Narrow and deep plots may trade side setbacks for front and rear
verbatim
For narrow plots of not more than 400 m² where the length is four times the width, the side setbacks may be compensated in the front and rear setbacks, so long as the overall aggregate setback for the site is maintained. A minimum side setback of 1 m still applies for buildings up to 10 m in height and 2 m for buildings up to 12 m, and the permissible plinth area may not be exceeded.
Bihar Building Bye-Laws 2014, rule 37(7)
· Plots up to 400 m²
The master plan may move the building line
verbatim
The master plan, development plan or zonal plan may specify a building line for various areas. Setbacks change accordingly — but never below the minimum required by these bye-laws.
Bihar Building Bye-Laws 2014, rule 37(8)
Depth sets the front and rear, width sets the sides
verbatim
Bihar splits the plot's two dimensions between different sides of the building. Table 8 takes the average DEPTH of the plot and gives the minimum front and rear setbacks; Table 9 takes the average WIDTH and gives the two side setbacks. Each is then crossed with the height you want — G+2 up to 10 m, G+3 up to 12 m, or G+4 up to 15 m — and the taller regimes are simply unavailable on small plots.
Bihar Building Bye-Laws 2014, rule 35(1), Tables 8 and 9
Front and rear — plot depth up to 10 m
verbatim
Front 1.5 m and rear 0.90 m, and only at G+2. No construction is permitted at G+3 or G+4 on a plot this shallow, whatever else is satisfied.
Bihar Building Bye-Laws 2014, Table 8, Sr. 1
| Front setback (m) |
1.5 |
| Rear setback (m) |
0.9 |
| Height limit (m) |
10 |
| Storeys (max) |
3 |
Front and rear — plot depth 10 to 15 m
verbatim
At G+2: front 1.5 m, rear 1.2 m. At G+3: front 2.5 m, rear 1.8 m. G+4 is not permitted at this depth.
Bihar Building Bye-Laws 2014, Table 8, Sr. 2
| Front setback (m) |
1.5 |
| Rear setback (m) |
1.2 |
| Height limit (m) |
10 |
| Storeys (max) |
3 |
Front and rear — plot depth 15 to 21 m
verbatim
At G+2: front 1.8 m, rear 1.5 m. At G+3: front 3.6 m, rear 2.0 m. At G+4: front 4.0 m, rear 3.0 m. The first depth at which all three height regimes are available.
Bihar Building Bye-Laws 2014, Table 8, Sr. 3
| Front setback (m) |
1.8 |
| Rear setback (m) |
1.5 |
| Height limit (m) |
10 |
| Storeys (max) |
3 |
Front and rear — plot depth 21 to 27 m
verbatim
At G+2: front 2.5 m, rear 1.8 m. At G+3: front 4.0 m, rear 2.5 m. At G+4: front 4.5 m, rear 3.6 m.
Bihar Building Bye-Laws 2014, Table 8, Sr. 4
| Front setback (m) |
2.5 |
| Rear setback (m) |
1.8 |
| Height limit (m) |
10 |
| Storeys (max) |
3 |
Front and rear — plot depth 27 to 33 m
verbatim
At G+2: front 3.0 m, rear 2.5 m. At G+3: front 4.0 m, rear 3.0 m. At G+4: front 5.0 m, rear 4.0 m.
Bihar Building Bye-Laws 2014, Table 8, Sr. 5
| Front setback (m) |
3 |
| Rear setback (m) |
2.5 |
| Height limit (m) |
10 |
| Storeys (max) |
3 |
Front and rear — plot depth 33 to 39 m
verbatim
At G+2: front 3.0 m, rear 3.0 m. At G+3: front 4.5 m, rear 4.0 m. At G+4: front 5.5 m, rear 4.0 m.
Bihar Building Bye-Laws 2014, Table 8, Sr. 6
| Front setback (m) |
3 |
| Rear setback (m) |
3 |
| Height limit (m) |
10 |
| Storeys (max) |
3 |
Front and rear — plot depth 39 to 45 m
verbatim
At G+2: front 4.0 m, rear 4.0 m. At G+3: front 5.0 m, rear 4.0 m. At G+4: front 6.0 m, rear 4.0 m.
Bihar Building Bye-Laws 2014, Table 8, Sr. 7
| Front setback (m) |
4 |
| Rear setback (m) |
4 |
| Height limit (m) |
10 |
| Storeys (max) |
3 |
Front and rear — plot depth above 45 m
verbatim
At G+2: front 4.0 m, rear 4.0 m. At G+3: front 6.0 m, rear 4.0 m. At G+4: front 6.0 m, rear 4.5 m. Note that the G+2 figures stop rising at 39 m of depth — beyond that only the taller regimes take more.
Bihar Building Bye-Laws 2014, Table 8, Sr. 8
| Front setback (m) |
4 |
| Rear setback (m) |
4 |
| Height limit (m) |
10 |
| Storeys (max) |
3 |
Sides — plot width up to 10 m
verbatim
NIL on both sides at G+2 — a plot this narrow may build to both side boundaries. G+3 and G+4 are not permitted at all at this width.
Bihar Building Bye-Laws 2014, Table 9, Sr. 1
| Side setback 1 (m) |
0 |
| Side setback 2 (m) |
0 |
| Height limit (m) |
10 |
| Storeys (max) |
3 |
Sides — plot width 10 to 15 m
verbatim
At G+2: 0.75 m on both sides. At G+3: 1.5 m on both sides. G+4 is not permitted at this width.
Bihar Building Bye-Laws 2014, Table 9, Sr. 2
| Side setback 1 (m) |
0.75 |
| Side setback 2 (m) |
0.75 |
| Height limit (m) |
10 |
| Storeys (max) |
3 |
Sides — plot width 15 to 21 m
verbatim
At G+2: 1.0 m on both sides. At G+3: 1.5 m on both sides. At G+4: 2.0 m on both sides. The first width at which all three height regimes become available.
Bihar Building Bye-Laws 2014, Table 9, Sr. 3
| Side setback 1 (m) |
1 |
| Side setback 2 (m) |
1 |
| Height limit (m) |
10 |
| Storeys (max) |
3 |
Sides — plot width 21 to 27 m
verbatim
At G+2: 1.5 m both sides. At G+3: 2.0 m. At G+4: 2.5 m.
Bihar Building Bye-Laws 2014, Table 9, Sr. 4
| Side setback 1 (m) |
1.5 |
| Side setback 2 (m) |
1.5 |
| Height limit (m) |
10 |
| Storeys (max) |
3 |
Sides — plot width 27 to 33 m
verbatim
At G+2: 1.5 m both sides. At G+3: 2.5 m. At G+4: 3.0 m.
Bihar Building Bye-Laws 2014, Table 9, Sr. 5
| Side setback 1 (m) |
1.5 |
| Side setback 2 (m) |
1.5 |
| Height limit (m) |
10 |
| Storeys (max) |
3 |
Sides — plot width 33 to 39 m
verbatim
At G+2: 2.0 m both sides. At G+3: 3.0 m. At G+4: 3.66 m — the bye-laws carry imperial conversions through, 3.66 m being twelve feet.
Bihar Building Bye-Laws 2014, Table 9, Sr. 6
| Side setback 1 (m) |
2 |
| Side setback 2 (m) |
2 |
| Height limit (m) |
10 |
| Storeys (max) |
3 |
Sides — plot width 39 to 45 m
verbatim
At G+2: 3.0 m both sides. At G+3: 3.66 m. At G+4: 4.00 m.
Bihar Building Bye-Laws 2014, Table 9, Sr. 7
| Side setback 1 (m) |
3 |
| Side setback 2 (m) |
3 |
| Height limit (m) |
10 |
| Storeys (max) |
3 |
Sides — plot width above 45 m
verbatim
At G+2: 3.66 m both sides. At G+3 and G+4 alike: 4.00 m. The side setbacks stop rising at 4 m however wide the plot becomes, which is where Bihar differs from the states that keep scaling — beyond 45 m of width the extra land is yours to build on, not to leave open.
Bihar Building Bye-Laws 2014, Table 9, Sr. 8
| Side setback 1 (m) |
3.66 |
| Side setback 2 (m) |
3.66 |
| Height limit (m) |
10 |
| Storeys (max) |
3 |
Commercial front and rear — plot depth up to 10 m
verbatim
Front 4.5 m and rear 2.0 m, with the building height restricted to 10 m at this depth. Compare the residential figures for the same depth — 1.5 m and 0.90 m: a shop on a shallow plot gives up three times the frontage a house does.
Bihar Building Bye-Laws 2014, Table 10, Sr. 1
· Commercial
| Front setback (m) |
4.5 |
| Rear setback (m) |
2 |
| Height limit (m) |
10 |
Commercial front and rear — plot depth 10 to 15 m
verbatim
Front 4.5 m, rear 3.0 m. Table 10 governs commercial and mercantile buildings up to 15 m in height throughout.
Bihar Building Bye-Laws 2014, Table 10, Sr. 2
· Commercial
| Front setback (m) |
4.5 |
| Rear setback (m) |
3 |
| Height limit (m) |
15 |
Commercial front and rear — plot depth 15 to 21 m
verbatim
Front 5.5 m, rear 4.0 m.
Bihar Building Bye-Laws 2014, Table 10, Sr. 3
· Commercial
| Front setback (m) |
5.5 |
| Rear setback (m) |
4 |
| Height limit (m) |
15 |
Commercial front and rear — plot depth 21 to 27 m
verbatim
Front 6.0 m, rear 4.0 m.
Bihar Building Bye-Laws 2014, Table 10, Sr. 4
· Commercial
| Front setback (m) |
6 |
| Rear setback (m) |
4 |
| Height limit (m) |
15 |
Commercial front and rear — plot depth 27 to 33 m
verbatim
Front 6.5 m, rear 4.0 m.
Bihar Building Bye-Laws 2014, Table 10, Sr. 5
· Commercial
| Front setback (m) |
6.5 |
| Rear setback (m) |
4 |
| Height limit (m) |
15 |
Commercial front and rear — plot depth 33 to 39 m
verbatim
Front 7.0 m, rear 4.5 m.
Bihar Building Bye-Laws 2014, Table 10, Sr. 6
· Commercial
| Front setback (m) |
7 |
| Rear setback (m) |
4.5 |
| Height limit (m) |
15 |
Commercial front and rear — plot depth 39 to 45 m
verbatim
Front 7.5 m, rear 4.5 m.
Bihar Building Bye-Laws 2014, Table 10, Sr. 7
· Commercial
| Front setback (m) |
7.5 |
| Rear setback (m) |
4.5 |
| Height limit (m) |
15 |
Commercial front and rear — plot depth above 45 m
verbatim
Front 8.0 m, rear 4.5 m. The front setback doubles across the table while the rear rises by only 2.5 m — Bihar takes its commercial open space at the street, not behind the building.
Bihar Building Bye-Laws 2014, Table 10, Sr. 8
· Commercial
| Front setback (m) |
8 |
| Rear setback (m) |
4.5 |
| Height limit (m) |
15 |
Commercial side setbacks — Table 11 still to be located
verbatim
Table 11 sets the side setbacks for commercial and mercantile buildings, keyed on average plot width for buildings up to 15 m, with separate left and right figures. It is not transcribed here. Do not infer it from the residential side table: Bihar's commercial front setbacks run roughly three times the residential ones at the same plot depth, so the sides are unlikely to match either.
Bihar Building Bye-Laws 2014, Table 11
· Commercial
High rise buildings have their own open spaces
verbatim
For high-rise and multi-storeyed buildings the open spaces around the building are given by Table 14, keyed on the height of the building and applying on all sides — a different schedule again from the residential and commercial tables. In no case may the setbacks be less than those specified elsewhere in the bye-laws. Table 14 is not transcribed here.
Bihar Building Bye-Laws 2014, rule 36(1)-(2), Table 14
Plots above 300 m² need a green strip inside the setback
verbatim
For plots above 300 m², a minimum 1 m wide continuous green planting strip must be developed and maintained on the periphery sides, within the side or rear setback.
Bihar Building Bye-Laws 2014, rule 37(6)
· Plots over 300 m²
No high rise on a plot under 800 m²
verbatim
No high rise building — meaning a height of 15 m and above — is allowed on a plot of less than 800 m², whatever the setbacks would otherwise permit. The minimum plot size requirement may itself be relaxed by 5% when the plan is sanctioned.
Bihar Building Bye-Laws 2014, rule 34(2) and 34(1)(ii)
· Plots over 800 m²
| Plot area from (m²) |
800 |
| Height limit (m) |
15 |
