Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) certificate fees in Maharashtra typically range from around ₹500 to ₹1,25,000 or more. These fees cover Consent to Establish (CTE), Consent to Operate (CTO), online registration, and professional charges. They apply when you establish or operate an industry under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, and the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981.
An MPCB certificate is a legal approval from the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board that authorizes a business to function within environmental limits. It confirms the unit meets environmental norms for air, water, and waste, and is mandatory for almost every industry operating in the state.
This article outlines the full fee structure for MPCB certificates, the key cost components across CTE, CTO, and registration, and the category-wise variations that shape your overall cost.
Key Takeaways
- MPCB certificate fees depend on your capital investment in land, building, plant, and machinery, not on turnover, profit, or sales.
- Fees range from ₹500 to ₹1,25,000, and rise to 0.02% of capital investment for units above ₹100 crore.
- CTE and CTO are charged separately, so a new industry pays the slab amount twice.
- White category industries pay no fee and only file an intimation; Red, Orange, and Green follow the same slab but differ in validity and renewal frequency.
- Registering on the MAITRI portal is a one-time step; the real cost sits in the CTE and CTO fees.
- Late renewal adds 25% to 100% of the base fee, while operating without consent can cost 5 to 10 times the fee.
- Filing your renewal at least four months early earns a 5% rebate and avoids penalties.
MPCB Certificate Fees: CTE & CTO (2026)
MPCB certificate fees range from ₹500 to ₹1,25,000, based on your industry’s capital investment. The table below shows the current MPCB certificate fees across all capital-investment slabs:
| Capital Investment | Consent to Establish (CTE) | Consent to Operate (CTO) |
| Above ₹100 Crore | 0.02% of capital investment | 0.02% of capital investment |
| ₹75 Crore – ₹100 Crore | ₹1,25,000 | ₹1,25,000 |
| ₹50 Crore – ₹75 Crore | ₹1,00,000 | ₹1,00,000 |
| ₹25 Crore – ₹50 Crore | ₹75,000 | ₹75,000 |
| ₹10 Crore – ₹25 Crore | ₹50,000 | ₹50,000 |
| ₹5 Crore – ₹10 Crore | ₹25,000 | ₹25,000 |
| ₹1 Crore – ₹5 Crore | ₹15,000 | ₹15,000 |
| ₹60 Lakh – ₹1 Crore | ₹5,000 | ₹5,000 |
| ₹10 Lakh – ₹60 Lakh | ₹1,500 | ₹1,500 |
| Below ₹10 Lakh | ₹500 | ₹500 |
Before applying for any MPCB service, every new applicant must register on the MAITRI portal.
Tip: Apply at least four months early for renewals to earn a 5% rebate on the base fee.
MPCB Fees by Industry Category: Red, Orange, Green, and White
While the MPCB fee depends on your capital investment, your category decides the consent validity, renewal frequency, and whether any fee applies.
Here is how the fee and validity work across the four categories:
- White Category (Pollution Index ≤ 20): No CTE or CTO fee is payable. You only need to submit an intimation to MPCB, with no consent fee at all. This covers very low-impact activities such as toy assembly, biscuit tray making, and organic manure production from dry waste.
- Green Category (Pollution Index 21 to 40): Consent is valid for 3 years. The fee is based on your capital investment slab, with renewal required every three years. Typical units include dairy processing, food processing, and mineral water packaging.
- Orange Category (Pollution Index 41 to 59): Consent is valid for 2 years. The fee follows the same capital investment slab, but renewal is required every two years. Examples include automobile servicing, packaging industries, and textile manufacturing.
- Red Category (Pollution Index ≥ 60): Consent is valid for 1 year. The fee is still based on the same capital investment slab, but annual renewal results in higher long-term costs. This covers heavy-impact units such as chemical manufacturing, foundries, distilleries, and large cement plants.
Although Red category industries are often said to pay the highest MPCB fees, the fee slab is not higher. They simply pay more over time because their consent must be renewed every year.
Note: The MPCB has introduced a simplified Auto-Renewal Scheme for CTE and CTO categories as a part of its ease-of-doing-business push. It allows eligible units to automatically obtain consent for up to five terms within 7 days based on self-declaration by paying the proportionate fee in advance. This reduces frequent renewal requirements and improves compliance efficiency.
Under this scheme, the authority processes applications without site visits, provided units do not increase production capacity or pollution load.
MPCB Certificate Fees for Special Cases: Mining and Local Bodies
Beyond the standard capital-investment slab, two types of applicants follow special fee rules:
- Mining projects pay an extra per-tonne charge on top of the regular slab.
- Urban local bodies pay fixed fees ranging from ₹2,000 to ₹1,00,000.
Here is how each one is charged:
1. Mining Projects
The consent fee for mining projects includes the standard fee based on the project’s capital investment, along with an additional charge linked to the annual quantity of minerals extracted.
Mining Consent Fee = standard capital-investment slab + ₹0.40 per tonne of mineral per annum
Operators should track their annual mineral output carefully, since this per-tonne charge applies every year on top of the base fee.
2. Urban Local Bodies
Urban local bodies are charged a flat fee under the Water Act, based on the type of body:
| Urban Local Body | Consent Fee |
| Municipal Corporation | ₹1,00,000 |
| Municipal Council, Class-A | ₹50,000 |
| Municipal Council, Class-B | ₹5,000 |
| Municipal Council, Class-C | ₹2,000 |
These fees are fixed by the class of the body, not linked to any capital investment.
How Does MPCB Calculate the Certificate Fee?
MPCB calculates the certificate fee based on your industry’s total investment in land, building, plant, and machinery, without considering depreciation. The fee depends on your investment, not your turnover, profit, or sales.
Here is how the calculation actually works:
- Declare your capital investment: Add up the cost of your land, building, plant, and machinery, plus any capital work in progress.
- Match it to the slab: The board takes your declared figure and finds the matching slab in the fee table.
- Pay the slab amount: For investment up to ₹100 crore, you pay the fixed fee for that slab. For investment above ₹100 crore, the board charges a percentage instead.
The fee follows one of two rules, depending on your investment size:
Rule 1. For investment up to ₹100 crore: MPCB Certificate Fee = matching slab amount
Example: A ₹40 crore unit falls in the ₹25 crore–₹50 crore slab, so it pays the fixed amount of ₹75,000 per consent.
Rule 2. For investment above ₹100 crore: MPCB Certificate Fee = 0.02% × total capital investment
Example: A ₹150 crore unit crosses ₹100 crore, so the percentage rule applies: 0.02% × ₹150 crore = ₹3,00,000 per consent.
Keep these points in mind when calculating your MPCB certificate fee:
- Include all eligible assets: Capital investment covers the cost of land, building, plant, and machinery, along with any capital work in progress.
- Use the original cost: Calculate the investment using the original asset cost, without deducting depreciation.
- Provide supporting documents: For a new CTE or first CTO, submit a project report or a CA certificate showing your estimated investment. For renewals, the board verifies the amount using your balance sheet or audited annual report.
- Business type does not affect the fee: Companies, partnership firms, proprietorships, and HUFs all follow the same fee slabs. Only the required supporting documents differ.
- Declare the figure accurately: MPCB verifies your investment against your CA certificate, so understating it to reduce the fee can trigger queries, penalties, and approval delays.
MPCB Penal & Late Fees: 2025–26 Update
MPCB imposes two types of penalties: a late fee for delayed renewal and a heavy penalty for operating without valid consent. Both are now paid online under the 2025 reform framework that aligned MPCB’s penal structure with central MoEF&CC norms.
1. Late fee for delayed renewal (CTO): If you renew your Consent to Operate late, MPCB charges an additional fee based on the delay period. This structure follows the MoEF&CC Notification No. G.S.R. 84(E) dated January 29, 2025, and is enforced through the MPCB circular dated April 28, 2025:
| Renewal timing | Late fee |
| 120 to 45 days before expiry | 25% of the base fee |
| 45 days to expiry date | 50% of the base fee |
| After expiry | 100% of the base fee |
2. Penalty for operating without consent: If an industry operates without valid consent, MPCB can impose a penalty of 5 to 10 times the applicable consent fee.
How to Pay MPCB Certificate Fees Online?
MPCB certificate fees are paid completely online through the MPCB web portal’s e-payment gateway (ecmpcb.in). Demand drafts, NEFT, and RTGS are not accepted for new applications. Since September 2016, all payments must be made through the online “Pay Now” system.
You do not pay the fee at the start of the process. You first complete registration and submit your application, and the payment option opens only after document submission.
Here’s how the payment process of the MPCB Certificate works:
- Register on MAITRI: Complete one-time registration on the MAITRI portal. This provides a single login for MPCB and other state services.
- Fill the application: Log in to the MPCB portal, complete the Common Application Form (CAF), and select CTE or CTO.
- Upload documents: Submit required documents, including a CA certificate or a balance sheet showing capital investment. Status remains “Document Pending” until verification.
- Pay online: After verification, the status changes to “Payment Pending.” Pay the fee via the e-payment gateway and update details. Status then changes to “Payment Approved.”
Getting an MPCB certificate involves many steps, from choosing the right consent to managing documents and renewal deadlines. Let RegisterKaro handle the full MPCB registration process for you, from CTE and CTO filing to fee calculation and renewals, ensuring smooth compliance. Contact us today to get your MPCB certificate quickly and stress-free!
