2. PAGE 1
CONTENTS
1. Classification of Residential Buildings
2. Parking requirements for Residential Buildings
3. Explanation of General Terms
4. Regulations for Group Developments
5. Regulations for Multi-Storeyed Buildings
6. Regulations for Ordinary Residential Buildings
7. Regulations for Special Buildings
8. Regulations for Layouts and Subdivisions
9. Case Studies
3. PAGE 2
What are development regulations?
To ensure planned development in the city, the Chennai Metropolitan
Development Authority (CMDA) prescribes a set of rules to be followed
whenever any building, public space or infrastructure is designed.
Why do we need to follow them?
These rules are meant to control and prevent overcrowding on land.
By following the rules standards of public health, convenience and safety are
met.
As the planning authority has the power to punish the defaulters, misuse of
land is prevented in most cases.
Residential Buildings
Residential buildings are divided into four categories:
Ordinary Residential
Buildings
Group Developments
Special Residential
Buildings
Multi-story
Residential Buildings
4. PAGE 3
Ordinary Residential Buildings:
Buildings which have less than 300 sq. m
plot area and a maximum of G+1 structure in
height are classified as Ordinary Residential
buildings.
Special Residential Buildings:
A single residential building with more than 2
floors, more than 6 dwelling units is called a
special residential building.
Group Developments:
A development where the dwelling
units are in at least two or more blocks
and have minimum plot extent 300 sq.
m are called Group Developments.
Multi-storeyed Residential
Buildings
Any building that has more than 4
floors or 15.25 m height is a multi-
storeyed Building. These can also be
group developments.
5. PAGE 4
Parking Requirements
The parking requirement for all residential buildings, regardless of the site and type of
development, depends on the size of the dwelling unit.
(1) Corporation Limit, Municipalities, IT Corridor
For dwelling units with floor area up to 25 sq.m, no
parking space is required to be provided
For units with floor area above 25 sq.m and up to
50 sq.m, one two-wheeler space should be
provided.
For units with floor area above
50 sq.m and up to 75 sq.m, one
two-wheeler space should be
provided. Additionally, one car
space should be provided for
every two units.
One car space should be
provided for units with
floor area greater than 75
sq. m
6. PAGE 5
Additionally, parking spaces for visitors should be provided as 10% of the existing
parking spaces there are more than 3 car spaces.
(2) Panchayat Areas
The rules are the same for panchayat areas, only the floor area differs:
For dwelling units with floor area up to 50 sq.m,
no parking space is required to be provided
For units with floor area above 50 sq.m
and up to 75 sq.m, one two-wheeler space
should be provided.
For units with floor area above
75 sq.m and up to 100 sq.m, one
two-wheeler space should be
provided. Additionally, one car
space should be provided for
every two units.
One car space should be provided
for units with floor area greater
than 100 sq. m
7. PAGE 6
GENERAL TERMS
In order to understand the standards, we should have an understanding of the general
terms used in the upcoming topics:
Setbacks
Frontage
Plot extent
Plot coverage
OSR
FSI
Setbacks
In land use, a setback is the minimum
distance which a building or
other structure must be set back from a
street or road, a river or other stream, a
shore or flood plain, or any other place
which is needs protection. Usually,
standards are given for rear, front and side
setback.
Structures allowed in setback
(a) Ordinary Buildings (Non-multi-storeyed buildings)
Sun-shades 0.60m
Non-continuous wardrobes or built- in cub boards above 0.60m ground floor
open non-continuous balconies (above ground floor)
open service verandah to kitchen (above ground floor)
Architectural projections above ground floor
Staircase open landing projections (not affecting driveway)
Cantilevered portico so long as it does not fall within 1.5m from the street
alignment or boundary of the site whichever is closer.
Balconies and staircase landings will be allowed only when they have at least a 0.5 m
clearance from the site boundary.
If the non- continuous projecting structures in the setbacks exceed 50% of the
side/length of the building, they won’t be allowed in the minimum prescribed setback
spaces.
Motor room of area not exceeding 2 sq.m. each and height not exceeding 1.8m,
without affecting parking and driveway requirements.
8. PAGE 1
Frontage
The side of the plot which faces the road.
a strip or extent of land abutting on a
street or water.
6 meters except in area set apart for
continuous buildings, where it shall not
be less than 4.5 meters and for housing,
economically weaker section it shall not
be less than 4 meters.
Minimum extent of plot
90 Square meters except in area specifically set apart for continuous buildings where
it shall not be less than 80 square meters. For housing economically weaker sections,
it shall not be less than 20 square meters within the Chennai City and 40 square
meters in rest of the Chennai Metropolitan Area.
Maximum plot coverage
Maximum plot coverage will be 65% and for Economically Weaker section plots, the
coverage shall not exceed 75 percent.
Passage Roads
Roads that provide access to a site from a main
road are called passage roads, and the site that
gains access from the passage road is called a
passage property.
9. PAGE 2
OSR – Open Space Reservation
As per current regulations, 10% of the total plot area should be reserved for open
space.
For plots with area 3000 sq.m to 10,000 sq.m, the owner/developer can either reserve
10% of the plot for OSR or get an exemption from OSR, if there is no provision to
reserve open space because of physical restrictions. To get exemption, the equivalent
land will be valued by the Registration Department and the market value should be
paid by the owner/developer. As per CMDA, the amount paid will be used for
environment related causes.
If the area of the layout is
greater than 10,000 sq.m, the
owner/developer must reserve
10% of the total plot as OSR.
This does not include the area
reserved for public roads.
The primary purpose of OSR is
to use the reserved area for
community or recreational
purposes such as residents’
association, park or play area by
the residents of the
development. CMDA has the
responsibility to ensure the maintenance of OSR. If CMDA is not satisfied with the
maintenance of OSR, it has the right to ask the owner of the land to transfer the land
to CMDA by gift deed. CMDA then hands over the site to local authority such as
Corporation of Chennai or Municipal authorities for maintenance.
FSI – Floor Space Index
FSI = Total floor space covered in all floors
Plot Area
The FSI for Ordinary Buildings is 1.5. This means, the total Plinth Area shall not exceed
1.5 times the Plot area in which the construction takes place.
10. PAGE 3
To arrive at the Floor
Area that could be
constructed, the
calculation must also
take into account the
following:
Plot Coverage
Set back space
Abutting Road width
etc.
Premium FSI
Premium FSI is a tool to encourage vertical growth in a metropolis. In a city like
Chennai, where every inch of space counts Premium FSI is expected to ease the
pressure on land at least to a small extent by allowing construction of more floor area.
The premium FSI for plots abutting roads that have a width of
i. 30 feet or more and below 40 feet id 20%
ii. 40 feet to below 60 feet, the premium FSI is 30%
iii. 60 feet or more, it is 40%.
11. PAGE 4
REGULATIONS FOR GROUP DEVELOPMENTS
Group Developments:
Residential or Commercial developments
which have at least two or more blocks.
The blocks can be interconnected. But if
two blocks are solidly connected for more
than 1/3 of their width, they will be
considered as a single block.
Access Road:
1. Abutting road or access road
serving more than 20 dwellings or
more than 6000 square metres of
commercial building - minimum
width should be 10 m.
2. The width should be over 10 m
for at least 250 m distance from the
site to a junction.
3. If the general road is less than 10
m and the site owner leaves enough
space only in front of his site, it is not
acceptable.
4. If the site is not directly abutting a public road, but has a passage road from a
public road of 10 m width, the width of the passage should be:
12. PAGE 5
Description Width
1. When it serves up to 6 units and length is less than 80 metres 3.6 m
2. When it serves up to 8 units and length is less than 100 metres 4.8 m
3. When it serves up to 10 units and length is less than 120 metres 7.2 m
4. When it serves up to 20 units and length is less than 240 metres 9 m
5. When it serves more than 20 units 10 m
Rules for Upper Level Parking:
1. They should not be enclosed by walls, except for RCC parapet maximum height
1.2 m.
2. Should have adequate natural ventilation and lighting.
3. Water Closet or toilet facility and security cabin is allowed for each floor.
4. Minimum floor height should be 3 m.
Site Regulations:
13. PAGE 6
FSI for Economically Weaker Sections:
FSI = Total covered area on all floors/Plot area
If the unit is, 1. < 30 sq. m: the FSI = 1.5 times the normally permissible FSI
2. < 50 sq. m: the FSI = 1.3 times the normally permissible FSI
Electrical Room:
1. Electrical Room should be provided on the ground floor of the building within
the built-up space or within the premises.
2. Width of access road to should be at least 3 m.
Spacing 6m
3m (EWS)
Frontage
6m (CBA)
12m (CMA)
10 M (EWS)
14. PAGE 7
3. Electrical Room with RCC roof should have minimum 6x4 m floor area and 2.75
vertical clearance between electric wires and roof.
4. Room should be enclosed on three sides with wall and fourth side should have
M.S Rolling Grill Shutter. This side should face the approach road.
5. Electrical Room should have two exhaust fans, one on either side of the shutter.
6. It should have raised cement flooring with cable duct of width (450-750mm)
depth all around the inside of the room and close to the shutter. This should be
covered with RCC slabs minimum 75 mm width.
Sewage Treatment Plant:
1. If there are more than 50 units, sewage treatment plant should be provided and
maintained.
2. If there are less than 50 units, septic tank with up-flow filters should be
provided.
Basement Floor:
1. Height of the basement floor should not be more than 1.2 metres above ground
level
2. Headroom should be minimum 2.4 metres
3. Sufficient provision for lighting and ventilation should be made.
Other Regulations:
1. Security Cabin, water closet / pump room, transformer room, transformer yard,
electric room can be built in setback area, provided they do not block the
driveway and their height is less than 4 m.
2. These facilities can be built only if transformer and electrical rooms floor area
does not exceed 15 sq.m. and W.C and Pump room per block does not exceed 6
sq.m.
3. Corridor width within the building should be minimum 1 m.
4. If the building has more than 100 units, commercial units may be allowed in the
lower floor levels if they do not exceed 10% of that floor area.
5. If the building has more than 100 units, waste management system should be
provided with storage for solid waste near the access road where the local
authority can collect it.
6. Details of the development should be provided on a display board of minimum
size 60x120 cm.
7. Group development of units more than 50, or site area 10,000 sq. m (1 hectare)
should be designed and have plans signed by a qualified architect.
8. Group development of units more than 50, or site area 10,000 sq. m (1 hectare)
should reserve 10% of the site area to provide housing for lower income groups-
these units should have maximum 45 sq. m floor area.
15. PAGE 8
REGULATIONS FOR MULTI-STORIED
BUILDINGS
Additional regulations for multi-storeyed buildings area as follows:
Site Extent: Should be minimum 1500 sq. m
Road Width: Abutting road should be at least 18 m wide.
Internal Vehicular Access Road: Should have a minimum width of 7.2 m
16. PAGE 9
Recreational Space:
1. No requirement for site area less than 3000 sq. m
2. For site area above 3000 sq. m, 10% of the site area should be transferred to the
local authority, which may be allowed to be maintained as a public
park/playground.
Additional Facilities:
1. As per the NBC, lifts should be provided for each block.
2. Stand-by electric generator of adequate capacity for running lift and water
pump.
3. At least one metre room of size 2.4x2.4 m for every three floors.
4. Fire safety, detection and extinguishing systems.
Rainwater Conservation:
1. Pebble bed of 1 m width and 1.5 m depth all around the building with pebbles of
5 to 7.5 cm size.
2. Concrete paving around the building sloped in 1:20 ratio towards pebble bed for
surface runoff.
3. Dwarf walls height 7.5 cm constructed at entrance and exit gates to prevent
rainwater from the compound from draining onto the road.
4. Any of the given methods given in the DCR are to be adopted. For example,
17. PAGE 10
REGULATIONS FOR ORDINARY RESIDENTIAL
BUILDINGS
Plot extent: Maximum 300 sq.m
Maximum height: G+1 structure
18. PAGE 11
REGULATIONS FOR SPECIAL BUILDINGS
Building with more than 2 floors or more than 6 dwelling units.
Minimum Road Width:
The minimum width of the public road on which the site abuts or gains
access shall be 10 mtrs.
If the extent of the site is more than 1100 sq.m. a special building for
residential use may be permitted on a site abutting or gaining access from
9m. wide public road.
In case it gains access from a passage road, the length of the passage should be
Description Width
1. When it serves up to 6 units and length is less than 80 metres 3.6 m
2. When it serves up to 8 units and length is less than 100 metres 4.8 m
3. When it serves up to 10 units and length is less than 120 metres 7.2 m
4. When it serves up to 20 units and length is less than 240 metres 9 m
5. When it serves more than 20 units 10 m
Regulations for special buildings are as follows:
20. PAGE 13
REGULATIONS FOR LAYOUT AND SUBDIVISION
This regulation gives access to plots by roads and passageways, depending on the
intensity and length of the roads in that area.
21. PAGE 14
Additional Regulations:
Ten per cent of layout area (excluding roads), additionally, shall be reserved for
"Public Purpose" in those layouts, which are more than 10000 sq.m. in extent.
Interested departments shall be given intimation of layout approval by the CMDA
and requested to purchase the land from the owner of developer of promoter, on
paying the cost of plots so reserved. The owner or developer or promoter has
every right to sell the lands for residential purpose if no demand from any public
departments is received within one year.
In cases where the extent of the residential layout exceeds 10000 sq.m. ( 1
hectare) ten per cent of layout area (excluding roads) shall be developed as EWS
plots and the owner or developer or promoter shall sell these plot only for this
purpose. No conversion or amalgamation shall be permissible in these cases of
EWS plots
22. PAGE 15
CASE STUDIES
Case Study 1: Group Development
Kaveri Apartments,
Thiruvanmiyur
No. of blocks: 3
No. of units: 36
No. of units per block: 12
Spacing between blocks: 3.5 m
No. of parking spaces: 24
Frontage - 70.5m
Width - 48.5m
Road width - 10m
Plot area - 3419.25 sq.m
Plot coverage – 21.7%
FSI - 1.08
OSR - 705 sq.m
Height - G+2
SETBACKS
Front - 6m
Side - 3.5m
rear - 5m
Driveway width - 7.2m, 3.6m
Structure in Setback: Shed
