Goa Gazette, No. 2627-25, 17 September 2026

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Reg. No. RNP/GOA/32/2024-2026

RNI No. GOAENG/2002/6410

Panaji, ¹⁷th September, ²⁰²⁶ (Bhadra ²⁶, ¹⁹⁴⁸) SERIES I No. 25

PUBLISHED BY AUTHORITY

SUPPLEMENT

GOVERNMENT OF GOA

Department of Panchayati Raj and Community Development

Directorate of Panchayats

Notification

34/DP/PAN/TRADE LICENSE FEES/2026/8584 Date : 11-Sep-2026

The following draft Rules which the Government of Goa proposes to make in exercise of the powers conferred by Section 72 read with sub-section (1) of Section 240 of the Goa Panchayat Raj Act, 1994 (Goa Act 14 of 1994) (hereinafter referred to as the "said Act") are hereby pre-published as required by sub- section (1) of Section 240 of the said Act for the information of the persons likely to be affected thereby and notice is hereby given that the said draft Rules will be taken into consideration by the Government after the expiry of fifteen days from the date of publication of this Notification in the Official Gazette.

All objections and/or suggestions to the said draft Rules may be forwarded to the Director of Panchayats and ex officio Joint Secretary to the Government of Goa, 5th floor, Myles High, Corporate Hub, Patto, Panaji, Goa before the expiry of said period of fifteen days so that they may be taken into consideration at the time of finalization of the said draft Rules.

DRAFT RULES

In exercise of the powers conferred by Section 72 read with sub-section (1) of Section 240 of the Goa Panchayat Raj Act, 1994 (Goa Act 14 of 1994) and all other powers enabling it in this behalf, the Government of Goa hereby makes the following rules, namely:—

1. Short title and commencement.— (1) These rules may be called the Goa Panchayat Raj (Grant of permission/trade license and levying of permission fees/trade license fees) Rules, 2026.

(2) They shall come into force on the date of their final publication in the Official Gazette.

2. Definitions.— (1) In these rules, unless the context otherwise requires,—

(a) "Act" means the Goa Panchayat Raj Act, 1994 (Goa Act 14 of 1994);

(b) "Category 'A' Village Panchayat" means a Village Panchayat classified by the Town and Country Planning Department of Goa as having VP1 status as per prevailing Regional Plan or falling in ODP areas having high commercial, industrial, or tourism potential;

Suggestions are welcomed on e-mail: [email protected] 1405OFFICIAL GAZETTE — GOVT. OF GOA SERIES I No. 25 (SUPPLEMENT) 17TH SEPTEMBER, 2026 (c) "Category 'B' Village Panchayat" means a Village Panchayat classified by the Town and Country Planning Department of Goa as having VP2 status as per prevailing Regional Plan or areas other than a Category 'A' Village Panchayat;

(d) "Commercial Floor Area" means the total built-up area or carpet area, including storage, passages, and balconies, utilized for carrying out any trade, business, industry, or service within the jurisdiction of the Panchayat;

(e) "Director" means the Director of Panchayats appointed under the Act;

(f) "Fee" means the fee leviable under these rules for the grant or renewal of permission under section 68 and a license under Sections 69, 70 and 71 of the Act;

(g) "Schedule" means Schedule 'A' appended to these rules;

(h) "Permission" means the permission granted or renewed by the Village Panchayat under Section 68 of the Act to use any place for factory, workshop or manufacturing or such activities;

(i) "License" means the license granted or renewed by the Village Panchayat under Sections 69, 70 or 71 of the Act to use any place for trade, business, industry, hotel, restaurant, shop, or other such activities.

(2) Words and expressions used herein but not defined in these rules shall have the same meaning respectively assigned to them in the Act.

3. Grant of Permission/Trade License.— The Village Panchayat may, on an application filed by any person, grant permission under Section 68 or license under Section 69, 70 or 71 upon holding such inquiry, inspection and investigation that may be necessary in the facts of each case.

4. Determination and fixation of maximum fee for permission or license.— (1) Every Village Panchayat shall, by a resolution passed in its meeting, decide and select specific rate of fee for permission to be issued under Section 68 or license to be issued under Sections 69, 70 and 71 of the Act, subject to maximum rates specified in Schedule hereto.

(2) No Village Panchayat shall exceed the maximum fee specified in Schedule hereto without the prior written approval of the Government.

5. Procedure for levying fee for permission or license.— (1) Before finalizing the rates under Rule 4, the Village Panchayat shall notify the contents of the proposed resolution to the public by way of a notice affixed at the office of the Village Panchayat, inviting objections or suggestions within fifteen days.

(2) On or after the expiry of the notice period, the Village Panchayat shall consider all objections or suggestions received and shall formally pass a final resolution fixing the rate of fee for permission or license.

(3) The final rates approved by the Village Panchayat shall be placed on the notice board of the Village Panchayat and shall take effect from the date specified therein in the notification.

6. Period of validity of permission or license and it's renewal.— (1) A permission granted under Section 68 or a license granted under Sections 69, 70 or 71 of the Act, or any renewal thereof, shall be valid for a period of one year or three years or five years or ten years, as explicitly opted by the applicant in the application for such grant or renewal, subject to advance payment of the fee for such periods.

(2) The period of validity prescribed under sub-rule (1) shall commence from the date of issuance or the date of renewal of such permission or license, as the case may be, and shall remain in force for the full duration of the tenure opted by the applicant.

(3) An applicant opting for a multi-year validity period under sub-rule (1) shall pay in advance the total fee corresponding to the chosen tenure, calculated as an exact multiple of the annual rate prescribed in Schedule appended to these rules.

(4) Every application for renewal of permission or license shall be submitted to the Village Panchayat at least thirty days before the expiry of the existing permission or license.

(5) In the event of delay in applying for renewal prior to the date of expiry, a late fee calculated at the rate of 10% of the applicable annual permission fee or license fee for each month of delay, subject to a maximum cap of 50% of the annual fee, shall be charged in addition to the regular fee.

7. Exclusions and exemptions.— No fee for permission or license under these rules shall be levied on:—

(a) Activities exclusively carried out by the Central Government, State Government, or Local Authorities for non-commercial or administrative purposes.

(b) Traditional artisans, weavers, and small-scale agricultural producers selling their own farm produce within the village area, provided that they do not occupy a permanent RCC structure.

8. Appeal against fixation or quantification of fees.— Any person aggrieved by the decision of the Village Panchayat regarding misclassification of a trade category, inaccurate measurement of commercial floor area, may file an appeal before the Director within thirty days from the communication of the order or demand notice, and the decision of the Director thereon shall be final.

9. Penalty for breach of rules.— Whosoever carries out or establishes any trade, business, shop, or industry within the jurisdiction of a Village Panchayat without obtaining a license or permission, or continues to operate after the suspension, cancellation, or expiry thereof, shall be levied, on conviction by the competent authority, a fine which may extend to five thousand rupees. Where the breach is a continuing one, a further fine may be imposed which may extend to five hundred rupees for every day after the first day during which the breach continues.

SCHEDULE

(See Rules 3, 4, and 5)

Maximum limits of annual Permission fee or License fee to be levied by Village Panchayat

By order and in the name of the Governor of Goa.

Dasharath M. Redkar, Director & ex officio Joint Secretary (Panchayats).

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