Do You Need an Airforce (MOD) Elevation Certificate for PMC Sanctioning?
If your plot is near Pune's airport or the Air Force station, your PMC building sanction can be held up by a document many owners have never heard of — the elevation certificate, also called the Airforce elevation certificate or MOD survey. Here's what it is and when you need it.
What is an elevation certificate?
Land near an airport or air force station sits under protected airspace. To keep flight paths safe, there are limits on how tall a building can be in these zones. Before PMC will sanction your building plan, you may need to prove your proposed structure stays within the permitted height — and that proof is the elevation (height) certificate.
It goes by several names — Airforce elevation certificate, MOD (Ministry of Defence) survey, or height-clearance survey — but they all mean the same thing: a survey that establishes your site's ground level and certifies the proposed building height against the permitted limit.
When do you need one?
You typically need it when:
- Your plot is within the height-restricted zone around Pune airport / Lohegaon Air Force station
- You're applying for PMC (or PCMC) building sanction in that zone
- Your architect or liaisoning agent has been asked for a height / elevation certificate or NOC
Areas around Lohegaon, Vimannagar, Vishrantwadi, Kharadi, Wadgaon Sheri and nearby localities commonly fall under this requirement.
What the survey involves
We establish accurate ground levels and reduced levels (RL) against Mean Sea Level (MSL) at your site, and certify the site level and the proposed building height. You receive a clear, PMC-ready elevation certificate with the levels, a site plan and the documentation your sanction process expects. This is exactly what our Elevation Certificate (MOD) Survey delivers.
Why a normal total station or DGPS isn't enough
This is where many owners get caught out. An elevation certificate of this kind cannot be done with a routine total station or a standard DGPS setup. It requires CORS (Continuously Operating Reference Station) technology — a network-corrected GNSS method that delivers the precise, referenced levels this certification demands.
Very few surveyors in Pune actually have CORS capability, and it takes a specially trained, qualified technical survey team to carry out the work and certify it correctly. Using the right technology and team the first time is what keeps your certificate accurate and your PMC file moving.
Who needs it
- Architects preparing sanction drawings for plots in the zone
- Liaisoning / sanctioning agents clearing PMC approvals
- Plot owners and builders constructing near the airport
Don't let it delay your sanction
A missing elevation certificate is a common reason a building file stalls at PMC. Getting the survey done early — before or alongside your sanction application — keeps the approval moving.
Based in Lohegaon, right by the airport, we carry out elevation / MOD surveys and issue PMC-ready elevation certificates. If you're building near the airport — or your architect or agent has asked for one — call or WhatsApp us and we'll take it from there.