1) Advertising Sign- Any surface or structure with characters, letters or illustrations applied there to and displayed in any manner whatsoever out of door for the purpose of advertising or giving information regarding or to attract the public to any place, person, public performance, article, or merchandise and which surface or structure is attached to, from part of, or is connected with any building or is fixed to a tree or to the ground or to any pole screen, fence or hoarding or displayed in space, or in or over any water body included in the jurisdiction of the concerned Authority.
2) Alley - means a public thoroughfare which affords only a secondary means of access to abutting property and not intended for general traffic circulation.
3) Apartment - The building will be called apartment house when the building is arranged/intended/designed to be occupied by the families independent of each other and with independent cooking facility for the purpose of sale/lease/rent to person.
4) Access - A clear approach to a plot or a building.
5) Alteration - A change from one occupancy to another, or a structural change, such as an addition to the area or height, or the removal of part of a building, or any change to the structure, such as the construction of, cutting into or removal of any wall, partition, column, beam, joist, floor (including a mezzanine floor) or other support, or a change to or closing of any required means of ingress or egress or a change to the fixtures or equipment.
6) Approved - Approved by the Authority having jurisdiction.
7) Air-Conditioning – A process of treating air to control simultaneously its temperature, humidity, cleanliness, and distribution to meet the requirement of an enclosed space.
8) Authority Having Jurisdiction-The Authority which has been created by a statute and which for the purpose of administering the Byelaws/part may authorize committee or an official to act on its behalf; hereinafter called the 'Authority'.
9) Balcony -A horizontal projection, cantilevered or otherwise including a parapet handrail balustrade, to serve as a passage or sitting out place.
10) Basement or Cellar -The lower story of a building below, or partly below the ground level.
11) BPIA (Building Permit Issuing Authority)- The officer notified by the Urban Local Body or Urban Local Authority for issuing the Building Permits.
12) Building- Any structure for whatsoever purpose and of whatsoever materials constructed and every part thereof. Whether used as human habitation or not and includes foundation, plinth, walls, floors roofs, chimneys, plumbing and building services, fixed platforms, veranda, balcony, cornice or projection, part of a building or anything affixed thereto, or any wall enclosing or intended to enclose any land or space and signs and outdoor display structures. Tents, Shamianahs, tarpaulin shelters, etc., erected for temporary and ceremonial occasions with the permission of the Authority shall not be considered as building.
13) Building Line- The line up to which the plinth of building adjoining a street or an extension of a street or on a future street or a water channel may lawfully extend and includes the lines prescribed, if any, in any scheme and/or development plan.
The Build-to-Line shall be considered as the imaginary line formed after leaving the Front (Roadside Setback/setback) as governed by the road width.
Building line shall be measured from the centre of median or centre of carriageway for established roads and the centre of RoW for other roads.
14) Building Height- The vertical distance measured:
a. In the case of flat roofs from the average level surrounding ground and continuance to the highest point of the building.
b. In case of pitched roofs up to the point where the external surface of the outer wall intersects the finished surface of the sloping roof.
c. In the case of gables facing the road, the midpoint between the eaves level and the ridge. Architectural features serving no other function except that of decoration shall be excluded for the purpose of taking heights.
15) Building Envelope- The horizontal spatial limits up to which a building may be permitted to be constructed on a plot.
16) Building set back – means the distance by which any building or structure shall be separated from the corresponding boundary lines of the plot.
17) Built up Area- means area covered immediately above the plinth level and the external area of upper floor.
18) Canopy -shall mean a cantilevered projection from the face of the wall over an entry to the building at the lintel level provided that:
a. It shall not project beyond the plot line.
b. It shall not be lower than 2.3 metres or 7’-6” when measured from the ground.
c. There shall be no structure on it and the top shall remain open to sky.
19) Carpet Area- The covered area of the usable rooms at any floor level (excluding the area of the wall).
20) Chajja-A sloping or horizontal structural overhang provided over openings on external walls for protection from the weather.
21) Cabin- A non- residential enclosure constructed of non-load bearing partitions.
22) Chimney-A construction by means of which a flue is formed for the purpose of carrying products of combustion to the open air and includes a chimney stack and the flue pipe.
23) Ceiling height- means the vertical distance between the floor and the ceiling, where a finished ceiling is not provided, the underside of the joists or top of post plate in case of pitched roof shall determine the upper point of measurement.
24) Commercial Building- means a building used as shop, store, market, money transaction, sale and purchase of goods either wholesale or retail, storage, godown or any other activities carried in furtherance of trade and commerce.
25) Competent Authority: The Administrative Secretary- Housing and Urban Development Department shall be the Competent Authority.
26) Clinic- means a premise with facilities for treatment of outdoor patients by a doctor.
27) Courtyard- A space permanently open to sky, enclosed fully or partially by buildings and may be at ground level or any other level within or adjacent to a building.
28) Cornice- means a sloping or horizontal structural overhang usually provided over openings or external walls to provide protection from sun and rain.
29) Cluster- Plots or dwelling units or housing grouped around an open space ideally housing cluster should not be very large. In ground and one storeyed structure not more than 20 houses should be grouped in a cluster. Clusters with more dwelling units will create problems in identity, encroachments and of maintenance.
30) Covered Area- Ground area covered by the building immediately above the plinth level. The area covered by the following in the open spaces is excluded from covered area. Garden, rockery, well and well structures, plant nursery, water pool, swimming pool (if uncovered), platform round a tree, tank, fountain, bench, Chabutra with open top and unenclosed on sides by walls and the like; Drainage culvert conduit, catch-pit, gully pit, chamber, gutter and the like; Compound wall, gate, unstoreyed porch and portico, canopy, slide, swing, uncovered staircase, ramps areas covered by Chhajja and the like; and Watchmen's booth, pump house, garbage shaft, electric cabin or substations, and such other utility structures meant for the services of the building under consideration. Note- For the purpose of this Part, covered area equals the plot area minus the area due for open spaces.
31) 'Cul-de-Sac’ Cluster- Plots/dwelling units when located along a pedestrianized or vehicular 'culde-sac’ road.
32) Day/s– Working day of the BPIA.
33) Density- The residential density expressed in terms of the number of dwelling units per hectare.
Note - Where such densities are expressed exclusive of community facilities and provision of open spaces and major roads (excluding incidental open spaces), these will be net residential densities. Where these densities are expressed taking into consideration the required open space provision and community facilities and major roads. These would be gross residential densities at neighbourhood level. Sector level or town level, as the case may be. The provision of open spaces and community facilities will depend on the size of the residential community. Incidental open spaces are mainly open spaces required to be left around and in between two buildings to provide lighting and ventilation.
34) Designated Persons- The person notified by the Urban Local body or Urban Local authority for the receipt of documentations and clearances on behalf of ULB/ULA. 35) Detached Building- A building detached on all sides.
36) Development- ‘Development’ with grammatical variations means the carrying out of building, engineering, mining or other operations, in, or over, or under land or water, on the making of any material change, in any building or land, or in the use of any building, land, and includes redevelopment and layout and subdivision of any land; and to develop' shall be construed accordingly.
37) Drain- A conduit, channel or pipe for the carriage of storm water, sewage, wastewater or other water borne wastes in a building drainage system.
38) Drainage- The removal of any liquid by a system constructed for the purpose.
39) Dwelling– is a building designed or used to be used for residential purposes. Dwelling shall not include boarding or rooming houses, tents, tourist camps, hotels, guesthouses, or other structure used for transit residents like pilgrims, tourists, specialized terms etc.
40) Dwelling Unit/Tenement- An independent housing unit with separate facilities for living, cooking and sanitary requirements.
41) Escalator- A power driven, inclined, continuous moving stairway used for raising or lowering passengers.
42) Exit- A passage, channel or means of egress from any building, storey or floor area to a street or other open space of safety.
43) Enclosed Staircase-means a staircase separated by fire resistant walls and doors from the rest of the building.
44) Erection- Means to construct for the first time or to construct existing building after demolition or to add another storey over the existing one according to some pre or revised plans.
45) Fire and /or Emergency alarm System- means an arrangement of call points or detectors, sounders and other equipment for the transmission and indication of alarm signals working automatically or manually in the event of fire.
46) Fire Pump- means a machine, driven by external power for transmission energy to fluids by coupling the pump to a suitable engine or motor, which may have varying outputs/ capacity but shall be capable of having a pressure of 3.2 Kg/cm2 at the topmost level of multi-story or high rise building.
47) Fire Service Inlet- means a connection provided at the base of a building for pumping up the water through in-built fire-fighting arrangements by fire service pumps in accordance, with the recommendation of the Chief Fire Officer.
48) Filling station- means an area of land including any structures thereon that is or are used or designed to be used for the supply of gasoline or oil or fuel for the propulsion of vehicles. For the purpose of these building regulations these shall be deemed to be included within this term, any area or structure used designed to be used for polishing, greasing, and washing, spraying or otherwise cleaning or servicing such motor vehicles.
49) Fire Hazard Industries-
i) “Low Fire Hazard Industries” include engineering industries using/ processing or assembling non-combustible materials i.e. lathe machines, steel works, steel components etc.
ii) “Moderate Fire Hazard Industries” industries include using/processing or assembling combustible materials but not flammable liquid etc., i.e. plastic industries, rubber and PVS industries, textile paper, furniture flour mills etc. iii) “High Fire Hazard Industries” includes industries using/ processing flammable liquids, gases, chemicals petroleum products, plastic or thermo setting group etc.
50) Floor- The lower surface in a storey on which one normally walks in a building. The general term
‘floor' unless specifically mentioned otherwise shallot refer to a ‘mezzanine floor’.
51) Floor Area Ratio (FAR) – The quotient of the ratio of the combined covered area of all floors, excepting areas specifically exempted under these regulations, to the total area of plot viz:
Floor Area Ratio (FAR) = 𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝐶𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝐴𝑟𝑒𝑎 𝑜𝑛 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝐹𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑟 𝑋 100
𝑃𝑙𝑜𝑡𝐴𝑟𝑒𝑎
52) Foundation- This part of the structure, which is in direct contact with ground and transmits load over it.
53) Gallery– An immediate floor or platform projecting from a wall or an auditorium or a hall providing etc. floor area and additional seating accommodation and includes the structures provided for seating in stadia.
54) Govt. Approved Colony- A colony planned and developed by developers and approved by urban local bodies, development authorities housing board or other Govt. agencies.
55) Govt. Colony- A colony planned and developed by urban local bodies, development authorities, housing board or other Govt. agencies.
56) Group Housing- Housing for more than one dwelling unit, where land is owned jointly (as in the case of cooperative societies or the public agencies, such as local authorities or housing boards, etc.) and the construction is undertaken by one Agency.
57) Guest House- A guest house shall have separate sleeping accommodation on transient or permanent basis with or without dining facilities for not more than 24 persons at a time.
58) Habitable Room- A room occupied or designed for occupancy by one or more persons for study, living, sleeping, eating, and kitchen if it is used as a living room, but not including bathrooms, water-closet compartments, laundries, serving and store pantries, corridors, cellars, attics, and spaces that are not used frequently or during extended periods.
59) Hazardous Buildings -
(a) Storage, handling, manufacture of processing of radioactive substances or highly combustible or explosive materials or of products which are liable to burn with extreme rapidity and/or producing poisonous fumes or explosive emanations.
(b) Storage, handling, manufacture, or processing of which involves highly corrosive, toxic or noxious alkalis, acids, or other liquids, gases or chemicals producing flame, fumes and explosive mixtures etc. or which result in division of matter into fine particles capable of spontaneous ignition.
60) Heritage Building- means any building of one or more premises or any part there of which requires preservation, restoration, and conservation for historical, architectural, environmental, cultural or religious purpose and includes such portion of the land adjoining such buildings as may be required.
61) Heritage Zone- means the area around such heritage building as delineated under Jammu and Kashmir Heritage and Conservation and Preservation Act, 2010 from time to time for restricting the height of building and use of building. The areas coming under different ASI sites including the buffers will also be treated as heritage zone.
62) Hotel- These shall include any building or group of buildings under single management, in which sleeping accommodation is provided, with or without dining facilities.
63) Interlocking Cluster- Clusters when joined at back and on sides with at least one side of a cluster common and having some dwelling units opening onto or having access from the adjacent clusters. Dwelling units in such clusters should have at least two sides open to external open space. Houses in an interlocking cluster may have access, ventilation and light from the adjacent cluster and should also cater for future growth.
64) Industrial Building- means a building, which is wholly or predominantly used as a warehouse or for Manufacturing/assembling, processing activity or distillery.
65) Ledge or Taakh- A shelf-like projection, supported in any manner whatsoever, except by means of vertical supports within a room itself but not having projection wider than 1m.
66) Lift- A mechanically guided car, platform for transport of persons and materials between two or more levels in a vertical or substantially vertical direction.
67) Loft- An intermediate floor between two floors or a residual space in a pitched roof above normal level constructed for storage with maximum clear height of 1.5 m.
68) Master Plan– A Master Plan for town approve by the Government.
69) Mezzanine Floor- An intermediate floor (having minimum height of 2.2 m) between two floors of any storey forming an integral part of floor below. Mezzanine Floor shall be counted in FAR.
70) Mumty or Stair cover– A structure with a covering roof over a staircase and its landing built to enclose only the stairs for the purpose of providing protection from weather and not used for human habitation.
71) Non-conforming use/ building– it is a building, structure or use of land existing at the time of commencement of the zoning regulations and which does not conform to the regulations pertaining to the zone in which it is situated.
72) Occupancy or Use - The principal occupancy for which a building or a part of a building is used or intended to be used; for the purposes of classification of a building according to occupancy; an occupancy shall be deemed to include subsidiary occupancies which are contingent upon it.
73) Open Space- An area, forming an integral part of the plot, left open to the sky.
Note: The open space shall be the minimum distance measured between the front, rear and side of the building and the respective plot boundaries.
74) Open Space, Front- An open space across the front of a plot between the building line and front boundary of the plot.
75) Open Space, Rear- An open space across the rear of a plot between the rear of the building and the rear boundary of the plot.
76) Open Space, Side- An open space across the side of the plot between the side of the building and the side boundary of the plot.
77) Owner- A person, a group of persons or a body having a legal interest in land and/or building thereon. This includes free holders, leaseholders or those holding a sublease, who will have a legal right to occupation and have liabilities in respect of safety or building condition. In case of lease or sublease holders, as far as ownership with respect to the structure is concerned, the structure of a flat or structure on a plot belongs to the allotted/ lessee till the allotment/lease subsists.
Note - For the purpose of this document, the word 'owner' will also cover the generally understood terms like ‘client’, ‘user ', etc.
78) Parapet– A low wall or railing built along the edge of a roof or a floor.
79) Parking Space- An enclosed or unenclosed covered or open area sufficient on size to park vehicles. Parking spaces shall be served by a driveway connecting them with a street or alley and permitting ingress and egress of the vehicles.
80) Pathological laboratories- means a premise with facilities for carrying out various tests for the confirmation of symptoms of a disease.
81) Plinth- The portion of a structure between the surface of the surrounding ground and surface of the floor immediately above the ground.
82) Plinth Area– The built-up covered area measured at the floor level of the basement or of any story.
83) Porch - A covered surface supported on pillars otherwise for the purpose of a pedestrian or vehicular approach to a building.
84) Polyclinic- means an institution where patients are clinically examined by one or more doctors for treatment of disease and where patients are treated but not admitted as indoor patients as is the case with hospitals and nursing homes. It can have basic diagnostic facilities.
85) Public Building- means a Building owned or used by Govt. or Semi Govt. Authority, Public registered Trust or such board/foundation which runs and manages charitable institution like hospitals, educational institutions and religious institutions. It shall also include places of Worship like Mosque, Temple, Gurudwara, Church etc.
86) Plans– means a detailed subdivision plan indicating size and arrangement of all premises uses.
87) Plot– A piece of land occupied or intend to be occupied for occupancy by a main building with its accessory buildings and uses incidental to it.
88) Plot Width– The shorter the distance from one side of the plot line to the other measured through that part of the plot to be occupied by the building.
89) Room Height- The vertical distance measured from the finished floor surface to the finished ceiling surface. Where a finished ceiling is not provided, the underside of the joists or beams or tie beams shall determine the upper point of measurement.
90) Row Housing/Row Type Building- A row of buildings, with only front, rear and interior open spaces, where applicable.
91) RoW- Right of Way – The RoW is the width of land area acquired for the construction of the roadway. This includes, carriageway, footpath, service roads, utility area, buffer, shoulders, and area for future expansions of road.
92) Residential Building- means a building used for human habitation and includes all garages, stables or other building apartment/hostels thereto.
93) Registered Technical Personnel (RTP) - will mean qualified person/persons as Architect/ Engineer/ Planner/ Group of technical personnel/ Supervisor/ Plumber/Electrician who has been enrolled/licensed by the BPIA /accreditation board.
94) Required open space- The space between the plot lines and the minimum building set back lines. 95) Semi-Detached Building- A building detached on three sides.
96) Service Road/Lane- A road/lane provided adjacent to a plot(s) for access or service purposes as the case may be.
97) Set-back Line- A line usually parallel to the plot boundaries and laid down in each case by the Authority beyond which nothing can be constructed towards the plot boundaries.
98) Site (Plot)- A parcel (piece) of land enclosed by definite boundaries.
99) Site, Corner- A site at the junctions of and fronting on two or more intersecting streets.
100) Site, Depth of-The mean horizontal distance between the front and rear site boundaries.
101) Stair cover or Mumty- A structure with a roof over a staircase and its landing built to enclose only the stairs for the purpose of providing protection from weather and not used for human habitation.
102) Storey– The portion of a building included between the surface of any floor and the surface of the floor next above it, or if there can be no floor above it, then the space between any floor and the ceiling next above it.
103) Storey, Topmost- The uppermost storey in a building whether constructed wholly or partly on the roof.
104) Street/Road- Any means of access, namely, highway, street, lane, pathway, alley, stairway, passageway, carriageway, footway, square, place or bridge, whether thoroughfare or not, over which the public have a right of passage or access or have passed and had access uninterruptedly for a specified period, whether existing or proposed in any scheme, and includes all bunds, channels, ditches, storm-water drains, culverts, footpaths, sidewalks, traffic islands, roadside trees and hedges, retaining walls, fences, barriers and railings within the street lines.
105) Street Level or Grade-The officially established elevation or grade of the central line of the street upon which a plot fronts and if there is no officially established grade, the existing grade of the street at its mid-point.
106) Street Line - The line defining the side limits of a street.
107) To Erect- To erect a building means,
a. To erect a new building on any site whether previously built upon or not; and
b. To re-erect any building of which portions above the plinth level have been pull down, burnt or destroyed.
108) Urban Local Authority (ULA): All local authorities constituted under J&K Development Act 1970 and controlled by Housing and Urban Development Department.
109) Urban Local Body (ULB): All municipal corporations, municipal councils and municipal committees constituted under J&K Municipal Corporation Act 2000 and J&K Municipal Act 2000 shall be deemed to be urban local body.
110) Verandah- A covered area with at least one side open to the outside with the exception of l m high parapet on the upper floors to be provided on the open side.
111) Ventilation– shall mean the supply of outside air into a building through window or other openings due to wind outside and convection effects arising from temperature, or vapour pressure differences (or both) between inside and outside of the building.
112) Water Closet (W.C)– A water flushed plumbing fixture designed to receive human excrement directly from the user of the fixture. The term is used sometimes to designate the room or compartment in which the fixture is placed.
113) Window– An opening to the outside other than a door, which provides all or part of the required natural light or ventilation of both to an interior space and not used as a means of egress/ ingress.
114) Warehouse- means a building, the whole or substantial part of which is used or intended to be used for the storage of goods but does not include a storeroom attached to and used for the proper functioning of a shop.
115) Workshop - means a building where not more than ten persons are employed in any repair /servicing or manufacturing process
116) Zonal plan– A plan detailing out the proposals of Master Plan and acting as a link between Master Plan and the layout plan. It may contain a site plan and land use plan, with approximate location and extent of land uses. Such as public & semi-public buildings/ works utilities, roads, housing, recreation, industry, business, markets, schools, hospitals open spaces etc. It may also specify standards of population density and various components of development of the zone.
117) Zone– means any division in which local areas is divided for purpose of development.