What Are Building Bye Laws?

Byelaws are a set of rules and regulations made by a local authority or corporation. These legal tools regulate ground coverage, height, density and design and construction of a building to achieve a uniform development in an area. The development authority denies approval to a building plan that does not abide by the bye-laws and helps prevent buildings from fire, earthquake and structural failures.

Importance Of Building Bye Laws

  • They keep a check on the uniform development of buildings in a society or town and avoid reckless development.
  • Provides safety from hazards like noise and fire along with prevention from any structural failure.
  • Assure maximum space utilisation.
  • Take measures to ensure the safety and comfort of residents with proper air, ventilation and light.

Building Bye Laws:

FLOOR AREA RATIO (FAR) OR FLOOR SPACE INDEX (FSI)

Floor area ratio (FAR) is the ratio of the total floor area of the building in a certain location to the size of the site.

The formula to calculate the FAR of an area is:

FAR= (Total covered area of all floors of a building)/ (Total area of the plot)

The FAR is calculated per sq. ft. and is used to determine the construction cost which can vary for open and covered areas. Gouri Ekmeet Designs‘ construction cost calculator can help you to calculate the cost of your project.

S.No.Area of plot (in sq.m.)Max ground coverage %FARNo. of DUs
1Below 3290*3503
2Above 32 to 5090*3503
3Above 50 to 10090*3504
4Above 100 to 25075**3004
5Above 250 to 750752256
6Above 750 to 1000502009   
7Above 1000 to 1500502009
8Above 1500 to 225050200 12
9Above 2250 to 30005020015
10Above 3000 to 37505020018
11Above 37505020021

Ground Coverage

It refers to the percentage or proportion of the land on a site that is covered by a building. It also includes plants and other materials that cover the land.

Density

Population density is the number of individuals or households per given area

Building density is the ratio of building structures related to plot surface.

As per Delhi byelaws for the purpose of density calculation, the dwelling unit shall be considered to accommodate 4.5 persons and the servant to accommodate 2.25 persons.

Basement And Parking Spaces

Basement used for household storage and parking is counted in FAR. It must be less than the area of the ground floor, but can extend to the area below the internal courtyard and shaft. Basement is counted towards FAR when it exceeds the permissible FAR and is liable to payment of appropriate charges.

Stilts: Building constructed with stilt parking with a non-habitable height of less than 2.4m is included in the height of the building but not in the FAR.

Parking: Parking space provided within the residential plot is as follows:

2 Equivalent Car Space (ECS) in plots of size 250-300sq.m.

1 ECS for every 100sq.m. built-up area, in plots exceeding 300 sq.m.

S.NO.PARKING TYPEAREA IN SQ.M. PER ECS
1Open23
2Ground floor covered28
3Basement32
4Multi-level with ramps30
5Automated multi-level with lifts16

Setback And Projections

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 that needs protection. It is a specified distance from the sides of a lot that denote where a building or structure cannot be placed. 

Building Bye Laws 2020

S.NO

PLOT SIZE (in sq.m.)

Minimum setbacks (in meter)

FRONT

REAR

SIDE 1

SIDE 2

1

Below 100

0

0

0

0

2

100 to 250

3

0

0

0

3

250 to 500

3

3

3

0

4

500 to 2000

6

3

3

3

5

2000 to 10000

9

6

6

6

6

Above 10000

15

9

9

9

ROAD

FRONT SETBACK

National highway (90m)

60m

Provincial highway (60m)

37m

Major urban roads (30m)

22m

Village road (18m)

13m

Projection is a building feature mounted on, and/or extends from the surface of the building wall or façade above ground level.

Examples include balconies, bay windows, lighting fixtures, porch, canopy etc.

Projections or chajja can have an overhang of maximum 2 metres, being 3 metres above the ground.

SETBACKS AND PROJECTIONS

Building Height

Building height is the maximum vertical height of a building measured from the plinth level at the main entrance to the parapet or the highest structure or decoration on the roof.

Inclusion of Parapet walls, chimneys, vents and roof equipment is eliminated from the total height of a building.

The height of the residential plots is:

S.NO.

PLOT AREA (sq.mt)

MAXIMUM GROUND COVERAGE %

FAR

NO. OF DUS

MAXIMUM HEIGHT (mt.)

Low Income group Housing

1

30

75

150

1

8

2

30 to 50

75

150

2

8

Normal Housing

3

50 to 100

65

180

3

12

4

100 to 250

65

180

3

12

5

250 to 500

55

165

6

15

6

500 to 1000

45

120

8

15

7

1000 to 1500

40

100

8

15

8

1500 to 2250

33 1/3

100

12

15

However the total height must meet the Airport Authority of India’s permissible limits criteria.

Provision For Lifts

Source

Residential plots measuring up to 500 meters and habitable height of more than 13.5m from the plinth level, lifts shall be provided.

Earlier lifts were operated only till the topmost habitable floor of the building. From there terrace was accessible only through staircases. In the revised plan lifts will be available till the terrace.

Site And Service Design

  • In layout plans of plots of size 3000 sqm. and above the following are provided:
  • Dual piping system to carry treated waste water with separate lines for portable water and recycled water is to be introduced.
  • For gardening, washing of vehicles, cooling towers, etc. the sewage effluent is to be recycled.
  • Plots must contain underground water tank, roof-up water harvesting system, separate dry and wet dustbins etc.
  • Cavity walls, atriums, shading devices for energy efficiency is highly encouraged.
  • Plots with roof area of 300 sqm. and above must have solar heating system.

Plumbing Services

In residential the per capita water requirement in dwelling (per head per day) is 135 litres.

In residential the flushing storage capacity with common convenience is – 270 lt. for one W.C. seat and 100 lt. for each additional seat in the same flat.

In residential the storage capacity for domestic storage is:

  1. Down take taps – 70 l. each
  2. Showers – 135 l. each
  3. Bathtub – 200 l. each

Amalgamation

Combining two or more adjoining plots to mold into a single plot for building purposes is called amalgamation. Amalgamating two plots maximum up to 64 sq.m. is permitted with following conditions:

  • Local Body can amend the layout plan.
  • Optimum Ground Coverage, setbacks, parking, Dwelling Units etc. considered, is for the amalgamated plot size.
  • The maximum FAR permissible must be same as the permissible FAR of two individual plots combined.

Building bye-laws are a set of rules defining the construction limits of a structure in an area. To get a properly constructed property, explore the existing bye laws of the area to be constructed. The construction can be presumed to be illegal if any alteration in the rules is noted. Based on Building Bye Law guidelines as of June 2024.

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