Chennai does not yet have a single, final notified register of heritage buildings. What it has is a CMDA draft list of 168 entries prepared in three phases between 2013 and 2016, rules in the city’s Development Regulations, a Heritage Conservation Committee at CMDA that vets changes, and, since July 2026, a newly constituted Tamil Nadu Heritage Commission.
If you own, rent or are buying an old building in Chennai, here is how the system works, what grading means and what you can and cannot change.
How the list came about
The trigger was litigation. Around 2009 and 2010, attempts to demolish Gokhale Hall on Armenian Street and the Bharat Insurance building on Mount Road were challenged in the Madras High Court. As Sriram V recounts, the court ruled that the buildings needed preservation and directed the government to form a Heritage Conservation Committee (HCC). Madras Musings identifies the 2010 judgment in writ petition 25306 of 2006, which recognised about 400 buildings as historically important, drawing on a list compiled by a committee headed by Justice E. Padmanabhan.
The HCC first wrote to owners on that list telling them not to demolish or alter their properties (Madras Musings), then began re-examining buildings one by one. A later letter went to about 70 owners asking whether they objected to their properties being listed, the journal reported, without spelling out what listing would mean for them.
The CMDA draft list
The CMDA draft list of heritage buildings shows three phases sent to the government:
| Phase | Sent to government | Entries |
|---|---|---|
| Phase I | 6 December 2013 | 66 |
| Phase II | 21 October 2014 | 41 |
| Phase III | 26 February 2016 | 61 |
| Total | 168 |
Entries include the Armenian Church, Dare House, the General Post Office, Gokhale Hall and Kapaleeshwarar temple in Phase I, Chennai Central station and the Connemara hotel in Phase II, and the Ice House (Vivekananda Illam) and Chettinad Palace in Phase III. Each entry carries a name, location and grade; the entries displayed are Grade I. Because this is a draft, check the current status of a specific building with CMDA before relying on it.
What the grades mean for owners
The rules sit in the Development Regulations of the Second Master Plan, approved by G.O. Ms. No. 190 (Housing and Urban Development) on 2 September 2008. Regulation 31 deals with conservation of buildings of historical or architectural interest, and Annexure XXV sets out special rules for conservation of heritage buildings.
- Grade I: the most protected category. Changes to the structure, facade or interior are expected to be minimal and only with HCC approval.
- Grade II: more flexible. In the case of the Binny building, which was Grade II, Madras Musings reported that the facade could not be changed and interiors could be modified only to a limited extent.
- Precincts: owners in heritage precincts applying for extensions, alterations, repairs or new buildings go to the HCC, which has refused some proposals and approved others with design changes so they fit their neighbours.
In practice, any planning application for a listed building should go to CMDA with the heritage angle flagged, so it reaches the HCC. Gokhale Hall’s restoration, for example, went through HCC review from July 2023 to March 2024 before approval. Owners remain responsible for repair and upkeep. For a specific property, take advice from a conservation architect and a lawyer.
The Heritage Commission, constituted in 2026
The Tamil Nadu Heritage Commission Act, 2012, amended in 2024, defines a heritage building as one needing preservation for historical, architectural, environmental or cultural reasons. It requires local bodies to refer heritage-related building and development matters to the Commission for advice, and the government and local bodies to act on that advice.
For years the Commission existed only on paper; the High Court pressed the state on this as recently as January 2026 (Madras Musings). On 16 July 2026, G.O. Ms. No. 76 constituted the Commission with Dr M. Nambirajan as Chairman and 13 ex-officio members, including the Commissioner of Archaeology, the Superintending Archaeologist of ASI’s Chennai Circle, the Dean of Anna University’s School of Architecture and Planning and the HR and CE Commissioner. The notification does not include a list of buildings or grading criteria.
Monuments protected by ASI or the State Archaeology Department fall under separate laws and their own rules.
Quick answers
Is there an official heritage building list for Chennai?
CMDA publishes a draft list of 168 entries in three phases. Confirm a building’s status with CMDA.
Can I demolish a heritage-listed building?
Not without clearance; listed owners have been told not to demolish or alter, and changes go to CMDA’s Heritage Conservation Committee.
Who decides on changes to a listed building?
CMDA’s Heritage Conservation Committee reviews proposals; the new Heritage Commission advises local bodies under the 2012 Act.
Information checked against official sources on 18 October 2026. Fees, dates and rules can change; confirm on the linked official pages before acting.
Sources
- Draft List of Heritage Buildings in CMA (Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority)
- Second Master Plan for CMA 2026, Vol. II: Development Regulations (CMDA, via onlineppa.tn.gov.in)
- Tamil Nadu Heritage Commission Act, 2012, as amended (PRS Legislative Research)
- G.O. Ms. No. 76, constitution of the Tamil Nadu Heritage Commission, Gazette Extraordinary No. 314, 16 July 2026 (Government of Tamil Nadu)
- Flattened with impunity (Madras Musings, 2017)
- Confusion on heritage conservation (Madras Musings)
- Happy days for heritage (Sriram V, April 2024)
- The never-ending saga of TN’s Heritage Commission (Madras Musings, February 2026)
