Tamil Nadu Raises Permitted Height for Certain Non-High-Rise Buildings to 19.5 Metres

Tamil Nadu has amended selected provisions of its Combined Development and Building Rules, 2019, raising the permitted height for specified non-high-rise buildings from 18.3 metres to 19.5 metres. The changes also revise certain office-parking requirements and commercial land-use provisions, according to a report published by Hindustan Times on October 27.

The amendments are intended to provide greater design flexibility and improve land-use efficiency, while retaining other planning conditions such as road width, floor space index and setbacks.

Revised Height Limits and Accessibility Rules

The revised provisions cover specified categories of non-high-rise buildings and certain institutional and transport-related structures. The exact height allowed continues to depend on the applicable category and planning conditions.

The report also highlighted mandatory compliance with accessibility standards for people with disabilities, older residents and children before a completion certificate can be issued.

Changes to IT Office Parking

The amendments revise parking requirements for information technology offices, IT-enabled services and bioinformatics centres. The reported standard requires one car-parking space for every 75 square metres of floor area and one two-wheeler space for every 50 square metres.

The two-wheeler requirement has been reduced from one space per 25 square metres, potentially allowing developers to use commercial floor space more efficiently.

Commercial Use Along Eligible Roads

Under specified conditions, properties in designated residential zones that abut and have access from roads at least 12 metres wide may qualify for commercial zoning. The revised rules also allow certain additional development options in Chennai’s restricted aquifer-recharge area, while retaining applicable limits and conditions.

Market Perspective

Regulatory flexibility can improve project design and land-use efficiency, but it does not mean every site can be developed to the new maximum height or converted to commercial use. Road access, planning permissions, floor space index, setbacks and environmental restrictions remain important.

Developers and buyers should consult the applicable government rules and local planning authority before relying on the revised provisions for a particular property.