Guide
How to Check if a Karachi Project Is SBCA Approved
By Maham Imtiaz
Real Estate AnalystVerified author
11 min read
"SBCA approved" is the most common claim in Karachi property marketing, and one of the least precise. It can mean a fully licensed project with every approval in place, or a single plan approval with nothing after it, or simply a file that has been submitted. Buyers who accept the phrase at face value are the ones most often caught when SBCA seals a building or a court refuses to recognise their purchase.
The fix is to treat SBCA approval as a chain, not a stamp. Our guide on how to verify property in Karachi explains that a property is only safe when its land, building and title all check out. A project is SBCA approved only when every link in its building chain is in place for the stage it has reached, from the builder's licence to the completion plan.
This guide sets out each approval a Karachi project needs, how to check each one, how the checks differ for flats, plots and portions, and the warning signs that a project is less approved than it claims.
The SBCA approval chain
Every legal project outside DHA and the cantonments passes through the same sequence. At any stage, a buyer should be able to see every approval from the stages before it.
| Stage | SBCA approval | Legal basis | Ask to see |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Builder or developer licence | Section 9, Sindh Building Control Ordinance 1979 | Licence number on letterhead and receipts |
| 2 | Land title disclosed to SBCA | Section 6-A | Land authority lease or title papers |
| 3 | Approved building plan and NOC to construct | Section 6(1) | Approved plan with floors and units |
| 4 | Other agency NOCs where required | SBCA practice; NOC conditions | Height, aviation or environmental NOCs |
| 5 | NOC for sale and advertisement | Sections 5 and 12 | Sale NOC with reference and date |
| 6 | Construction permit and progress reports | NOC conditions | Permit; latest quarterly report |
| 7 | Occupancy certificate and completion plan | Sections 6(2) and 18-G | Both, before possession and registry |
A missing link does not always mean fraud. A project at stage 3 may simply not have reached stage 5 yet. But a builder at stage 3 has no right to take bookings, and a building handed over at stage 6 without stage 7 cannot be registered.
Check 1: the builder
Section 9 of the Ordinance bars anyone from building or developing for sale without an SBCA licence. Ask for the builder's licence number and check that the same company name appears on the licence, the sale NOC and your payment receipts. A builder selling through a sister company or a "marketing partner" who issues its own receipts is a warning sign.
Also ask what else the builder has completed. A licensed builder with finished, registered projects is a different risk from one whose only track record is bookings.
Check 2: the land under the project
SBCA approval rests on the land. Under section 6-A, a builder applying for an NOC must disclose its title and any mortgage, lease or encumbrance on the land. SBCA does not own or record that land itself.
So check the land with the authority that does: KDA, MDA, Lyari DA, a cooperative society or the Board of Revenue, depending on where the project sits. For a private housing scheme, also ask for the land authority's approved layout plan. Bahria Town Karachi's sale NOC, for example, was based on a layout plan approved by the Malir Development Authority, and SBCA stated that the NOC would be withdrawn if the land's ownership was disputed.
Check 3: the approved plan and other NOCs
The approved building plan fixes how many floors and units may be built. Compare it against what is being sold, floor by floor.
Taller buildings need more than SBCA's own approval. SBCA told the Sindh Public Accounts Committee in July 2026 that buildings above 50 feet need NOCs from the relevant agencies, and sale NOCs for high-rise projects have required the builder to submit agency clearances, such as an aviation NOC, before the final plan is approved. If a tower's upper floors are "subject to NOC", treat those floors as unapproved until the NOC is issued.
Check 4: the sale NOC
The sale NOC is the approval that makes selling legal. It names the project and plot, lists every unit with its size and price, caps the extra charges and sets a completion date. Its conditions often limit how much a builder can collect before a construction permit and require a notice board at the booking office showing the NOC and plan.
Ask for it by name, match every detail to your unit, and confirm its current status with SBCA directly. Our next guide in this series covers sale NOC verification step by step.
Check 5: construction and completion
Once building starts, the builder should be working to the approved plan, with progress reported to SBCA. On completion, it must report to SBCA within 30 days under section 7-E and obtain the occupancy certificate and the approved completion plan.
The completion plan matters most for buyers. Under section 18-G, no sale deed or sub-lease for newly built premises can be registered, and no new electricity, gas or water connection provided, without it. Our guide on checking whether utilities are actually available at a plot explains the on-site side of that check.
How the checks differ by project type
| Project | Key SBCA checks | Extra checks |
|---|---|---|
| High-rise flats or shops | Licence, approved plan, agency NOCs, sale NOC, completion plan | Floors on sale match the plan |
| Private housing scheme plots | Developer licence, NOC under section 5 | Land authority layout plan; development status |
| Portions on a residential plot | Approved plan showing the units, completion plan | Plan approved for the number of units sold |
| Commercial building or plaza | Approved plan, sale NOC, completion plan | Land use is commercial; any regularisation order |
| Ready building, resale | Occupancy certificate and completion plan | Not on SBCA's dangerous buildings list |
| DHA or cantonment project | Not SBCA | DHA or board approval instead |
Where to check
- The builder's office and site. The approval must be displayed there under section 12(2).
- SBCA's offices. Its design and complaint section and district offices hold project files. Ask in writing and keep the reply.
- SBCA public notices. SBCA periodically names projects selling without NOCs and has banned sale and purchase in illegal projects across Sindh, telling registrars not to register deeds without approved completion plans.
- The land authority. For the land and layout under the project.
- A lawyer. For a large purchase, a lawyer can obtain certified copies and check court cases against the project.
A project missing from SBCA's warning lists is not proof of approval. Audit officials told the Sindh PAC in July 2026 that 58 illegal housing schemes were operating in Karachi without NOCs, far more than any public list names.
What the courts say if you skip these checks
Sindh's courts have been clear. In a 2023 order, the Sindh High Court held that buyers of units in a Nazimabad building raised without an approved plan had no right, title or interest in their units and no right to a registered deed, and refused even to hear them as parties. The Sindh High Court order in CP No. 3725 of 2023 treated their agreements as void under section 23 of the Contract Act 1872, despite their claim to have been deceived.
The burden falls on the buyer because the law does not protect agreements that defeat it. A builder can be fined or prosecuted, but that does not give the buyer a registrable unit.
Warning signs that a project is less approved than it claims
| Claim or sign | What it often means |
|---|---|
| "SBCA approved" with no document | No document means no proof |
| "Plan approved" only | No right to sell yet |
| "NOC in process" | No approval to sell |
| "Provisional NOC" | Approval that can be withdrawn |
| Upper floors "subject to NOC" | Those floors are unapproved |
| Receipts from a different company | Payment outside the approved builder |
| No notice board at the site | Breach of section 12(2) |
| Possession offered, no completion plan | Unit cannot be registered or connected |
What the numbers show: Milkiyat.com findings
Seven approvals, one sale. A project needs approvals at seven stages before a buyer can register a new unit. A builder showing only the plan approval has cleared 2 of 7, about 29%, of the chain.
Public lists catch only part of the problem. Audit found 58 illegal housing schemes operating without NOCs in Karachi. If a warning list names 20 projects, it covers only 20 ÷ 58 × 100 = about 34% of the schemes audit identified, so a project's absence from a list proves little. Regulators are paying attention to overstated claims too, as our report on the CCP's findings on deceptive real estate practices shows.
Enforcement often comes after sale. SBCA took 396 actions against illegal construction in Karachi between January and mid-April 2026, about 3.8 a day, many of them on buildings where units had already been sold.
Checklist before you book
- Builder's licence number matches the NOC and receipts
- Land title confirmed with KDA, MDA, Lyari DA, the society or the Board of Revenue
- Approved plan matches the floor and unit you are buying
- Agency NOCs in place for upper floors of tall buildings
- Sale NOC current and confirmed with SBCA
- Construction permit issued before large instalments
- Completion plan in place before possession or registry
- Project not named in SBCA warnings or court cases
Frequently asked questions
Q1. What does "SBCA approved" actually mean?
A. It has no single meaning. A project needs a builder licence, an approved plan, a sale NOC and, at the end, an occupancy certificate and completion plan. Ask which approvals the builder holds.
Q2. Is plan approval enough for a builder to sell flats?
A. No. Selling requires SBCA's separate NOC for sale and advertisement under sections 5 and 12 of the Ordinance.
Q3. Does SBCA publish a list of approved projects?
A. SBCA publishes warnings about illegal projects from time to time, but no complete public list should be relied on. Confirm each project's approvals with SBCA directly.
Q4. Do tall buildings need other approvals?
A. Yes. SBCA says buildings above 50 feet need NOCs from the relevant agencies, and floors awaiting those NOCs should be treated as unapproved.
Q5. How do I check a private housing scheme in Karachi?
A. Ask for the developer's licence, SBCA's NOC under section 5 and the land authority's approved layout plan, then check development on site.
Q6. Does SBCA approve projects in DHA Karachi?
A. No. DHA and the cantonment boards approve projects within their own limits.
Q7. Can I register a flat without a completion plan?
A. No. Section 18-G of the Ordinance bars registration of new premises without SBCA's approved completion plan.
This guide is for general information. Approval requirements and procedures change, and buyers should confirm every licence, plan, NOC and completion document directly with SBCA, the relevant land authority and a qualified lawyer before paying.