Land & surveys
How land-plan approval works in Sri Lanka
Understand the survey, find the right approving authority and follow a subdivision application through to its written decision.
Field notes / Planning & approvals
Before you build.
Start with the land. Then the building. If you plan to welcome paying guests, the tourism requirements need their own conversation.
Three separate guides for Sri Lanka, with practical checklists and official sources. The route depends on the individual site and its intended use.
Choose an approval guide
Design & construction
Getting a house plan approved in Sri Lanka
A practical route from checking the site and appointing a designer to the building permit, construction checks and Certificate of Conformity.
Tourism & hospitality
SLTDA approval: from a tourism idea to an operating property
Understand the difference between tourism project clearance, permission to build and registration to operate before planning a villa, guesthouse or retreat in Sri Lanka.
Different documents, different questions
An approved plan
is one part of the picture.
Land and building permissions should be checked against the actual parcel, proposal and issuing authority. Tourism project clearance and permission to operate accommodation are separate matters too.
Use the articles to prepare questions for your local authority, surveyor, architect or the SLTDA. Confirm the current forms, charges and site-specific conditions directly with the office handling the application.
Read the land-buying basics