1 Preliminary Short title, application and commencement -
(1) These rules may be called the Tripura Building Rules, 2017
(2) Except as otherwise provided in these rules, they shall apply to buildings in the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) in Tripura.
(3) They shall come into force on the date of their publication in the Official Gazette.
(4) These rules are in replacement to the existing Tripura Building Rules, 2004.
Definitions. —
(a) In these rules, unless the context othenlvise requires,-
(1) the "Act" means the Tripura Municipal Act, 1994;
(2) “addition to a building" means addition to the cubic content or to the floor area of a building;
(3) "area", in relation to a building, means the superficies of a horizontal section thereof made at the plinth level, inclusive of the external walls and such portion of the partywalls as belongs to the building;
(4) “advertising sign” means any surface of a structure with characters, letters, illustrations or illuminations applied thereto and displayed in any manner whatsoever to public view for the purposes of advertising or giving information regarding, or for attracting the notice of the public to, any place, person, public performance, article or merchandise whatsoever, and whose surface or structure is attached to forma part of, or is connected with, any land or building, or is fixed to a wall, hoarding, frame, post, kiosk, tree, structure, ground or fence, or is displayed in space or on screens;
(5) “air-conditioning” means the process of treating air so as to control simultaneously its temperature, humidity, cleanliness and distribution to meet the requirement of conditioned space;
(6) “alteration” means 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, portion, column, beam, joist, floor or other support, or a change to the fixture or equipment;
(7) “apartment" means part of a property having a direct exit to a street or a passage or to a common area leading to such street or passage which together with its undivided interest in the common areas and facilities forms an independent unit;
(8) "Applicant” includes a duly authorised agent of the applicant;
(9) "Architect" means a person who is registered as an Architect by he Council of Architecture under Architects Act, 1972(20 of 1972); An Architect for the purpose of rule 17 shall be an Architect with two years experience under the Architect Act, 1972(20 of 1972 )”.
(10) "Basement or cellar" means the lower storey of a building partly or wholly below the ground level or the abutting road level, whichever is higher;
(11) “building” means 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 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 (other than a boundary wall not exceeding permissible limits as specified in these rules) and signs and outdoor display structures, tents, temporary hospitals (with other than temporary structures), shamiana, turpentine shelters etc. erected for a temporary and Page 8 ceremonial or festive occasion with the permission of the Authority shall not be considered as building";
(12)“building plan” means a plan accompanying a notice for sanction, or provisional sanction, for erection or re-erection, or addition to, or alteration of, a building;
(13)“building services", in isolation to a building, means lighting and ventilation, electrical installation air-conditioning and heating, acoustics’ and sound insulation, installation of lifts and escalators, water supply, sewerage and drainage, gas supply, and telephone installations;
(14)“chajja or cornice" means a sloping, horizontal or structural, overhung usually provided over opening an external walls to provide protection from the sun and rain;
(15)"chimney' means the construction by means of which a flue is formed for the purpose of carrying the products of combustion to the open air, and includes, chimney stack and flue pipe;
(16)“commencement of work”, in relation to a building, means the actual commencement of a building foundation work or erection or re-erection or alteration of a building including foundation, but does not include mere excavation of earth;
(17)“courtyard” means a space permanently open to the sky, enclosed fully or partially by building, whether or not at ground level or any other level within, or adjacent to a building, or a courtyard enclosed on all sides (being an inner courtyard) or a courtyard where one of the sides is not enclosed (being an outer courtyard);
(18)"covered area" means the horizontal area covered by a building immediately above plinth level on any floor, but does not include the spaces exempted under: these rules and the space covered by — a. garden, boundary, wall and wall structure, plant nursery, water pool, swimming pool (if not covered), platform round a tree, tank, fountain or bench b. drainage, culvert, conduit "septic tank" or sock pit, c. compound wall and gate, and area covered by chajja;
(19)“cul-de-sac”, means a public or private street or passage closed at one end with provision for turning of cars;
(20) "dangerous" in relation to a building which, by reason of its age, inadequate maintenance, dilapidation, abandonment or by any other reason, has become structurally unsafe or is not provided with adequate means of access or which constitutes a fire hazard, dangerous to human life;
(21 )“depth”, in relation to a plot, means the distance from the front to the rear line of the plot;
(22)'drain' includes the sewer, a house drain, a drain of any other description, a tunnel, a culvert, a ditch, a channel and any other device for carrying off sullage, sewage, offensive matter, polluted water, rain water or subsoil waters;
(23)“drainage” means the removal of any liquid by a system provided for the purpose;
(24) “dwelling unit" means an independent unit with separate living, cooking and sanitary facilities;
(25) “engineer" means a person having a degree in civil engineering of a recognised university or institute;
(26) “floor” means, unless othenNise specifically provided in the rules, the lower surface in a storey, after the finishing of which one normally walks in a building;
(27) "floor area" means the covered area of a building at any floor level;
(28) “Floor Area Ratio” or "F.A.R." (being the abbreviation of the whole words “Floor Area Ratio”) means the quotient obtained by dividing the total floor area of all the floors of a building by the area of the plot, formula being as follows:
Total floor area of all floors F.A.R. = Area of the plot
(29) "Form” means a form appended to these rules;
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(30) “framed building” means a building where the dead load and superimposed load are transferred to foundation through framed members with rigid joints, which may be of R.C.C. prestressed concrete, steel, timber, or the like, such members at the transfer of loads being not only experienced with directional stress but also bending stress and sheer stress as wall;
(31) "geo-technical engineer” shall mean an engineer having at least 2 years experience in soil and foundation engineering;
(32) “ground coverage” means the quotient obtained by dividing the area of the plot covered by the building at the ground level by the total area of the plot, expressed as a percentage as follows:- The area of the plot covered by building Ground Coverage = X 100 Total area of the plot
Explanation. - For the purpose of- calculating the ground coverage, all projections and overhangs shall be included in the covered area excepting cornice, weather shade or chajja of not more than 0.50 metre in width;
(33) "ground level" means the average level of the centre line of the street or passage to which the plot abuts;
(34) “habitat room” means a room occupied or designed for occupancy by one or more persons for study, living, sleeping, eating, cooking, if is used as a living room, but not including bath-room, water-closet, compartments, laundries, serving and storage pantries, corridors, callers, attain and spaced that are not used frequently or during extended period;
(35) (1) "height of a building" shall mean vertical distance measured from the average level of the centre line of the adjoining street or passage on which the plot abuts to the highest point of the building, in case of a flat roof and in the case of sloped roofs, the mid point between the cave’s level and the ridge".
(2) "for hill areas, the vertical distance shall be measured from the lowest floor level instead of average ground level as applicable in case of planning;
(36) “Heritage Building”, means a building of one or more premises or any part thereof, which requires preservation and conservation for historical, architectural, environmental or cultural purpose, and includes such portion of the land adjoining such building or any part thereof as may be required for fencing or covering or othen/vise preserving such buildings and also includes the areas and buildings requiring preservation and also conservation for the purpose as aforesaid.
(37) “house” includes any hut, shop or warehouse;
(38) “hut Imud wall" means any residential building which in constructed principally of mud, leaves grass or thatch or such easily perishable materials and of a temporary nature;
(39) “khatal” means a place where cattles are kept or maintained for the purpose of trade or business in cattle or business in milk;
(40) “ledge" or “tand” means a shelf-like projection supported in any manner except by means of vertical supports, within a room itself but not having projection wide than 0.60 metre, for being used only as storage space;
(41) “loft" means an intermediary floor between two floors or a residual space in a pitched roof above normal floor level which is constructed or adopted for storage purposes;
(42) “means of access" means a public or private street or passage open to the sky as shown in the survey map or other records of the local body and includes a passage which way not be open to the sky in the case of partition of an existing building;
(43) “mezzanine floor" means an intermediate floor between any two floors;
(44) “natural Hazard” — The probability of occurrence, within a specified period of time in a given area, of a potentially damaging natural phenomenon.
Page 10 Natural Hazard Prone Areas — Areas likely to have (i) moderate to very high damage risk zone of earthquakes, OR (ii) moderate to very high damage risk of cyclones OR (iii) significant flood flow or inundation, OR (iv) one or more of these hazards.
Note: Moderate to very high damage risk zones of earthquakes are as shown in Seismic Zones III, IV and V specified in IS: 1893; moderate to very high damage risk zones of cyclone prone are those areas along the sea coast of India having wind velocities of 39m/s or more as specified in IS: 875(part 3;) and flood prone areas in river plains (unprotected and protected) area indicated in Flood Atlas of India prepared by the Central Water Commission. All three hazard prone areas are redrawn in Vulnerability Atlas of India on large scales. Besides, other areas can be flooded under conditions of heavy intensity rains, inadequate drainage, etc. as identified through local surveys in the Development Plan of the area.
(45) “open space” means an area, forming an integral part of the site, at the ground level open to the sky;
(46) "parapet” means a low wall or railing built along the edge of a roof or a floor;
(47) "parking space" means an area enclosed or unenclosed, covered or open, sufficient in size to park vehicles with a driveway connecting the parking space with a street or alley and permitting ingress and egress of vehicles;
(48) “partition wall" means an interior non-loaded bearing wall of storey or part-storey height;
(49) “ party wall” means one wall forming part of a building and used or constructed to be used for the supports and separation of adjoining buildings to different owners or constructed or adopted to be occupied by different persons;
(50) "passage” means a means of access which may not a private or public street and which provides access to not rare than three plots, and includes footway and drains attached to the passage and also includes all lands up to the property line of the plots abutting the passage;
(50)(i) “Person” means any individual Indian citizen or an organisation / Department of Government/ Semi Government / Private or Corporate body or Joint Venture company.
(51) “plinth" means the part of a wall or structure between the ground level mid the level of the lowest floor of a building above ground level;
(52) “promoter” means a person who constructs or caused to be constructed a building on a plot of land for the purpose of transfer of such building by sale, gift or othenivise to any other person or a company, co-operative society or association of persons and includes i. his assignee, if any, ii. the person who constructs, and the person who transfer by sale, gift or othenivise, the building, if, the two are different persons;
iii. any Board, Company, Corporation, Firm or other association of persons, established by or under any law for the time being in force;
(53) “Purchaser" means any person who, enters into an agreement with the promoter for the purchase of a dwelling units;
(54) “Registrar” means the Registrar as defined in the Tripura Co-operative Societies Act.
(55) "section” means a section of Act;
(56) “services" in relation to a building, means lighting and ventilation, electrical installations, air-conditioning and heating, acoustics and sound insulation, installation of lifts and escalators, water supply, fire fighting, sewerage and drainage, gas supply and telephone installations;
(57)" service rooms" means, rooms and covered spaces meant primarily for purposes other than human habitation, service rooms may be used for parking, air-conditioning plant room or room for the other machines used for any building service or for the other purposes space for a stand by generator for power supply, storage space for household or other goods of non-inflammable nature, strong room or bank cellar and dark room;
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(58) "set back line" means a line usually parallel with the centre line of a road or street, laid down by a competent authority beyond which nothing can be constructed towards the roads;
(59) "shed” means , a light or temporary .structure for shed or shelter;
(60) “site" means the entire area covered by a building with out-houses, and includes the land at the front or in the sides of, and pertaining to, such building and the land required by regulations to be left open;
(61) “structural engineer" shall mean an engineer with at least 2 years experience in structural designs;
(62) “to construct a building” with its grammatical variation means — i) to construct a new building, or ii) to re-construct a building, or iii) to convert a building or any part of a building, not being a flat or block, into a flat or blocks;
(63) “to erect a building” has the sane meaning as in sub rule 62 of rule 2;
(64) “tenement” means an independent dwelling unit with a kitchen;
(64)(i) “ULB” means Urban Local Body like Municipal Corporation / Municipal Council / Nagar Panchayat.
(65) “use group” or “occupancy” means the purpose for which a building or a part of a building is used or Intended to be used.
Explanation.— For the purpose of classification of a building according to occupancy, an occupancy shall be deemed to include subsidiary occupancies, which are contingent upon it.
The occupancy classification shall include residential, educational, Institution, assembly, business, mercantile (retail), mercantile (wholesale), industrial, storage and hazardous occupancies. Principal occupancy shall be the occupancy of covering more than 50% of the floor area of the building .In case no single occupancy covers more than 50% of the floor area of a building, it shall be classified as a building of “mixed use of occupancy”. The classification of buildings, based on principal occupancy shall be as follows: -
(a)“residential building", that is to say, any building in which sleeping accommodation is provided for normal residential purpose as the principal use with or without cooking facility and/or dining facility. Such building shall include one or two or multi-family dwelling, lodging or rooming houses, hostels, dormitories, apartment houses and flats, with private garages;
(b)“educational building", that is to say any building used for school, college, library or day-care purposes as principal use involving assembly for instruction, education or recreation incidental to education;
(c) "institutional building”, that is to say, any building or part thereof ordinarily providing sleeping accommodation for occupants and used principally for the purposes of medical or other treatment or case of persons suffering from physical or mental illness, disease or infirmity care of infants, convalescents or aged persons and for penal or correctional detention in which the liberty of the inmates is restricted; such building shall include hospitals, clinics dispensaries, sanatoria, custodial institutions and penal institutions like jails, prisons, mental hospitals and reformatories;
(d) “assembly building", that is to say, any building or part thereof where groups of people congregate or gather for amusement or recreation or for social, religious, patriotic, civil, travel, sports or similar other purposes as the principal use such building shall include theatres, motion picture houses, drive-in-theatres, city halls, town halls, auditoria, exhibition halls, museums, skating rings, gymnasiums, restaurants, eating house, bars, hotels, boarding houses, places of worship, dance halls, club rooms, gymkhanas, passenger stations and terminals of air, surface and other public transportation services, recreation places and stadiums;
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(c).
(e) “business building”, that is to say, any building or part thereof used principally for transaction business for keeping of accounts and records or for similar purposes; such building shall include offices, banks, professional establishments, court houses, if the principal function of such offices, banks, professional establishment, court houses, if the principal function of such offices, banks, professional establishments, court houses is transaction of public business or keeping books and records; such building shall also include buildings or premises solely or principally used as an office or for office purpose;
(f)“mercantile building(retail)”, that is to say, any building or part thereof used principally as shops, stores or markets for display of merchandise for retail sale thereof or for office and storage of service facilities incidental thereto;
(9) “mercantile building (wholesale)", that is to say, any building or part thereof used principally as shop, store or market for display of merchandise for sale thereof on whose sale basis, or for office and storage or service facilities incidental thereto, and shall include establishment, wholly or partly engaged in wholesale trade, manufacturers” wholesale Outlets including related storage facilities, warehouses and establishments engaged in truck transport(including truck transport booking agencies);
(h) “industrial building", that is to say any building or structure or part thereof used principally for fabrication, assembly and/or processing of goods and materials of different kinds, such building shall include laboratories, power plants, smoke houses, refineries, gas plants, mills, dairies, factories and workshops;
(i) " storage building”, this is to say, any building or part thereof used principally for the storage or sheltering of goods, wares or merchandise as in warehouses such building shall include cold storage freight depots, transit sheds, store houses public garages, hangers, silos and barns;
(j) “hazardous building”, that is to say, any industrial or storage building or part thereof used principally for the storage, handling, manufacture or processing of highly combustible or explosive materials or products which are liable to burn with extreme rapidity or which may produce poisonous fumes or explosions during storage, handling, manufacture or processing or which involve highly corrosive, toxic or noxious alkalise; acids or other liquids or chemicals producing flames, fumes, explosions or mixtures of dust or which result in the division of matter into fine particles subject to spontaneous ignition;
(k) "steel tower” includes the steel tower, having an height of 15 meters or above made for the purpose of telecommunication or other purposes;
Explanation: - Type of buildings not dealt with specifically under these rules shall be guided by the latest edition of the Codes of Bureau of Indian Standards;
(66)(a). “width of a street” means the whole extent of space, including the footpath, side drains etc. within the boundaries of the street as specified in the survey map or other records of a local body;
(b). Words and expressions used but not otherwise defined shall have the same meaning as in the Act.
Definitions for the Special chapters ( part — X, XI & XII ):-
(1) Hut:- Hut means any residential house which is constructed principally of leaves, grass or thatch or such easily perishable material and of a temporary nature;
(2) Mud wall: - Mud wall means any residential house which is constructed principally of mud (wholly or partly), leaves, grass or thatch or such easily perishable material the roof being corrugated sheet or polythene paper and will be of a temporary nature;
(3) “Non-ambulatory Disabilities:— Impairments that, regardless of cause or manifestation for all practical purposes, confine individuals to wheelchairs;
(4) “Semi-ambulatory Disabilities:— Impairments that cause individuals to walk with difficulty or insecurity. Individuals using braces or crutches, amputees, arthritis, spasties and those with pulmonary and cardiac ills may be semi-ambulatory;
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(5) Hearing Disabilities:— Deafness or bearing handicaps that might make an individual insecure in public areas because he is unable to communicate or hear working signals;
(6) Sight Disabilities:— Total blindness or impairments affecting sight to the extent that individual, functioning in public areas is insecure or exposed to danger;
(7) Wheel Chair:- Chair used by disabled people for mobility. The standard size of wheel chair shall be taken as 1050 mm x 750 mm.
(8) Solar Assisted Water Heating System:— A device to heat water using solar energy as heat source;
(9) Auxiliary back up:— Electrically operated or fuel fired boilers / systems to heat water coming out from solar Water Heating System to meet continuous requirement of hot water;
(10) New Building: - Such buildings for which construction plans have been submitted to competent authority for clearance;
(11) Existing Building: - Such buildings, which are licensed to perform their respective business;