Nairobi Maps

Guide · Nairobi City County approvals · Updated 2026-10-19

Occupation certificate in Nairobi

An occupation certificate says a finished building may be lived or worked in. It is applied for through NPDMS once the building is complete, and the county checks that the building matches the plans it approved.

Check your plot on the map Apply on NPDMS (Nairobi City County)

When you need it

Who applies

The owner applies, usually through the architect who saw the building up. Applications are made online on the Nairobi Planning and Development Management System (NPDMS).

Check the plot before you apply

Most of what decides an application is already on the map. Check these first:

CheckWhereWhy it matters
The plot and its numberSearch the map by LR, block or FR numberThe application is made against the plot’s number. Make sure the parcel on the map is the land you mean.
The approved plansYour building plan approvalThe county compares the finished building with the plans it approved.
Who owns itAn official search on ArdhisasaThe owner, or someone they authorise, applies.

How the application moves

  1. Prepare. Check the plot against its zone, the rivers and roads around it and any airport limit, then have the drawings or the application prepared by the registered professionals the kind of approval needs.
  2. Submit on NPDMS. The professionals submit online: the architect’s drawings, the engineer’s structural design, the physical planner’s application, each as a stage of its own where the kind of approval needs it.
  3. Invoicing. The county bills the fees and the application waits until they are paid.
  4. Circulation. The application is sent round the county’s departments for comment — planning, roads, water, environment and others as the plot needs. Each may approve it, ask for changes or add conditions.
  5. Decision. The county approves, approves with conditions, or rejects. An approval carries a PLUPA number and its conditions; read them, because the work must follow them.
  6. After approval. Build or use the land as approved, within the time the approval allows. Changes need approval of their own.

How long it takes

There is no fixed time. An application moves once it is complete and its fees are paid, and then waits on each department that must comment. Incomplete drawings, a plot that does not fit its zone, and unpaid invoices are the usual reasons for delay — so check the plot first, and follow your application’s stage on NPDMS.

After approval

With the certificate, the building may be occupied. Keep it with the approved plans: buyers and banks ask for both.

Questions

How long does occupation certificate approval take in Nairobi?

There is no fixed time. An application moves once it is complete and its fees are paid, and then waits on each department that must comment. Incomplete drawings, a plot that does not fit its zone, and unpaid invoices are the usual reasons for delay — so check the plot first, and follow your application’s stage on NPDMS.

Can I move into a building before the occupation certificate?

The certificate is the county’s permission to occupy, so it should come first. Ask Nairobi City County about your building.

Is Nairobi Maps the county’s approval system?

No. Nairobi Maps is an independent map of Nairobi’s land and planning rules, for checking a plot before you apply. Applications are made to, and decided by, Nairobi City County on NPDMS.

Nairobi Maps is not part of Nairobi City County. This guide explains the usual route; requirements, fees and steps change, so confirm them with the county.

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