Jammu Tawi, July 29: In a significant move aimed at ensuring uniformity and transparency in the building permission process, the Jammu and Kashmir Government has approved a common building permission fee structure for the entire Union Territory, bringing all Municipal Corporations, Municipal Councils, Municipal Committees and Development Authorities under a single policy framework. According to an order issued by the Housing and Urban Development Department on Tuesday, the revised fee structure will be applicable uniformly across J&K and has come into effect from July 29, 2026. However, religious structures have been completely exempted from payment of the building permission fee. The order further stipulates that any construction undertaken without obtaining prior permission will attract a compounding fee equivalent to 40 per cent of the prescribed building permission fee, in addition to the regular charges, for cases eligible under the relevant provisions. Officials said the fee will be calculated on the total approved built-up area of the proposed construction and will be collected exclusively through the Online Building Permission System (OBPS) to ensure transparency and ease of compliance.