Islamabad building bylaws for houses: setbacks, coverage, storeys and CDA map approval

CDA’s building bylaws allow a house in an Islamabad sector 2 storeys, up to 30 ft, plus a mumty and a basement. There is no coverage percentage: the house may cover the whole plot after the setbacks, which depend on plot size and frontage. For a 200 sq yd plot, that is 6 ft at the front and 6 ft at the rear. CDA’s map approval fee is Rs 6 per sq ft, and CDA should reply within 10 working days.

These rules come from the Islamabad Capital Territory Building Control Regulations 2020, as amended by CDA’s notification of 10 August 2023 (Gazette of 16 August 2023). We read CDA’s scanned copy page by page.

What setbacks and storeys do CDA building bylaws allow?

Schedule-1 of the regulations covers residential plots in Islamabad’s sectors, except the Diplomatic Enclave. Every house type gets 2 storeys and a maximum height of 30 ft. Plot sizes are in square yards, and CDA counts a marla as 30.25 sq yd (272.25 sq ft).

Source: ICT Building Control Regulations 2020, Schedule-1, as amended in 2023. Your plot’s type depends on both its size and its frontage, which is why the size ranges overlap. Where the side setbacks differ, the smaller one goes on the south or west side.

Other limits in the same schedule:

• Mumty (stair room): up to a third of the ground floor’s buildable area on terraced plots up to 300 sq yd, and a quarter on larger plots. A small washroom and a sleeping room may go inside it.
• Basement: allowed under the house, leaving the setbacks clear. Its area counts towards the scrutiny fee.
• Plinth: up to 3 ft 6 in above the front road for terraced and semi-detached houses, and 5 ft for detached houses.
• Car porch: 100 to 200 sq ft on terraced and semi-detached plots, depending on size; on detached plots a single porch of 200 sq ft or a double of 400 sq ft per unit.
• Housing units: one on plots under 488 sq yd, two from 488 sq yd (clause 4.1.6).

How much can I build on a 200 sq yd or 500 sq yd plot in Islamabad?

Take the plot, subtract the setbacks, and that block is your ground floor. The first floor can be the same size (clause 2.1.8). These are our sums for two common plot shapes.

CDA’s regulations say any covered area above these limits will be demolished, so build to the approved drawing. To convert your plot size, use the marla to square feet converter and choose the 272.25 sq ft marla that CDA uses.

What can go inside the setbacks?

Nothing, except a short list in clause 2.12:

• Bay windows: up to 2 ft 6 in deep, at most two per setback. Their area counts in your covered area.
• Open stairs: in the rear or side setbacks only, and never as the main stair to the first floor.
• Pergolas: uncovered, of wood or bamboo, up to 100 sq ft for terraced houses and 200 sq ft for detached houses.
• Small decorative features in the front setback, no higher than the boundary wall.

The boundary wall may be 3 ft to 7 ft high (clause 4.1.1).

How do I get CDA map approval for a house?

A house plan in Islamabad must be prepared by a CDA-enlisted architect and structural engineer, who also supervise the work (clause 5.2.1). You file it at CDA’s One Window Operation (OWO) in Block-III, CDA Secretariat.

CDA’s fast-track counter, launched in January 2024, promised approval in two days for complete files, for an extra Rs 20,000 on plots up to 356 sq yd and Rs 30,000 on larger plots, according to Zameen. We couldn’t confirm it still runs.

CDA also said in August 2024 that it would take plans online. In September 2023, its board decided to post pre-approved house designs on its website; as of April 2026 that hadn’t happened, Dawn reported, because hardware for the system was still being bought. We couldn’t open CDA’s online service portals to check.

What is the CDA map approval fee?

Annexure-A of the 2023 amendments sets these fees for a house:

Basement area counts. If your finished house differs from the approved plan by more than 15%, you pay double the approval fee on top of the completion fee.

On the two plots above, our sums: the 200 sq yd house (2,880 sq ft plus a 480 sq ft mumty) pays Rs 20,160. The 500 sq yd house (5,200 sq ft plus a 650 sq ft mumty) pays Rs 35,100. We found no later fee notice, so check the pay order amount with the OWO.

What inspections does CDA need while I build?

Your enlisted architect must inspect at these stages and report to the OWO within seven days (clause 3.12.8): ground demarcation, basement foundation and roof if any, DPC level with the boundary wall, each roof before the slab is poured, the water tank and mumty, and completion.

At plinth level, you file Form-D through the architect. CDA’s Land Survey Division checks plot lines, plinth level and building lines within 15 days. Form-D is filed again before every slab. Skipping the plinth check costs Rs 4 per sq ft of plinth area even if you built to plan.

The order of work is set out in house construction stages.

What happens if I build without CDA approval?

Under Annexure-B, starting work without an approved plan costs Rs 20,000 plus Rs 100 per sq ft for a house. CDA can also remove the construction at your cost (clause 2.2.3). Alterations of up to 10% without a revised plan cost Rs 50 per sq ft.

You must get a completion certificate within three months after your construction period ends. Living in the house without one draws a fine of Rs 5,000 a month in the first year, doubled after that (clause 2.8.1).

CDA’s approved plan also counts as the NOC for electricity, Sui gas and telephone connections. The regulations require at least one solar geyser in every house, checked at completion.

Are the rules different in private societies and Rawalpindi?

Yes. Private housing schemes inside Islamabad Capital Territory have their own table (Schedule-5) in the same regulations, with slightly different setbacks. A 151 to 200 sq yd plot, for example, needs 5 ft at the front and rear instead of 6 ft. CDA’s 2017 guidelines say these plans also need an NOC from the society, plus a vetting consultant’s certificate.

Rawalpindi is under the Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA), a Punjab body with its own approvals. RDA’s website publishes ready-made house designs for plot sizes from 25 x 50 ft to 50 x 90 ft. We couldn’t find RDA’s building regulations as a document, so we don’t give its setbacks here.

For Lahore, see LDA map approval and covered area and setbacks in Lahore. To budget the house, see house construction cost in Pakistan.

More guides: grey structure cost, best housing societies in Islamabad, Property.