What is a commencement certificate (CC)?
A commencement certificate (CC) is the local planning authority’s permission to start construction under the approved building plans. It is often issued in stages, for example up to plinth first and then for the floors above.
Also called CC, construction commencement certificate.
The building plan approval says what may be built; the commencement certificate says building may begin. The issuing body and the exact name vary by state and city: a municipal corporation, a development authority or a town planning department.
Where the CC is issued in parts, construction may go only as far as the current certificate allows. Building beyond it, for example casting floors that are not yet covered, is a common reason for stop-work notices.
For a builder, a CC is a permit to track like any other: its scope, its date and its validity, and any conditions attached to it. Buyers and banks also ask for it before booking or lending, so keep the current copy ready.
At the end of the project, the matching document is the occupancy certificate.