uilding bye-laws, also known as building codes or regulations, are a set of rules and guidelines established by local, regional, or national authorities to govern the construction, renovation, and maintenance of buildings. These bye-laws are essential for ensuring the safety, structural integrity, and functionality of structures and promoting the well-being of occupants and the environment. However, the specifics of building bye-laws can vary significantly from one jurisdiction to another, reflecting local conditions, cultural preferences, and technological advancements. Building bye-laws serve as essential legal instruments employed to govern and control various aspects of construction, including parameters such as building coverage, height, the extent of construction, and architectural designs. These regulations play a crucial role in steering and managing the development of a region in an organised and sustainable manner. In addition to these primary functions, building bye-laws encompass a broader set of responsibilities, such as promoting safety, ensuring adherence to environmental standards, facilitating urban planning, and harmonising with the cultural and historical context of the area. These multifaceted regulations thus serve as a cornerstone in the responsible and well-balanced growth of a locality. The various aspects of Building Bye-laws are: Set-back or Building Line: Building bye-laws dictate the minimum open space required in front of buildings facing a road, known as the set-back or building line. This regulation aims to maintain street aesthetics, prevent overcrowding, and enhance safety by improving visibility. Set-back areas can also be repurposed as parking spaces or green areas. Floor Space Index (FAR) or Floor Area Ratio: FAR, expressed as the ratio of a building's total floor area to the land area it occupies, is used to control the intensity of development. It's a tool for regulating population density. For instance, a FAR of 1.5 means the total floor area is 1.5 times the land area. Built-up Area: The built-up area is the plot area minus the space allocated for open areas. Building codes specify the maximum permissible built-up area based on the plot size to prevent overdevelopment. Size of Rooms: Building bye-laws stipulate minimum room sizes to ensure adequate space for health and proper ventilation. Different types of rooms have specific size requirements, promoting comfortable living conditions. Height of Buildings: The height of buildings is determined based on street width, to maintain urban aesthetics and safety. Narrower streets have lower height allowances. Lighting and Ventilation: Building codes mandate the provision of windows and ventilators to ensure sufficient room lighting and ventilation. The minimum opening areas are stipulated for different climate conditions. Water Supply and Sanitary Provisions: Building codes set standards for water supply and sanitation facilities, such as taps, sinks, water

1. Building & Townplanning

2. Slu
m
Development as per
laws

3. What is building bylaws?
• The rules and regulation framed by town planning authorities
covering the requirements of building, ensuring safety of the
public through open spaces, minimum size of rooms and height
and area limitation, are known as building bye-laws.
• Rules and regulations which largely regulate the building activity
should be formulated to get disciplined growth of building and
the better planned development of towns and cities.

4. Objective of buildingbye-laws
• pre-planning of building activity.
• allow orderly growth and prevent haphazard development.
• Provisions of by-laws usually afford safety against fire, noise,
health hazard and structure failure.
• Provide proper utilization of space to achieved maximum
efficiency in planning.
• They provide health, safety and comfort to the people who
live in building.
• Due to these bye-laws, each building will have proper
approaches, light, air and ventilation.

5. Scopeof building bye-laws
• Aspects of different type of building in building bye-laws:
1. Building frontage line
2. Minimum plot size
3. Built up area of building
4. Height of building
5. Provision of safety, water supply, drainage, proper light
and ventilation
6. Requirement for off street parking space
7. Size of structural element

6. Applicability of buildingbye-laws
• New construction
• Additional and alternations to a building
• Changing of occupancy of building (residential  education
etc.)
• Development of land is undertaken
• In demolition

7. Different types of area
• Built up area
• Plinth area
• Carpet area
• Super built up
area

8. Built uparea
• “The area covered by the building immediately above the plinth
level”
• It is also known as covered area.
Details to be included Details not to be
included
Basement Steps
Building Structure Otta
Ramps Kundi
Swimming pool Soak pit
Reservoir Fountain
Chimney Manhole

9. Plinth area
• Means the built-up covered area measured at the floor level
of the basement or of any storey.
Area to be included in plinth area Area not to be included in plinth
area
Area of walls at floor level excluding
plinth offset, external area of
projecting cladding.
Additional floor to accommodate
seats in theatre, assembly hall, or
auditorium
Cover of stair Balcony
Barsati Curvature provided to
improve appearance
Machine room Platform without cover terrace
above floor
Porch without cantilever Dome, tower at terrace, spiral stairs

11. Carpet area
• “it is net usable area within building”.
• Means the net area within a unit of a building excluding walls or
columns, service areas such as washrooms, kitchen and pantry,
semi- open spaces such as veranda or balcony, and corridors or
passages.

12. Setback distance

13. Advantage of set-back
• Better condition of air, light and ventilation.
• At corners it improve visibility and safety from
traffic.
• Space for parking.
• Protection of building from street nuisance like
noise.
• Reduce the danger of fire from neighbor house.
• It provide privacy in building.

14. Building & controlline
• The line up to which the plinth of the building adjoining a street
or road or on future street may lawfully extend is know as
building line.
• Building such as cinemas, factories, commercial center which
attract large number of vehicle should be set-back distance
apart from the building line.
• The line up to which such building can be constructed is
known as control line.

16. Principles underlying building bye-laws
• Classifyingthe building with unit as a family and mentioning
the requirement.
• Classify rooms according use and then
specifying minimum standard of each room with respect to
size, height, floor area, ventilation and light.
• Specify height of compound wall and location of gate in wall.
• Controlling projection in marginal space.
• Specify suitable arrangements with respect to drainage and water
supply.
• Specify set-backs, light plan and margin.
• Specify minimum size of plots, their dimension and figure.

17. Building Bye-lawsFor Residential Area
• Size of plots
• Area limitation
• Margin
• Height of the building
• Plinth height
• Minimum area of
rooms
• Basement
• Compound wall
• Projection
margin
• Parapet wall
• Mezzanine floor
• staircase

18. 1.Sizeof plots:
TYPE OF DEVELOPMENT PLOT SIZE FRONTAGE
Detached Building >250 m2 Above 12 m
Semi-detached building 125-250 m2 8-12 m
Row type building 50-125 m2 4.5 to 8 m

20. 2. Arealimitation
• The limitation of area and height of the building of diff. type of
construction and occupancy class is achieved by satisfying floor
area ratio.
• The FAR is specified taking into account the following aspect:
1. Occupancy class
2. Type of construction
3. Width of street frontage the building and the traffic
load.
4. Parking facilities
5. Local fire fighting facilities
6. Water supply and drainage.

21. • Built up area:
The FSI shall be 1.0 with maximum utilization up to 0.4 on ground
floor. Sr.No. Area of plot Maximum permissible covered area
1. <200 m2 66.67% of the plot area on ground floor and first
floor. Nothing on second floor exceeding 25 % of
the ground floor.
2. 201-500 m2 50 % of the plot area or 133 m2 which ever is more.
3. 501-1000 m2 40 % of the plot area or 250 m2 which ever is more.
4. >1000 m2 33.33 % of the plot area or 400 m2 which ever is
more.

22. Margin
• The open spaces
insides
and around
the
provide to carter
buildin
g for
the
particularl
y lighting
an
d
residential type have to
ventilation
requirement.
1. Front open space
2. Rear open space
3. Side open space

23. Forbuilding upto 300m2plotarea
Sr. No. Plot area (m2) Front open space Rear open space Sides open space
1. Up to 50 0.75 - -
2. 51 to 75 1.0 1.0 0.5
3. 76 to 100 1.25 1.00 0.5
4. 101 to 150 2.0 2.0 1.25
5. 151 to 200 2.0 2.0 1.25
6. 201 to 300 3.0 2.0 1.50

24. Forbuilding above 300m2 plot area and height upto 13m
1. Minimum front set
back
2. Minimum rear set back is 3
m
3. Minimum side backs
Width of road in m Minimum set back in m
Up to 12 3
12 to 18 4
Above 18 4.5
Plot area Minimum set back
301 to 670 1.5 m or 0.25 of the height
of the building on each side
Above 670 3 m on both side or 0.25
of height of the building
which is higher

25. Height Of TheBuilding
• Height of building according to width of street:
1. The maximum height of the building shall not exceed 1.5 times
the width of road.
2. For building in vicinity of aerodromes, the maximum height of
the building is fixed in consultation with civil aviation
authorities.
• The height shall not included if building is erected one-third of
roof area, including:
1. Roof tank and its support
2. Ventilating, lift room
3. Roof structure other than pent-house

26. Plinth height
• The height of the plinth shall not be less than 450 mm ground
level.
• Minimum height of 600 mm is the best from drainage or
other consideration.
• It is minimum 900 mm in water logged soils.

27. Minimum SizeOf Diff. Rooms
No. Name of room Minimum area Minimum size of side Height Other
requireme
nt
1. Habitable room
-bed room
-living room
-study room
9.5 m2 2.4 m Not less then
2.75 m from
surface of floor
to lowest point
of ceiling
As per need
2. Kitchen 5 m2 1.8 m Not less than
2.75 m
As per need
3. Bath rooms and
water closets
1.8 m2 If bath and water
closet are combined,
its floor area shall not
less than
2.8 m2 with minimum
width 1.2 m
Not less than 2.1
m
As per need

28. No. Name of room Minimum area Minimum size
of side
Height Other requirement
4. Store room 3 m2 ----- Not less than 2.2 m -----
5. Garage 12.5 m2 3m x 6m Not less than 2.4 m -----
6. Stair case The minimum
width of stair is
0.9 m.
Clear head
room shall be
2.2 m
• Minimum width
of tread
without nosing
250 mm in
residential.
• The maximum
height of rise
shall be 190
mm for
residential
building.

30. Basement/Cellar
• The basement shall not be used for residential purpose.
• The basement to be constructed within the prescribed set back
and building lines and subject to maximum on entrance floor
may be put to only the following use:
• Storage of household
• Strongrooms, bank cellars
• Parking places
• Air conditioning equipment and other machine

31. Requirement of basement
• The height of basement from the floor to the underside of
the roofslab or ceiling shall not be less than 2.4 m.
• The maximum height of the ceiling of any basement shall be
0.9 m and maximum 1.2 m above the average surrounding
ground level.
• Adequate arrangement shall be made such that surface
drainage does not enter the basement.
• The walls and floor of the basement shall be watertight.
• The access to the basement shall be separate from the
main and alternative staircase providing access and exit
from higher floor.

32. Compound Wall
• Except with the special permission of the maximum height
of compound wall shall be 1.5 m above center line of
front street.
• It is permitted 2.4 m when the top of 0.9 m is open type
construction
• In corner plot it is restricted to 0.75 m for a length of 10 m on
side and front intersection.
• The balance height of 0.75 m may be made up through railing
and of design to be approved by the authority.

33. Projection in margins

34. Mezzanine Floor
• Minimum height of mezzanine floor shall be 2.2 m.
• The minimum size of the mezzanine floor, if it is to be used as a
living room shall not less than 9.5 m2
• The aggregate area of such mezzanine floor in a building
shall in no case exceed 1/3 the plinth area of the building.