About Services

Building rules under a Municipal Act are framed to regulate building activities in the municipal areas after the enactment of the West Bengal Municipalities Act, 1993 a building rule namely The West Bengal Municipal (Building) Rules 1999 was framed under the Act. Later it was amended and accordingly the West Bengal Municipal (Building) Rules, 2007 have been made.

Activities and Rules & Regulations

Our Public Works Department (Construction & Maintenance) is responsible to execute most of the development-related works like the construction of roads, bridges, culverts, buildings, etc. under the municipal area.

Salient features of this rule are as follows:

1. A simplified definition of technical terms.
2. Provision to restrict the length of any building, alongside a river or a waterfront, to a maximum of 20 meters, and to keep a minimum distance of 15 to 30 meters between such buildings in such areas.
3. Provision for submission of Structural Design or Soil Stability Report/ recommendations, if necessary, issued by L.B.S., Structural Engineer, Geo-technical Engineer.
4. Mandatory involvement of LBS, Structural Engineer, Geo-technical Engineer for supervision of every construction work and the duties of such engineers.
5. The permissible side open space:-
6. Determination of the fees for sanction of building plans. 
7. Powers of the Municipality to impose Stacking Fee for depositing any building material in any public place, and the minimum and maximum rate of such fee shall be 10% and 50% of the sanction fee of the concerned building respectively, per month.
8. Provision of submission of Structural Safety, Fire Safety, and Electrical Installation Certificates, issued by the Competent Authority, to the Municipality along with the application for Completion Certificate.
9. Provision for keeping a safe distance from electric lines.
10. The permissible rear open space:-
11. Provision for clear means of access, with a definite width, for all buildings.
12. Fixing maximum permissible ground coverage for residential and educational buildings from 65% to 50% on the basis of the size of the plot and for other uses 40%. For plots measuring 5000 sq. meters or more additional ground coverage of 15% is allowed for car parking, ramps, staircase, and lift for upper-level car parking, and 5% out of said 15% shall be used for building services such as Air Conditioning Plant Room, Generator Room, Fire Fighting Equipments, Electrical Equipments, etc.
13. The maximum permissible height of a building has been fixed to 8 meters to 36 meters on the basis of the width of means of access varying from 2.4 meters to 24 meters step by step, and for the land having a means of access of more than 24 meters the maximum permissible height of the building is fixed to 1.5 X (width of means of access + required width of front open space). For calculating the height of a building the height of stair cover with a height up to 2.5 meters, lift machine room, roof tank, chimney, parapet wall upto a height of 1.5 meters, ventilating or air-conditioning or any other service equipment, toilet at roof level, garden cover with permeable material, and communication equipment shall be excluded.
14. Front, rear, and side open spaces have been fixed on the basis of the height of buildings in the following range:
    The permissible rear open space:-
    1. for residential buildings within a range from 1.2 meters to 12 meters,
    2. for educational buildings within a range from 2 meters to 20% of the building or 6 meters whichever is more,
    3. for institutional, assembly, business, mercantile, and mixed-use buildings within a range from 2 meters to 8 meters,
    4. for industrial and storage buildings within a range from 5 meters to 6 meters or 20% of the height of the building whichever is more.
    5. for residential buildings within a range from 1.2 meters to 15% of the height of the building on sides 1 and side 2,
    6. for educational buildings within a range from 1.8 meters to 20% of the height of the building or 5.0 meters whichever is more on side 1, and from 4.0 meters to 20% of the height of the building or 5.0 meters whichever is more on side 2,
    7. for institutional, assembly, business, mercantile, and mixed-use buildings within a range from 1.8 meters to 9.0 meters whichever is more on side 1, and from 4.0 meters to 9.0 meters whichever is more on side 2,
    8. for industrial and storage buildings within a range from 4 meters to 6 meters or 20% of the height of the building whichever is more on side 1 and side 2.
    9. for residential buildings within a range from 2.0 meters to 14 meters,
    10. for educational buildings within a range from 3.5 meters to 20% of the building or 8 meters whichever is more,
    11. for institutional, assembly, business, mercantile, and mixed-use buildings within a range from 4 meters to 10 meters,
    12. for industrial and storage buildings within a range from 4.5 meters to 6 meters or 20% of the height of the building whichever is more.
15. The following structures are allowed in the mandatory open space, subject to the creation of no obstruction to any movement of a vehicle or fire tender, -
    1. cornice, chajja, weather sheds;
    2. outdoor type transformer;
    3. underground water reservoir, septic tank, and ramp up to 60 cm above the ground level;
    4. features related to facade treatment such as flower boxes, arches, etc.;
    5. ducts for encasing pipelines, all structures related to enhancing the esthetic quality of the house (not more than 50 cm in height);
    6. sewer and its appurtenances;
16. The number of car parking spaces has been determined on the basis of floor area. The size of street car parking has been fixed to a minimum of 12.5 sq.m. for motor cars and 37.5 sq. m. for trucks and buses.
17. A separate provision has been made for buildings with a height of above 14.5 meters (Tall Buildings). For sanction of such buildings, the applicant has to submit Structural Safety Certificate issued by the competent engineer. The Municipality shall issue a building permit for such buildings only after obtaining approval from the concerned Superintending Engineer of the Municipal Engineering Directorate. For these buildings FAR has been fixed within a range from 2.25 to 3.00 on the basis of the means of access. The car parking, stair cover, lift machine room, roof tank, service equipment, service floor, and permeable garden cover shall not be taken into account while calculating the FAR.
18. In case the addition/ alteration of old buildings, constructed prior to the enforcement of any building rules without keeping the mandatory open space, such open space shall be provided by setting back the construction of any story beyond 8 meters in height.
19. The requirement for different parts of the building has been clearly delineated.
20. Mandatory provision has been made for providing exit requirements, fire protection, and installation of service equipment as per the guidelines of the National Building Code, and the National Electrical Code. In the case of all buildings having a height of more than 14.5 meters clearance of the Director of Fire Services has been made mandatory.

Mandatory provision for use of Solar Energy has to be made in the case of buildings with a height above14.5 meters. If in the other building provision for solar energy is made an incentive to the tune of 10% of the building sanction fee shall be allowed.

Departmental Staff