AP-324

Codes of Practice and Building Bye Laws

:
Prepared By- Ar. Amrita Kaur
Associate Professor
MBS, SPA, Dwarka,
New Delhi
Syllabus

Unit -1:Building Bylaws

Unit -2: National Building Codes & Services

Unit -3: Delhi Building Bylaws & MBBL

Unit -4: Implications of Development Controls &

Role of Competent Authorities
 INTRODUCTION
Codes of Practice and Building Bye Laws
Existing Scenario of INDIA
In India, there are still many small and medium sized towns which do not
have building bye-laws and in the absence of any regulatory mechanism.

Such towns are confronted with

• excessive coverage,
• encroachment and
• Haphazard development
Resulting in
• chaotic conditions,
• inconvenience for the users, and
• disregard for building aesthetics.
 Codes of Practice
Introduction to various building codes in
professional practice emphasizing the importance
of codes and regulations to protect public health,
safety and welfare as well as to ensure compliance
with the local authority.

Application of Codes of Practice

• Understanding the applications of various codes as
per various building types.
• Conducting a comprehensive code search process
and Representing the above analysis by preparing
detailed code data sheets as applicable in the
domain which has been chosen for the research.
PURPOSE OF Codes
✓ Ensure public health and safety throughout a building.
✓ Most have come into play “after-the-fact” as a learning experience from a major tragedy.
✓ They are primarily concerned with
• Construction requirements
• Hazardous materials or equipment used in the building
• 75% of all codes and standards deal with fire
• Energy conservation
• Accessibility.
✓ This purpose includes:
• Structural strength
• Sanitary equipment
• Light & ventilation
• Fire safety
 Building Bye Laws

Building Bye-Laws are legal tools

used to regulate
• Coverage,
• Building Bulk,
• Architectural Design
• Height,
• Construction aspects of buildings
So, as to achieve orderly
development of an area.

Affiliated to GGSIPU and approved by

COA & AICTE
What are Building Bye- Laws
They are mandatory in nature and serve to protect buildings against
❑ fire,
❑ earthquake,
❑ noise,
❑ structural failures and
❑ other hazards.
Holistically, building bye laws are a set of rules that define the construction
limits of a structure within a province/city/state.
Building Bye laws are the rules and regulations set forth by the concerned
government authorities and updated time to time.
Building Bye Laws
• REGULATIONS: Building bye laws are the regulations that are generally made by local
governments or the municipal departments of State governments, with the intention
of controlling urban development in harmony with that envisaged in the Master
Plan and for ensuring structural safety, public health and hygiene.
• GUIDELINES/PRINCIPLES: They primarily provide guiding principles on which buildings have to
be planned and built, which can be used by a citizen/developer intending to erect a building on a
piece of urban land .
• PROCEDURES: Besides, they also list out the procedures to be followed for making
application, support documents and drawings to be attached, undertakings to be given,
certification process and inspection/ monitoring mechanism.
• MASTER/ DEVELOPMENT PLAN: They are often complemented by the Master/ Development Plan
of the city, which provide zoning rules, land uses allowed and the nature and intensity of
development envisaged.
• The origins of modern building bye laws can be found in the 16th Century British local authority
laws that defined civic life and services in cities. They laid down the principles for spatial
organization and for the design of human settlements, from the point of view of protecting public
health (preventing the spread of disease and fire).
Building Bye Laws
These buildings Bye Laws Are Drawn Up By A Panel Experts In Various
Branches of The Building Industry Such As:
• Town Planning
• Architecture
• Civil Engineering
• Electrical Engineering
• Air-conditioning
• Fire-fighting and
• Administration etc.
"Theses building bye-laws when formulated are enforced on all buildings
whether constructed by government, local bodies, private persons or
agencies“.
Purpose of Building Bye Laws
• Ensure uniform development of buildings in a society, town
and prevent haphazard development.
• Affirm public safety against noise, fire, health hazards and
structural failures.
• Ensure optimum utilization of space.
• Follow approaches which safeguard complete health,
safety and comfort of residents such as proper ventilation, air,
light and other essentials.
Objects of Building Bye 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.
• 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.
SCOPE of Building Bye Laws
These bye-laws and Development Control rules govern the following
aspects
• Building permission
• Zoning
• Sub-division of Land
• Land use, open space, built-up area and height limitation.
• Floor space index/ Floor Area Ratio
• Lighting and ventilation
• Fire Safety
• Structural design
• Material and method of construction etc
• Green building
• Waste and Water management
Aspects and Parameters
Necessity
• To give guidelines to the designer, architect or engineer.
• To limit or define the way the new structure is to be built.
• To control and development and to check un-authorized construction i.e.
encroachment on public an private
land.
• To prevent haphazard development and growth of towns or cities
• To specify the type of material to be used.
• To provide open space, air ,breeze etc.
• To offered security against fire, noise, and smoke etc.
• To facilitate future wrt use of land, widening of streets, controlling the ribbon
development in an area.
• To reduce pollutions in the area by restricting population density in an area thereby
providing the hygienic environment.
• To ensure that every in citizen will receive facilities like water supply, sanitation,
ventilation, electric supply, parking, and safety.
Applicability of Building Bye Laws
• New Construction
• Addition and Alterations to a Building
• Occupancy of Building Changed
• Development of Land
• Any part or whole building is demolished
Role of Local Authority
• A local authority Is a body created by law and it has to carry out various
functions and obligations in connection with community life.
• One of the important duty of a local authority to frame suitable building
bye-laws and to provide suitable machinery for Its successful
implementation.
• For this purpose, It should form a department to receive plans of
proposed buildings. The department checks every detail on the
plan and detects, If any, pertaining to prevailing bye-laws, are pointed out for
rectification.
"Only those plans are approved which comply with the requirements of
prevailing bye-laws."
In India, building byelaws are framed taking into account the National
Building Code as the base and state government acts.

However, it is not mandatory for the states to follow the NBC strictly.
Each state makes modifications as per their local requirements and
traditions.

THANK YOU
 Reading References
• Model Building Bye Laws: 2016 (TCPO, Ministry of Urban
Development)
• Unified Building Bylaws : 2016 (Delhi Development Authority)

• National Building Code of India:2016 (Volume 1 and Volume 2)

• Urban and Regional Development Plans Formulation and

Implementation (URDPFI) guidelines
Development Controls & Model Building Bye Laws
Development Control Regulations
• Development Control Regulations are a set of rules that are
planned to ensure the proper and effective development
of a city, as well as the general welfare of the public.
Regulation is necessary to ensure planned development.

• It is a mechanism that controls the development and use of land.

• This involves the construction of new buildings, the extension

of the existing ones, and the change of use of the building
or land to another use.

Developing new houses/industrial buildings/shops are

important for supporting economic progress. At the same time, it
is also necessary to protect or improve the quality of towns,
villages, countryside, etc.
Development Control Regulations

Types of Development control regulations

[Link] and Country Planning Act

[Link] Bye-laws
[Link] Acquisition Act
[Link] Regulations
[Link] Clearance Act
[Link] Control Act
 Development Control Regulations
• Town and Country Planning: Forming strategies and implementing them
to provide better infrastructure for the people, in line with their
requirements.
• Zoning Regulations: It deals with the allocation of land for specific purposes
and keeping a check on the use of land, and overall construction and
height of buildings.
• Slum Clearance: Reducing the number of slums and ensuring the rehabilitation
of inhabitants.
• Building Bye-Laws: They are a set of regulations imposed on developers
which must be mandatorily met to construct legally-sound buildings. It
involves acquiring all set of clearances and abiding by the Indian Building
Code.
• Periphery Control: To protect the peripheral land that comes under the
jurisdiction of a State from all sorts of encroachments and illegal use.
• Land Acquisition: Acquiring land for governmental
projects and compensating the landowners.
ORIGIN OF MODEL BUILDING BYE-LAWS (MBBL)
• In the Indian context, this model building bye-law comes at a
time when there is rapid urbanization happening without a
regulatory mechanism and the 74th Constitutional
Amendment empowers local bodies to prepare and enforce
master plans, for orderly development of urban areas.

• It is in this context, theTown and Country Planning

Organisation (TCPO) under the Ministry of Urban
Development (MoUD) has created a guide “Model Building
Bye-Laws” for State Governments, Urban Local Bodies,
Development Authorities to help them play a more effective
role in enforcing the implementation of the master plans.
MODEL BUILDING BYE-LAWS (PRELUDE)

• Building Bye-Laws are legal tools used to regulate coverage,

height, building bulk, and architectural design and
construction aspects of buildings so as to achieve orderly
development of an area.

• They are mandatory in nature and serve to protect buildings

against fire, earthquake, noise, structural failures and other
hazards.
ORIGIN OF MODEL BUILDING BYE-LAWS (MBBL- 2004)

• In 2003, the Ministry of Urban Development desired that

Model Building Byelaws be prepared, in view of Bhuj
Earthquake that occurred in 2001, to lay focus on structural
safety of buildings and for the guidance of the State
Governments.

Accordingly, the MBBL 2004 incorporated the provisions of

• structural safety and
• other provisions like rainwater harvesting and waste water
recycling, solar assisted heating, barrier free public
buildings and fire safety.
ORIGIN OF MODEL BUILDING BYE-LAWS (MBBL- 2016)

In 2015, it was further desired by the Ministry of Urban Development

that the Model Building Bye-Laws, 2004 needs to be revised and
updated keeping in view the emerging issues like Norms for

• Roof top Solar PV Installation,

• Segregated sanitation facilities for visitors in public buildings,
• Additional provisions in Building regulations for natural Hazard prone
areas,
• Conservation of heritage sites including heritage buildings, heritage
precincts and natural feature areas,
• Bye-laws for safe use of glass,
• Barrier free environment for disabled, children and old persons and
• Mitigation of the effects of electromagnetic radiation on built spaces.
The salient features of MBBL- 2016 are given as under –
• Safety and security : includes Structural Safety, Disaster management, BIS
Codes including Structural Design Basis Report (SDBR) for various building
types. Prevention measures against “Soft Storeys” in multi-storeyed buildings
and Proof Checking of Structural Design for buildings.
• Barrier Free Environment: Provisions for Differently abled, Elderly and
Children including Site development, Access Path/ Walk Way, Parking,
Building requirements, Stair, Lifts, Toilets, Drinking Water, Refuge and
signage.
• Environmental Concerns: Additional Chapter-10 incorporated for Green
Buildings and Sustainability provisions, Rainwater Harvesting, Wastewater
Reuse and Recycle and installation of Solar Roof Top PV norms.

• Adoption for Modern Construction Technology: Additional Chapter-5

incorporates Definitions, Structural Safety and other provisions for
Highrise Building regulations with Parking, Peripheral Open Spaces
including set- backs. Disaster Management & Fire Safety.
• Swachh Bharat Mission: Revised Norms for adequate toilet facilities
for women and Public Conveniences in Public Buildings and
Mandatory Provisions for Segregated toilet facilities for visitors in
Public Buildings.
• Rain Water Harvesting: Additional Chapter-9 Indicative Provisions
for harvesting in various types of buildings along with responsibility
of ULBs for RWH in public spaces, provisions for Enforcement and
Monitoring.

MBBL is to be referred by and useful to State Governments, Urban

Local Bodies, Development Authorities, State Town Planning
Departments and other Planning Agencies in various parts of the
country in revising their respective Building Bye Laws.
 MBBL - 2016
The 'Model Building Bye-Laws' contains 14 chapters:
[Link]
[Link] and applicability of the building bye-laws
[Link] code pertaining to residential and non-residential
premises
[Link] building requirements
[Link] of High rise Development
[Link] of Structural safety and services
[Link] requirements for occupancy/land development
[Link] for Differently abled, Elderly and Children
 MBBL - 2016

9. Rain Water Harvesting

10. Green Building and Sustainability Provisions
11. Fire protection and fire safety requirements
12. Conservation of heritage sites including heritage buildings,
heritage precincts and natural feature areas
13. Streamlining of Building Plan Approval
14. Climate resilient Construction: Integration of environmental
Clearances with Sanction
MBBL- Chapter 1:
Definitions

MBBL- Chapter 2
Jurisdiction and
applicability of the building
bye-laws

MBBL- Chapter 3
Development code
pertaining to residential and
non-residential premises
MBBL- Chapter-4
General building
requirements

This chapter deals with space

requirements of various parts of the
building.
This depends on occupancy load and
purpose of the building.

For example the plinth or any part of

a building or outhouse, has to located
with respect to average road level in
a manner to provide adequate
drainage of the site but not at a
height less than 45 cm.

Affiliated to GGSIPU and approved by COA & AICTE

MBBL- Chapter-5
High Rise Development

MBBL- Chapter-6
Structural Safety

MBBL- Chapter-7
Special requirements for
occupancy, land
development
MBBL- Chapter-8
Universally accessible Design

MBBL- Chapter-9
Rain Water Harvesting

MBBL- Chapter-10
Green Building

Affiliated to GGSIPU and approved by COA & AICTE

MBBL- Chapter-11
Fire Safety and Protection

Affiliated to GGSIPU and approved by COA & AICTE

MBBL- Chapter-12
Fire Safety and Protection

Affiliated to GGSIPU and approved by COA & AICTE

 KEY PARAMETERS
of Development controls / Building Bylaws –
• Ground Coverage
• FAR / FSI
• Setbacks
• Building Height.
• Parking Standards
Terminoloy
Terminoloy
GROUP ASSIGNMENT
Study Change in DC (GC , FAR , Setbacks & Parking
Standards)MPD- 1962, 2001 , 2021 and 2041(draft) with the help
of Case Study showing Transition in Built up.
Marks :50
Format : PPT/ Video
Class Work
DEFINITIONS

1. Floor Area Ratio and its types with sketches

2. Setback and Its Importance with sketches
3. Building Line
4. Means of Access
5. Carpet Area, Built up Area, Super Built up area
6. Building Height
7. Building Line
8. Building Envelope
 Reading References
• Model Building Bye Laws: 2016 (TCPO, Ministry of Urban
Development)