Registry without NOC in Punjab (2026): is the window still open, and how Easy Registry works

• 500 sq ydLimit of the 2024 NOC-free windowagreements dated by 31 July 2024
• May 2025NOC-free registry stoppedafter the High Court order
• 30 SepColony regularisation deadline2026, promoter or RWA applies
• 48 hrsEasy Registry pre-scrutinyany SRO in the district

“Registry ho jayegi, NOC ki zaroorat nahi” (the registry will happen, no NOC needed) is still one of the most common lines on plot-selling calls in Kharar, Zirakpur, Dera Bassi and the villages around Mohali. For about six months between late 2024 and mid-2025 it was partly true. It has not been true since. This guide explains what the NOC is and what happened to the NOC-free window. It also covers the regularisation route that is open until 30 September 2026, and how Punjab’s Easy Registry system works if your paperwork is in order.

What the NOC is, and why a registry needs it

Section 20 of the Punjab Apartment and Property Regulation Act, 1995 (PAPRA) deals with colonies developed without a licence. In such a colony:

• No construction, roads or utility lines may be laid.
• No government body may sanction a building plan or give water, sewer or power connections.
• No Registrar or Sub-Registrar may register a sale deed for a plot.

The NOC is the no-objection certificate that lifts that bar for a specific plot. In the Mohali region it comes from GMADA (under the Housing and Urban Development department) outside municipal limits, or from the municipal body inside them.

The NOC is not needed everywhere. GMADA says plots in licensed colonies and mega projects need no NOC for registry. It publishes three lists on its website: licensed colonies, unauthorised colonies, and plots already issued NOCs. If the colony you are buying in is on the licensed list, the NOC question does not arise.

What happened to “registry without NOC”: the 2024–2026 timeline

In September 2024 the Vidhan Sabha amended PAPRA to add Section 20(5). It allowed a plot of up to 500 sq yards in an unauthorised colony to be registered without an NOC if a power of attorney, a stamp-paper agreement to sell or another notified document had been executed on or before 31 July 2024. The same amendment sharply raised the punishment for illegal colonisers to five to ten years in jail and a fine of ₹25 lakh to ₹5 crore.

The route open now: colony regularisation under Rule 31 (deadline 30 September 2026)

On 3 July 2026 the Punjab Cabinet simplified the rule for regularising unauthorised colonies. The key points:

• Eligibility: colonies where at least 25% of plots are already developed. Colonies rejected under earlier policies may apply again.
• Who applies: the colony promoter or the resident welfare association. An individual plot holder cannot apply alone.
• Fee: compounding fee of 5% of the prevailing collector rate on the colony’s gross area for residential and industrial colonies, and 10% for commercial.
• What plot holders get: after the provisional regularisation certificate is issued and the fee is paid, individual plot holders can get their own regularisation certificate, building-plan approval and registry.
• Deadline: 30 September 2026.
• The Mohali catch: the Cabinet note covers local planning areas and agricultural land earmarked in master plans, “except those falling under the regional plan of GMADA”. That could exclude much of Mohali district. How far it reaches was not clear from the reporting, so ask GMADA about your colony specifically.

If you already own a plot in an unauthorised colony near Kharar, Zirakpur or Dera Bassi, today is the day to ask your promoter or RWA whether they have applied. If nobody applies for the colony, the plot holders cannot apply for themselves.

Buying a plot in Mohali district in 2026: the checks that matter

1. Find the colony on GMADA’s listsLicensed colony means no NOC is needed. Unauthorised means you need a plot NOC or a regularised colony. GMADA also lists plots already issued NOCs.
2. Read the land recordPull the jamabandi for the khasra number on the Punjab land records portal. Our jamabandi and fard guide shows how, step by step. See whose name it is in and whether a mutation is pending.
3. Check RERA for projectsA colony or apartment project sold to the public should be on the Punjab RERA register. Our guide to checking Punjab RERA builder details shows how.
4. Ask about Rule 31 in writingIf the colony is unauthorised, get the promoter’s or RWA’s application number and date. Before 30 September 2026 it may not exist yet. After that, no application means no route.
5. Do not read a power connection as legalityPSPCL dropped the NOC requirement for electricity connections in unapproved colonies in November 2025. A meter on the pole says nothing about whether the plot can be registered or built on.

The legal difference between a GMADA or HSVP auction plot and a private township plot is covered in our guide to verifying auction plots and private township plots.

Easy Registry: how registration works in Punjab now

Punjab launched Easy Registry in Mohali in late May 2025 and rolled it out statewide on 1 August 2025. It changes where and how you register, not whether a plot is registrable.

• Any sub-registrar office in the district. You are no longer tied to the office where the property sits. In SAS Nagar district that means the Mohali, Kharar and Dera Bassi tehsils and the Zirakpur, Majri and Banur sub-tehsils.
• Online documents, 48-hour pre-scrutiny. The deed is uploaded and checked before your appointment, so objections come up before you are standing at the counter.
• WhatsApp updates at each stage, and a WhatsApp channel to report demands for unofficial payments.
• Draft My Deed lets you prepare the deed yourself. Seva Kendras and doorstep Seva Sahayaks (helpline 1076) can help for a fee.
• One online payment for stamp duty and registration fee.

One trap from July 2026: a Revenue Department advisory locked e-registration receipts left unused for more than a month and e-stamp certificates left unused for more than four months, for older purchases. If you bought e-stamp paper early and the deal dragged on, check it is still usable before the appointment.

What registration costs in Punjab

Duty is charged on the sale price or the collector rate, whichever is higher. Women buyers get a lower stamp duty. Lenders’ 2026 guides put the total at about 7% for men, 5% for women and 6% for joint male-and-female buyers, before the registration fee. Mohali’s collector rates were revised on 24 October 2025. Our breakdown of Mohali collector rates and stamp duty and our walk-through of the tehsil registry process in Mohali, Kharar and Zirakpur cover the numbers.

Documents to carry

• The deed on e-stamp paper, signed. Present it within four months of signing.
• Proof of the seller’s title. Outside the lal lakir that is the jamabandi copy (fard). For authority property it is the allotment letter, previous registry and the authority’s NOC.
• Aadhaar and photo ID of all parties, PAN (or Form 60/61), and two passport photos each.
• One identifier and two witnesses.
• The original power of attorney and a declaration, if a PoA holder is signing.
• The plot NOC or regularisation certificate, if the colony is unauthorised.

Everything above is about getting the paperwork right. The first filter is simpler: buy where the title is clean. Hoomzz lists verified properties for sale across Mohali, Zirakpur, Kharar and the rest of the Tricity, with the seller identified. Browse properties for sale on Hoomzz.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is registry without NOC allowed in Punjab in 2026?

No. The Punjab Apartment and Property Regulation (Amendment) Act, 2024 allowed NOC-free registry of plots up to 500 sq yards in unauthorised colonies with documents dated on or before 31 July 2024, in a window extended to 31 August 2025. The government stopped such registrations in May 2025 after the High Court directed compliance with Section 20(3). An NOC or regularisation is needed today.

What was the last date for registry without NOC in Punjab?

The NOC-free registration window first ran from 1 December 2024 to 28 February 2025, and was then extended to 31 August 2025. In practice registrations stopped earlier, on 13 May 2025, when the Punjab government halted them following the High Court’s direction. We found no extension or reopening of the window after August 2025.

How can a plot in an unauthorised colony be registered now?

Either the plot gets an individual NOC from the competent authority, or the whole colony is regularised. Under the Rule 31 amendment approved on 3 July 2026, the colony promoter or resident welfare association must apply by 30 September 2026. The colony needs at least 25% of plots developed and a compounding fee of 5% of the collector rate. Plot holders can then get their own certificates and registry.

Do I need an NOC to register a flat or plot in a licensed colony in Mohali?

No. GMADA states that plots in licensed colonies and mega projects do not need an NOC for registry. GMADA publishes lists of licensed colonies, unauthorised colonies and plots already issued NOCs on its website. Check the colony there before you pay any token money.

What is Easy Registry in Punjab?

Easy Registry is Punjab’s online property registration system, launched in Mohali in May 2025 and statewide from 1 August 2025. Buyers can register at any sub-registrar office in their district, upload documents online for pre-scrutiny within 48 hours, book appointments, track progress on WhatsApp and pay all fees in one transaction. The portal is easyregistry.punjab.gov.in and the helpline is 1076.

Sources, and what is still unclear

• Punjab Bill 7 of 2024 (PRS India): Section 20(5) and the new penalties
• The Tribune, 26 November 2024: the 1 December to 28 February window
• The Tribune, 1 March 2025: extension to 31 August 2025
• The Tribune, 13 May 2025: government stops NOC-free registration after the High Court order
• The Tribune, 3 July 2026: Rule 31 amendment, the 30 September deadline and the fee
• GMADA: licensed colonies, unauthorised colonies and plots issued NOCs
• The Tribune, May 2025: Easy Registry launched in Mohali
• Punjab Revenue Department: stamp duty, registration and facilitation charges
• Punjab Revenue Department: registration FAQ and document requirements
• The Tribune, November 2025: PSPCL drops the NOC for power connections

Still unclear. Reports differ on whether the High Court struck down the 2024 amendment or only directed compliance with Section 20(3). We found no judgment text, so this page reports only what the government did in response. How far the “regional plan of GMADA” exclusion reaches in Mohali district was not settled in the reporting. We found no extension of the 30 September 2026 Rule 31 deadline as of 29 September. Recheck both before relying on them. This is general information, not legal advice.

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