Setback is defined in the Tamilnadu Combined Development & Building Rules of 2019 (TNCDBR) as: The open space across front or sides or rear of a plot between the building and street alignment or boundary of the plot as the case may be;
The setback of the buildings depending on:
- Road width of the abutting road
- The landuse (usage type) of the property (Residential, Industrial, Institutional, Continuous, Economically Weaker Section, Primary School, Religious Building, Cottage Industries (EWS) etc…)
- Height of the building (Non – High Rise < 18.30 m or High Rise > 18.30 building)
All the regulations in the Buildings Rules are broadly divided in to High Rise (Buildings higher than 18.30 m) and Non High Rise Buildings (Buildings less than 18.30 m in height)
Property Setback for Non-High Rise Buildings
Within Non High Rise buildings the classification is:
Non High Rise buildings upto 16 dwellings or such other small developments like commercial, nursery schools, primary schools, religious buildings and cottage industries up to 300 sq.mts. shall be regulated according to the table below:
The minimum road width, FSI, set back etc. for Non High Rise buildings upto
18.30m height and exceeding 16 dwelling units and exceeding 300 square
meters of commercial building shall be regulated according to the table below:
Property Setback for Industries
The road width, FSI, Setbacks etc. for cottage industries, Green industries, Orange industries and Red industries shall be regulated according to the table below.
Setback for Institutional Buildings
Including nursery schools, Primary schools and religious buildings with floor area exceeding 300 sq.m. Secondary schools, Colleges, Higher Educational, Technical & Research Institutions, Students hostels & Dormitories, Research Institutions, Broadcasting, Telecasting & Telecommunication centers, Government & Quasi Government Offices, and Institutions, Government Archives, Museums, Art galleries and Public libraries, Foreign Missions, Consulates and Embassies.
Setback for Transport Terminals
Setback for High Rise Buildings
Considering the need to preserve aquifer recharge areas in Chennai, the Building rules explicitly allow the development of High-Rise buildings across Chennai Metropolitan Region except in:
- Area bounded by two arms of Cooum River starting near Park Station to the mouth of the Cooum river (Napier Bridge) generally known as Island Grounds.
- Aquifer Recharge area bounded in: the North by Thiruvanmiyur Village, the East by Bay of Bengal, the West by Buckingham Canal, the South by Chennai Metropolitan Area Boundary
- Redhills catchments area