New Punjab Building Rules Amendment 2026: What Changed & What It Means for You
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Punjab Building Rules 2026 Amendment: What Changed & What It Means for You
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Quietly, on September 7, 2026, Punjab rewrote nine parts of its building rulebook — and almost nobody outside government offices has noticed yet. No press conference, no headlines. Just an Extraordinary Gazette notification that changes what you’re legally allowed to build on your own roof, how tall your staircase rules get once your building crosses 21 metres, and how close a tower can sit to a high-tension line. If you’re building, buying, or approving a plan anywhere in Punjab right now, this is the one update you don’t want to hear about secondhand from your architect after your drawings are already rejected.
- Clear heights now in metric (2290 mm, not 7′-6″)
- Group Housing clubhouses need dedicated parking (1 ECS/100 sq.m)
- Booth/shop mezzanines: storage-only now
- Rooftop solar gets a free 2.4 m height exemption from FAR
- Balconies on plots >250 sq.m capped at 2.45 m or half the setback
- Rooftop toilets (up to 6 sq.m) are now explicitly allowed
- High-tension line clearance rules fully rewritten, with an HVDC table up to 800 kV
- Buildings over 21 m: every staircase must now be a fire-exit staircase
- New Rule 35-A: lifts/escalators must follow NBC 2016 + certified supervision
The notification is G.S.R.52/P.A.11/1995/Ss.43 and 180/Amd.(9)/2026, dated September 2, 2026, published in the Punjab Government Gazette (Extraordinary) on September 7 — the Punjab Urban Planning and Development Building (Second Amendment) Rules, 2026, amending the 2021 Building Rules. Signed by Vikas Garg, Principal Secretary, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Government of Punjab.
This isn’t a headline-grabbing change, but if you’re building a house, planning a Group Housing project, or buying into one that’s still at the approval stage anywhere in Punjab — including Mohali, Zirakpur and New Chandigarh — several of these changes affect your plans directly. Here’s the full rule-by-rule breakdown, in plain language.
What Actually Changed — Rule by Rule
1. Clear-height rules now in clean metric figures
Wherever the old rules said a minimum clear height of “7′-6″”, the amendment replaces this with “not less than 2290 mm” — across general clear-height notes and stilt-parking entries. The old label “Stilt, if provided (Non-habitable height)” has also been simplified to just “Stilt, if provided.”
2. Clubhouse parking inside Group Housing projects
A club building inside a Group Housing Project must now provide parking at 1 ECS (Equivalent Car Space) per 100 sq. m. of FAR area for that club building specifically — a new proviso added to the parking table.
3. Booths, shops & shop-cum-offices — height and mezzanine rules
Maximum floor-to-floor height for booths, shops and shop-cum-offices is capped at 5.0 metres — except inside shopping malls, standalone commercial buildings, multiplexes, miniplexes and mixed land-use projects, where the cap doesn’t apply. A mezzanine floor inside a booth can now only be used for storage of goods, capped at two-thirds of the booth area, and is excluded from FAR.
4. Rooftop solar panels get an FAR exemption
Rooftop photovoltaic solar installations may now have a clear height of up to 2.4 metres beneath the panels, and this structure is excluded from both building height and FAR calculations — a small but genuinely useful change for anyone planning rooftop solar.
5. Balcony limits on larger plots
For plots above 250 sq. m., balcony projection is now capped at half the required setback depth, or 2.450 m (8′-0″), whichever is less.
6. Rooftop toilets now explicitly permitted
A rooftop toilet up to 6 sq. m. in area and 2.75 m in height is now permitted on the terrace of any building, excluded from both FAR and building-height calculations.
7. High Tension electrical line clearances — Rule 29 fully replaced
Rule 29 has been substituted in full with detailed clearance tables for buildings near HT lines — separate vertical and horizontal clearance norms for lines up to 650V, lines between 650V and 33kV, lines above 33kV, and a dedicated table for HVDC systems ranging from 100 kV (4.6m vertical / 2.9m horizontal) up to 800 kV (12.4m vertical / 10.7m horizontal). Where clearance would otherwise fall short, the conductor must be replaced with Aerial Bunched Cable.
8. Mandatory fire-exit staircases above 21 metres
For any building exceeding 21 metres in height, all required staircases must now be fire-exit staircases — directly relevant to Zirakpur and Mohali’s growing stock of high-rise residential towers.
9. New Rule 35-A — Lifts, escalators & moving walks
A brand-new rule requires all lift, escalator and moving-walk installations to conform to the applicable Lift Acts/Rules and to Part 8 (Building Services), Section 5 of the National Building Code of India, 2016. Installation must be supervised by someone holding a Certificate of Competency from the Chief Electrical Inspector, Punjab. Lifts are now permitted up to terrace level in all categories of buildings.
Quick Reference Table
| Change | Old Rule | New Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Clear height | 7′-6″ | Not less than 2290 mm |
| Clubhouse parking (Group Housing) | Not specified separately | 1 ECS per 100 sq.m FAR area |
| Booth/shop floor-to-floor height | No general cap stated | Max 5.0 m (exemptions apply) |
| Booth mezzanine use | Not restricted to storage | Storage only, max 2/3 booth area |
| Rooftop solar clearance | Not addressed | Up to 2.4 m, excluded from FAR/height |
| Balcony (plots >250 sq.m) | Prior Serial II norm | Half of setback depth or 2.45 m, whichever less |
| Rooftop toilet | Not addressed | Up to 6 sq.m, 2.75 m height, excluded from FAR |
| HT line clearance (Rule 29) | Prior version | Fully replaced with detailed voltage-wise tables |
| Staircases >21m buildings | Not mandated | All staircases must be fire-exit type |
| Lifts/escalators | No dedicated rule | New Rule 35-A — NBC 2016 compliance + certified supervision |
What This Means in Practice
For Builders & Architects
Several clearances are now defined in clean metric figures rather than feet-inches, which should reduce ambiguity at the plan-approval stage. The rooftop solar and rooftop-toilet exemptions give small, genuinely usable additional headroom without an FAR penalty. The 21m fire-exit-staircase rule and the new lift-installation rule (35-A) add compliance steps for taller residential and mixed-use buildings — expect sanctioning authorities to check these going forward. Group Housing developers should factor in the new clubhouse-specific parking norm when planning amenity blocks.
For Buyers
None of this changes anything about a project you’ve already booked — these rules govern future plan approvals, not existing sanctioned buildings. But if you’re evaluating a project still at the approval or early-construction stage — including high-rises in Zirakpur or Group Housing projects in Mohali and New Chandigarh — it’s reasonable to ask whether its plans reflect the amended rules, particularly around fire-exit staircases and clubhouse parking.
Frequently Asked Questions
Planning to Build or Buy in Punjab?
Get your building plan or project checked against the latest amended rules before you finalise anything.
💬 Talk to RoyalsDisclaimer: This article summarises a government notification for general information and is not a substitute for the official gazette text or professional architectural/legal advice. Rules can be further amended or clarified by the competent authority. Builders and buyers should verify current requirements with the Department of Housing & Urban Development, Government of Punjab, or a qualified architect before relying on any provision for an actual project.
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