Tamil Nadu has amended the Tamil Nadu Combined Development and Building Rules, 2019, raising the maximum permissible height for specified non-high rise buildings from 18.3 metres to 19.5 metres. The changes also ease parking requirements for offices, revise commercial land-use provisions along wider roads and expand the range of developments permitted in Chennai’s restricted aquifer recharge area.
The amendments could give developers greater design flexibility, improve land-use efficiency and support additional residential and commercial development. However, projects will continue to be governed by applicable road-width, floor space index (FSI), setback and other planning requirements, said real estate experts.
“The revised building rules signal a move towards more efficient urban development by providing greater design flexibility in residential projects, rationalising parking requirements for offices and easing commercial land-use restrictions along eligible road corridors,” Vivek Rathi, national director of research at Knight Frank India, told Hindustan Times.
The extent of the impact will depend on how effectively developers translate these regulatory relaxations into viable projects, he said.
“One of the key changes is to the height of non-high rise buildings. Since the height has increased, developers can plan higher ceilings and aesthetically designed buildings, which will also help control urban heat. We have also made compliance with accessibility standards mandatory. Specific provisions for persons with disabilities, elderly people and children must be complied with before a completion certificate is issued,” Kirlosh Kumar, secretary of the housing and urban development department, was quoted as saying by The Times of India.
Height limit for non-high-rise buildings raised
The permissible height for specified non-high-rise buildings has been increased from 18.3 metres to 19.5 metres. The revised rules update height provisions across several categories, including institutional buildings and transport terminals, while retaining applicable road width, FSI, setback, and other planning conditions.
{{/usCountry}}The permissible height for specified non-high-rise buildings has been increased from 18.3 metres to 19.5 metres. The revised rules update height provisions across several categories, including institutional buildings and transport terminals, while retaining applicable road width, FSI, setback, and other planning conditions.
{{/usCountry}}Media reports also said the revised provisions specify a 19.5-metre height limit for assembly halls, cinemas, hotels and recreation facilities on large plots, subject to prescribed conditions.
Parking requirements for IT offices eased
The amendments introduce revised parking norms for information technology offices, IT-enabled services and bioinformatics centres. These establishments must provide one car parking space for every 75 sq metres of floor area and one two-wheeler parking space for every 50 sq metres.
The two-wheeler parking requirement has been reduced from one space for every 25 sq metres, potentially freeing up space for other uses within commercial developments.
Commercial land use along wider roads
Under the revised provisions, sites in designated residential and primary residential zones that abut and have access from roads at least 12 metres wide may be treated as having commercial zoning in specified circumstances. The change could expand development options along eligible road corridors, subject to the applicable conditions.
Development norms eased in Chennai’s restricted aquifer recharge area
The amendments raise the permitted height for specified non-high-rise residential and commercial buildings in Chennai’s restricted aquifer recharge area from 9 metres to 14 metres, while retaining the six-dwelling-unit limit for the covered category. This could allow an additional floor in some developments previously limited to G+1 construction, subject to applicable rules, media reports said.
Chennai’s restricted aquifer recharge area includes designated localities along the city’s southern coast where development is regulated to protect groundwater reserves.
High-rise FSI norms remain unchanged
The amendments do not alter the permissible floor space index for high-rise buildings. The FSI remains 2.0 for roads measuring 12 metres wide, 2.5 for 15-metre roads and 3.25 for 18-metre roads. Maximum plot coverage remains 50%.
Minimum setbacks continue to increase with building height, ranging from seven metres for buildings up to 30 metres tall to 16 metres for buildings exceeding 87 metres, media reports said.
More provisions for hostels, dormitories and tourism facilities
The amendments, issued on October 26, also revise provisions relating to commercial zoning, hotel dormitories, swimming pools and accessibility. The list of permissible developments includes hostels and dormitories up to 500 sq metres, working women’s hostels, old-age homes, specified government offices, restaurants and tourism-related developments, subject to prescribed conditions.
Specified provisions also cover hotels, beach cottages and recreational activities on plots measuring at least one hectare. Hotels and lodges must provide dormitory accommodation for drivers, with one bed for every required car parking space.
The revised rules also define open kitchens and modify swimming-pool deck and clearance requirements. Accessibility provisions for persons with disabilities, elderly people and children have been strengthened, with compliance required before a completion certificate is issued, news reports said.
EV charging provisions introduced
Most new residential buildings must provide electrical wiring for electric vehicle charging at every car and two-wheeler parking space. Exemptions apply to buildings up to 14 metres high, those with no more than eight dwelling units and those with a floor area of up to 750 sq metres.
In developments with more than 50 units, half the visitor-parking spaces must be equipped for fast charging, The New Indian Express reported.
This is what real estate experts have to say
The revised norms could help address this supply constraint by unlocking plots in established parts of the city for new office development.
“The amendments could, at best, unlock greater value from plots in residential areas that abut roads at least 12 metres wide, where commercial development may now be permitted under specified conditions. This could encourage mixed-use development and create opportunities for more office buildings in central parts of Chennai,” Rohan Sharma, Senior Director, Research and REIS, India, JLL, told Hindustan Times.
Chennai’s office market is currently constrained by a shortage of quality supply, despite sustained demand, he explained.
A recent JLL report recorded a 31.3% quarter-on-quarter decline in leasing activity and a 25.6% year-on-year drop in leasing during January–September 2026. However, this should be viewed in the context of the limited availability of quality office space, which has led to more renewals overall and higher pre-commitments as occupiers wait for new developments to be completed.
“Larger technology parks, however, are unlikely to see an immediate impact; a more significant change in their development potential would require enhancements to the floor area ratio (FAR) linked to transit-oriented development,” he said,
That said, large tech parks could see a marginal benefit from the revised norms, particularly through more efficient planning of fixed setbacks and tighter spacing between blocks. While the increase in usable area is unlikely to be significant, it could improve campus planning, especially for projects being developed in phases, he said.
The revised parking norms are also expected to improve space efficiency by reducing the area required for parking and potentially limiting the need for extensive podium and underground parking facilities, he added.