MPD-2047 building rules: FAR, height, setbacks and parking

How MPD-2047 building rules work

MPD-2047's building rules sit in its Development Code (Chapter 5) and its Development Control Norms (Chapters 7 to 13). Together they say what may be built on a plot, how much of it, how high and how far back from the boundary. This page brings the numbers people ask about most into one place. Every figure comes from the notified gazette (S.O. 4597(E), 20 August 2026), and each section names the table or clause it is taken from.

The Code works in two steps. First, every part of Delhi sits in a use zone (residential, commercial, industrial, recreational and so on; Table 5.1). Second, a layout plan divides each zone into use premises, such as a plotted house, a local shopping centre or a warehouse. The norms on this page apply to the use premise your plot is designated as, not to the zone in general.

Two exceptions matter. Land inside a policy area (Land Pooling, Transit Oriented Development, High Density Corridor or Low Density Area) follows that policy's own norms, and the Plan says the underlying land use "shall stand superseded" there (clause 5.1.3(ii)). And building-level detail (staircases, ventilation, fire safety and much of the setback and parking design) is left to the Unified Building Bye-Laws for Delhi (UBBL). The Code itself says all buildings shall adhere to both (clause 5.1.6(xiii)).

Four terms used throughout

• FAR (floor area ratio): total built floor area as a percentage of plot area. FAR 200 on a 500 sqm plot allows 1,000 sqm of floor space across all floors.
• Ground coverage: the share of the plot the building may cover at ground level.
• ROW (right of way): the full width of the road the plot faces, boundary to boundary. Many rules depend on it.
• ECS (equivalent car space): the unit for parking. One ECS is one car or its equivalent in two-wheelers, cycles or larger vehicles.

Plotted houses: FAR, height and dwelling units

Table 7.2 sets the limits for plotted housing by plot size:

• Height: 15 m (ground plus three habitable floors) without stilt parking, or 17.5 m (stilt plus four habitable floors) with it. A stilt used for parking is excluded from FAR but counts towards height.
• Stilts are mandatory on plots above 100 sqm and up to 750 sqm. Larger plots may park in the setback or the stilt.
• Minimum plot size for development is 32 sqm, and sub-division is not permitted. Two plots may be amalgamated only up to 64 sqm in total, with the layout plan amended to match.
• A larger plot can never get less coverage or floor area than the largest plot in the category below it.
• A servant quarter is one room of at least 11 sqm and at most 25 sqm. Anything larger counts as a separate dwelling unit.

Setbacks for plotted houses (Table 7.3)

If these setbacks prevent a plot from reaching its permitted ground coverage, the setbacks of the category below may be allowed.

Group housing, studio apartments and hostels

Table 7.4 gives group housing, Affordable Rental Housing Complexes (ARHC), studio apartments, state guest houses and hostels a common base: 40% ground coverage, FAR 200 and no fixed height limit, subject to statutory clearances. ARHC gets FAR 300.

Group housing and studio projects also get community floor space free of FAR: 400 sqm or 5% of permissible FAR, whichever is higher, for a club, crèche, gym, library and similar uses.

Shops, offices and hotels

Chapter 8 sets norms by the size of the commercial centre (Tables 8.2 to 8.4):

• Height is not fixed for these centres. It is subject to clearance from statutory bodies.
• Commercial centres larger than 2 ha may use up to 40% of their commercial FAR for group housing.
• Older Non-Hierarchical Commercial Centres (except Asaf Ali Road) are re-designated as Community Centres and follow their norms.
• Shop and shop-cum-residence plots may carry on activities permitted in an LSC. Their FAR is that of a residential plot of the same size, or the lease terms if higher (clause 8.1.3).

Hotels (Tables 8.11 to 8.14)

A hotel may use up to 40% of its FAR for offices, retail and related activities. For a budget hotel or service apartment the limit is 20%.

Data centres (clause 13.2)

Data centres are permitted in industrial, commercial and PSP use zones on plots of at least 1,000 sqm facing a road of at least 18 m. They get FAR 400 and 70% ground coverage, with no height limit beyond statutory clearances.

Warehouses, godowns and industry

Table 8.9 sets the norms for warehousing and wholesale. Ground coverage is 70% throughout and there is no fixed height limit:

• Warehouse plots in a freight complex may use 25% of FAR for offices and retail. Plots of 1 ha and above with direct access from a 30 m road may use 50% for offices or big-box retail.
• Plots up to 2,000 sqm need a front setback of at least 3 m with retractable gates and no permanent boundary wall, so that loading happens inside the plot.

Industrial plots (Table 9.2)

Every plotted industrial unit gets FAR 200 with no fixed height limit. Ground coverage falls as plots get bigger: 100% up to 50 sqm, 70% up to 400 sqm, 50% up to 2,000 sqm and 40% above that. The minimum road width rises from 9 m for the smallest plots to 30 m for plots above 2 ha. Industrial plots may use:

• up to 10% of FAR for co-working spaces, without use conversion;
• up to 25% for incidental storage;
• 5% or 500 sqm, whichever is less, for an office, sales outlet or canteen;
• an extra 15% FAR for rental worker housing on plots of 5,000 sqm and above.

Use conversion: industrial plots of at least 2,000 sqm on a 24 m road may convert to commercial or PSP use (capped at FAR 200). Plots of 3,000 sqm or more on a 24 m road may convert to group housing, subject to conversion charges (clause 9.1.3).

Fuel stations

Clause 11.1.1(x) and Table 11.1 set the fuel station rules:

Fuel stations may be permitted in every use zone except recreational (Regional Park, District Park and similar) and Zone O. They may sit on Master Plan, Zonal Plan, PWD, MCD or revenue roads. EV charging and other green-fuel infrastructure may be added, standalone or within an existing station. When layout plans are drawn up, the Plan asks for two fuel stations per 150 ha of residential area and two per 40 ha of industrial area (Table 11.3).

Parking norms

Parking must be met fully within the plot, and floors used for parking are free from FAR (clause 11.1.2). The main requirements from Table 11.7:

• Metro discount: parking falls by 30% within 500 m of a metro station and by 15% between 500 m and 800 m, for the uses where Table 11.7 allows it. It does not apply to plotted houses or LSCs.
• Space per ECS (Table 11.5): 23 sqm open, 28 sqm covered at ground level, 32 sqm in a basement, 30 sqm in a ramped multi-level, 16 sqm in an automated multi-level.
• Existing buildings on plots above 2,000 sqm get 5% extra ground coverage for automated multi-level parking. This excludes plotted residential and recreational premises.

Setbacks and basements for other buildings

For everything other than plotted housing, Table 13.1 sets the minimum setbacks:

Basements are permitted in all use premises (clause 13.1.3). They are free from FAR when used for parking, services, utilities or incidental storage. They count towards FAR when used for the premise's own activity, including mixed use in a residential building. A FAR-free basement may extend up to the setback line, but only as far as needed for parking and services.

Shops and offices in residential areas (mixed use)

Clause 13.4 controls non-residential activity in homes. The main points:

• No new mixed-use or commercial streets will be notified during the Plan period. The 2,183 mixed-use streets and 355 commercial streets already notified by GNCTD continue.
• New: 30 m roads. Residential plots on roads of 30 m ROW or more, in every colony category, may now run commercial activity on the ground floor (or the lowest floor above a stilt) on payment of charges, even if the road is not notified. Hazardous, inflammable and polluting activities are excluded.
• Professional activity (doctors, lawyers, architects, chartered accountants and other registered professionals) is allowed in homes on less than 50% of the permissible floor area.
• On a notified mixed-use street, only the ground floor may be used. On a notified commercial street, 100% of the FAR may be commercial.
• The clause does not apply in Lutyens' and Civil Lines bungalow zones, government housing or listed heritage buildings.

Rules in the policy areas

Much of the land along Delhi's edges is not governed by the tables above. It falls under a spatial policy with its own norms. In brief:

Not sure which applies to your land? Search your khasra on the MPD-2047 khasra map. It shows the zone and whether the plot falls in a land pooling or low density area.

What the Master Plan does not tell you

• The width of a particular road. Many rules turn on ROW, but the Master Plan does not list road widths street by street. They come from the Zonal Development Plans, approved layout plans and the road authority (PWD, MCD or NHAI). Under MPD-2047 the Zonal Development Plans are to be updated within two years of notification.
• Building-level design. Staircases, ventilation, fire safety, lifts and most construction detail are in the Unified Building Bye-Laws and fire regulations, not the Master Plan.
• Charges. Additional FAR charges, use conversion charges and betterment levies are "as notified by the Central Government from time to time". The Plan sets no rates.
• Regulations still to come. Land Pooling, TDR and several other provisions depend on regulations DDA is yet to notify. Treat those parts of the Plan as a framework, not final rules.

Frequently asked questions