Updated 26 October 2026. Most pages ranking for this search still describe the January 2026 small-plot amendment or the June draft. We read NammaWard's summary of the final gazette text and explain each change in terms of what a buyer should see in a project's approved plan. NammaWard notes its copy was machine-extracted; we could not read the gazette ourselves, so confirm any clause that matters to your purchase with the approving authority.

What is a high-rise building in Bengaluru now?

A building of 21 metres or more, measured from the average ground level next to it (NammaWard). A clause on projections was changed from 15 m to 21 m to match, which indicates the earlier line sat at 15 m (our reading). At roughly 3 metres per floor, 21 m is about seven floors including the ground floor (our arithmetic).

Why it matters: high-rise status brings stricter fire and structural requirements. A mid-rise project of five or six floors that was a high-rise under the old line may no longer be one. That is not a safety downgrade by itself, but ask which fire norms the project was approved under and whether it holds a fire NOC.

  • Fire-engine driveway: at least 6 m wide for buildings of 15 m and above, and 8 m for 30 m and above (NammaWard).
  • No utility may block the fire driveway, access, light or ventilation (NammaWard).

Parking: car lifts and mechanised parking

Worked example (our arithmetic): a project with 350 car spaces needs two lifts plus two more for the 150 spaces beyond 200, so four car lifts, alongside the ramp if the plot is above 6,000 sq m.

Buyer check: in a smaller project with no ramp, your car space may be in a mechanised stack. Ask for the parking type in writing, who maintains the system, the annual maintenance cost and what happens during a power cut.

  • Plots up to 6,000 sq m: basement or upper-level parking, including on the terrace, may use lift, computerised, mechanised or hydraulic systems, but only if the owner opts for it and no ramp is provided (NammaWard).
  • Plots above 6,000 sq m: at least one clear ramp 6 m wide plus a car lift (NammaWard).
  • Car lifts: two where parking is more than 100 and fewer than 200 vehicles, and one more for every additional 100 or part beyond 200 (NammaWard).

Balconies, ducts and FAR

For a buyer the duct rule matters on small plots, where builders sometimes keep large shafts outside FAR. Ask whether the plan was approved before or after 17 October 2026, because the approval date decides which version applied.

  • Balcony length is capped at half the building's length on each side (NammaWard).
  • On plots up to 500 sq m, ducts, shafts, voids, cut-outs and open-to-sky areas beyond 5% of built-up area now count towards FAR (NammaWard).
  • The maximum height of the element covered by Regulation 3.4-A rises from 3.5 m to 4.5 m (NammaWard).

What is allowed in setbacks now?

Setbacks are now measured within the building site, after excluding land for roads, access, parks, civic amenities, surface parking and other public uses (NammaWard). Allowed in setback areas:

  • Transformer and DG or HSD yards; waste-management or organic waste converter areas; oxygen or gas plants (NammaWard).
  • A watchman's cubicle of up to 4 sq m at the entry or exit, and a fire-control room of up to 3 m by 3 m (NammaWard).
  • Underground sumps, below-ground STPs and swimming pools, but only if an area equal to the required setback is kept for the basement (NammaWard).

How this differs from the January 2026 setback amendment

The pages that rank first for this search mostly describe an earlier amendment, notified by the Urban Development Department on 5 January 2026, which set fixed setbacks for smaller plots (King Stubb & Kasiva, 17 February 2026). That amendment is separate from the October gazette, and its figures still matter for independent houses and small buildings:

  • Plots of 60 sq m: front setback 0.7 m, side setbacks 0.6 m each, no rear setback (King Stubb & Kasiva).
  • Plots up to 150 sq m: front setback 0.9 m, rear setback 0.7 m (King Stubb & Kasiva).
  • Height cap of 12 m for plots up to 250 sq m (King Stubb & Kasiva).
  • Plots above 250 sq m and up to 4,000 sq m: front setback 12% of site depth, rear 8% of depth, sides 8% of width each; above 4,000 sq m, at least 5 m on all sides (King Stubb & Kasiva).
  • Setback areas must stay free of hard paving so rainwater can soak in; basements are barred in flood-prone areas; hydraulic and lift-based stack parking is allowed (King Stubb & Kasiva).
  • Stilt floor: a separate amendment lets a ground-floor stilt used for parking stay out of the height count if it is no more than 3 m high, up from under 2.4 m earlier (Business Standard; the page shows a 2026 header but its URL points to August 2025).

Other changes in the same gazette

What the amendment does not do

It is a planning amendment. It does not regularise unauthorised structures, extra floors, setback violations or buildings put up without a sanctioned plan, and a khata alone does not legalise a site or building (NammaWard). For an apartment purchase, the core checks stay the same: sanctioned plan, commencement certificate, Karnataka RERA registration, fire NOC for a high-rise, and the occupancy certificate before possession.