Every homeowner asks some version of the same question before the hacking starts: do I actually need permission for this? The honest answer turns on one fact that changes everything downstream, whether your home is strata or landed. That distinction rarely gets explained properly until someone finds out the hard way, usually from a stop-work notice taped to the door.
If you're wondering whether we handle this for you, we do: our renovation service covers the submissions and coordination described here as part of the job. This page goes further: which authority you're actually dealing with, what the law requires, and what happens if you skip it.
| Property type | Whose approval you need | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Strata (condo, apartment, serviced residence) | The JMB or MC, in writing, plus the council where the work needs it | Every renovation, cosmetic or structural |
| Landed (terrace, semi-D, bungalow) | The local council | Building work: extensions, structural changes, new partitions, lofts or ceilings, and facade changes |
Landed property: cosmetic work is free, structural work is not
For a terrace, semi-D or bungalow, repainting, changing the flooring, swapping kitchen cabinets or replacing fixtures generally needs nothing from the council. That changes the moment the work touches structure, adds to the building, or alters how it looks from the street. Under section 70 of the Street, Drainage and Building Act 1974, nobody may erect a building without the local authority's prior written permission, and the Act counts additions and alterations involving new foundations, structure or roof as erecting a building. Section 79 goes further: even a new partition, loft or ceiling inside an existing building needs the council's written permission. The plans are submitted by a qualified submitting person, typically an architect or engineer.
Once a complete submission is in, the council has three calendar months to approve it, reject it, or ask in writing for changes, and a request for changes restarts the clock from the resubmission. If the council does none of these within the window, the submitting person can apply to the State Authority instead, a useful backstop when a submission goes quiet.
This is exactly where an older or inherited landed house tends to cause trouble: an informal extension or a previous owner's unpermitted structural change that only surfaces once your own plans go in. Our old and inherited house renovation checklist covers what to check before you reach this stage.
The councils that actually cover the Klang Valley
There's no single "Klang Valley council". Coverage splits by district, and a plan approved by one council has no standing with another:
- DBKL (Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur) covers the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur.
- MBPJ (Majlis Bandaraya Petaling Jaya) covers Petaling Jaya.
- MBSA (Majlis Bandaraya Shah Alam) covers Shah Alam.
- MBSJ (Majlis Bandaraya Subang Jaya) covers Subang Jaya and the southern part of the Petaling district.
- MBDK (Majlis Bandaraya Diraja Klang) covers Klang.
- MPKj (Majlis Perbandaran Kajang) covers Kajang.
- MPAJ (Majlis Perbandaran Ampang Jaya) covers Ampang Jaya.
- MPS (Majlis Perbandaran Selayang) covers Selayang.
- MPSepang (Majlis Perbandaran Sepang) covers the Sepang district.
The process differs from council to council, too. MBPJ, for example, routes applications through its eBuilding system and the national OSC 3.0 Plus Online system, with separate routes for minor works, standardised terrace-house additions and full building plans. Some minor, standardised permits can come through in as little as 24 hours, while structural submissions take considerably longer. And MBPJ is clear that work can't start until the plans are approved and a notice to start work has been lodged.
Strata property: the answer is always the JMB or the MC
For a condo, apartment or serviced residence, the council usually isn't the first authority you deal with. The building's own management is. The statutory by-laws made under the Strata Management Act 2013 say no renovation of any kind may start without the prior written approval of the Joint Management Body, or the Management Corporation once one is formed, whether the work is structural or not.
In practice, that approval typically involves:
- A written application describing the scope of work, sometimes with a simple sketch or photos of what's planned.
- A refundable deposit, commonly RM1,000 to RM5,000, held against damage to lifts, corridors and other common property during the works. The by-laws let the management ask for one.
- The rules for doing the work, set partly by law and partly by the building. The by-laws themselves ban hacking or drilling within 300mm of concealed pipes and conduits and require contractors to use a metal detector first. The building sets its own working hours, commonly weekdays 9am to 5pm, sometimes with a short Saturday window, and usually requires a padded service lift rather than the main passenger lift.
- Waterproofing for any bathroom or wet-area work. Change a wet-area floor finish and the by-laws require a new damp-proof membrane, turned up the walls by at least 150mm, and many managements also ask for a waterproofing certificate, since a failed membrane in one unit damages the ceiling of the unit below.
Deposits and house rules are set building by building. The figures here are ranges reported across Malaysian buildings, not a rule your management office is bound by. Ask for your building's renovation rules in writing before you plan anything.
Some work needs the council as well as the management. Under the by-laws, adding a floor level, relocating an external door or window, shifting plumbing and sewerage, or changing the whole electrical system needs the approval of both, and the owner is responsible for getting the authority's part. That's why a serious condo renovation treats management sign-off as the first step, not a formality alongside the real work.
What happens if you skip it
For building work, this isn't a grey area. Under section 70 of the Street, Drainage and Building Act 1974, altering a building without permission carries a fine of up to RM25,000, and a magistrate can order the work altered or demolished. Building in breach of the Act, or ignoring an order, carries a fine of up to RM50,000, imprisonment of up to three years, or both, plus RM1,000 for every day the offence continues after conviction. Even where a council accepts plans after the fact, the Act lets it charge five to twenty times the normal fees, and anything that breaches setback or safety rules may still have to come down.
For strata property, the first consequences come from the management, and they aren't light. Work can be stopped, the management can impose a fine set by resolution at a general meeting, unapproved changes can be ordered reversed at your cost, and the deposit is there to cover damage. If the work also needed the council's approval, the Act's penalties apply on top. And you're still living in that building, with those neighbours and that management, long after the renovation is finished.
Neither route saves time. Both cost more than the approval would have. The question from the top of this page, do I need permission for this, is far cheaper to ask before the hacking than after the notice.
