC directed ESCOMs to ask for completion and occupancy certificates before giving permanent connections to buildings that need them.

Many owners, especially of individual houses in growing towns, had built without a sanctioned plan or with deviations, so they could not get an OC. News reports put the number of buildings left without permanent connections across Karnataka at over 3 lakh.

The one-time OC exemption

In 2025 and 2026 the state government moved to give relief. The government order for a one-time exemption from producing an OC for a permanent connection, as reported, covers:

• Residential buildings on plots of up to 2,400 sq ft.
• Ground + 3 floors, or stilt parking + 4 floors.
• Deviations from the plan of up to about 20%.
• Buildings completed before 31 May 2026, with applications filed within the window the order allowed.
• Field verification with geo-tagged photos of the completed building taken in the owner's presence.

Separately, in September 2025 the government exempted residential buildings on plots of up to 1,200 sq ft with an approved plan, up to ground + 2 floors or stilt + 3, from needing an OC at all. This was first notified for Greater Bengaluru, and similar notifications were reported for other urban local bodies. See our permanent connection guide for the documents.

Much of the coverage has focused on Bengaluru and BESCOM, and the state has also discussed a law to allow connections on ownership records for buildings elsewhere. Whether and how a particular rule applies outside Bengaluru, in towns such as Mysuru, Mangaluru, Hubballi or Kalaburagi, is decided by the current order and your ESCOM's circulars, so confirm with your ESCOM subdivision before you file.

Preparing for the field verification

Under the one-time exemption, the building is verified on site and geo-tagged photos are taken in the owner's presence. The visit is short, and most returns at this stage come from things that are easy to fix beforehand.

If the floors or built-up area on the ground do not match the plan or the application, expect the file to come back. Declare the building as it actually stands. A difference you disclose can be assessed against the deviation limit; a difference the verification finds looks like concealment.

Questions to ask at the subdivision before you file

The orders have changed several times, and each ESCOM issues its own circulars on them. A short visit to the subdivision before you collect papers saves a returned file. Ask:

• Which order or circular is the office currently applying for buildings without an OC, and does it cover your town and your local body?
• Does your building fall under the small-plot exemption, the one-time exemption, or neither, given its plot size, floors and the date it was completed?
• Which property record will they accept: e-khata, khata, e-aasthi or e-swathu, and in whose name?
• Is the application to be filed online, at the counter, or both, and is there a closing date?
• Who carries out the field verification, and how will you be told the date?

Write down the name of the order and the date of your visit. If the answer later changes, you can show what you were told.

Do you need an OC at all?

Apartments, shops and mixed-use buildings

The relief reported so far is for residential buildings within the stated plot sizes and floor limits. Other buildings are a different case:

• Apartments and larger buildings usually need the OC. Once the built-up area exceeds 500 sq m or the requisitioned load is 25 kW or more, the building counts as a complex and the owner must also provide a transformer. See power for apartments and multi-storey buildings.
• Shops on the ground floor of a house need a separate commercial connection. Whether the ESCOM will give it without an OC depends on the order and on how the local body classifies the building. Our commercial connection guide covers the documents.
• Buildings taller than 15 m also need Electrical Inspectorate approval before they are energised. That is a separate step, and an OC exemption does not replace it.
• Two houses on one plot that share a staircase or passage may be counted together for the 500 sq m limit, which can push a family building out of the small-house category.

Documents to keep ready

A clean, complete file is the single biggest factor in how fast the ESCOM processes it. Read our new connection guide for the full process.

Living on temporary supply while you wait

Many owners move in while the permanent connection is pending and stay on the construction meter. That is legal while the temporary sanction is valid, but it is expensive and it has limits.

• Tariff. Temporary supply is billed under LT-7 at ₹10.50 a unit, with a fixed charge of ₹200 per kW per month, under the current tariff order. That is nearly double the domestic rate. A family using 200 units a month pays about ₹2,100 in energy charges alone.
• No Gruha Jyothi. The free electricity scheme is for domestic connections, so a temporary meter does not qualify. Every month on temporary supply is money you would not pay on a permanent domestic meter.
• Time limit. Temporary supply is sanctioned for a period and can be renewed, generally up to two years from the date of service. Apply for renewal before it lapses; drawing power after expiry can be treated as unauthorised use.
• Prepaid meter. Temporary connections are now often given with a prepaid smart meter. When the balance runs out, the supply stops, so keep it recharged.

Our guide to the temporary connection for construction covers renewal and conversion. As soon as your building qualifies, apply for the permanent meter and ask for the temporary account to be closed on the same visit.

If your house does not qualify

• Regularise. Check whether your local body has a regularisation (akrama-sakrama) or plan revision route open for your type of deviation.
• Stay legal on temporary supply. Temporary connections are billed at a higher tariff and are time-bound, but they are better than an unauthorised tap, which is theft under the Electricity Act.
• Do not let a middleman "arrange" a connection. A connection obtained against the rules can be disconnected later.
• Buy carefully. Before buying a flat or house, ask whether it has an OC and a permanent connection in the seller's name.

Buying or renting a house without an OC

The OC problem does not stay with the builder. If you buy or rent a house that has no permanent connection, it becomes yours.

• Ask for the last electricity bill and look at the tariff category printed on it. A bill under LT-7 means the house is still on temporary supply, whatever the seller says.
• Check the name and arrears. The connection should be in the seller's name and fully paid. Dues on the premises are collected before a new connection or a transfer. Our name transfer guide explains how to move a permanent connection into your name after you buy.
• Check which rule the building falls under before you pay an advance: plot size, floors, plan sanction and the date of completion. A house outside the exemption may not get a permanent connection until it is regularised.
• Tenants. A tenant can apply for a domestic connection as an occupier, with proof of occupancy and an indemnity bond, but the building still has to meet the OC rules. A tenant on a temporary meter cannot get Gruha Jyothi either; see Gruha Jyothi for tenants and new connections.

If the ESCOM returns or rejects your application

1. Ask for the reason in writing, with your application number. "OC not produced" and "deviation beyond the limit" need very different answers.
2. If a document is missing, supply it and ask for the same application to be processed rather than starting again.
3. If you believe the building qualifies under the current order and the subdivision disagrees, write to the AEE or EE of the division, quote the order and the clause you rely on, and ask for a written reply.
4. If the file is complete and the time limit has passed, our post on ESCOM delays and compensation explains the standards and how to claim.
5. Disputes with the ESCOM go to its Consumer Grievance Redressal Forum and then the Electricity Ombudsman. The steps are in our complaint and escalation guide. These forums apply the electricity rules. They cannot set aside the building rules, so a building that genuinely needs an OC will still need one.

Questions

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