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Covered area and bylaws calculator
How much you may build on a residential plot in Lahore or Islamabad: the open spaces to leave, how much the ground floor may cover, the storeys and height, the basement and mumty, and the total covered area, from the LDA, DHA and CDA regulations.
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Calculator
Check your plot
Choose the authority and the plot, say whether it is a corner plot, and see what the regulations let you build.
What you may build
- Ground floor
- 1,440 sq ft63% of the plot
- Storeys
- 4 + basementup to 45 ft
- Coverage limit
- 70%1,593 sq ft
- FAR
- 1:2.86,370 sq ft in all
The setbacks leave 1,440 sq ft, less than the 70% ground coverage limit of 1,593 sq ft, so they set the ground floor.
The FAR of 1:2.8, basement included, caps the building at 6,370 sq ft, so the top storey is cut short. Without a basement, the 4 storeys come to 5,760 sq ft.
Floor by floor
- BasementCounted in the FAR
- 1,440 sq ft
- Ground floor
- 1,440 sq ft
- First floor
- 1,440 sq ft
- Second floor
- 1,440 sq ft
- Third floorCut short by the FAR
- 610 sq ft
- Total
- 6,370 sq ft
Open spaces to leave
- Front
- 10 ft
- Rear
- 7 ft
- One side
- 5 ft
The other rules
- Height
- Up to 4 storeys above any basement and 45 ft from the crown of the road to the top of the parapet, each storey at least 9 ft 6 in clear.Clause 2.2.2, 2.2.3
- Roof
- The LDA regulations set no size for the stair tower (mumty). Stair cases, lift heads and water tanks are left out of the height.Clause 1.1 (Building Height)
- Basement
- Allowed inside the open spaces, with rooms at least 8 ft high, and counted in the FAR, so it takes floor area the storeys could have had.Clause 2.2.3 (a), 5.2.1
- Car porch
- A car porch up to 20 ft long may stand in the side space, and a toilet of up to 40 sq ft, 8 ft high, in the rear corner.Clause 2.1.4
Covers residential plots in LDA approved schemes. Older built-up areas of Lahore follow section 2.1, where the rules turn on the width of the road. Private schemes may build under bylaws of their own, and commercial plots, apartments, farm houses and special areas such as the Walled City have their own rules. Rules as published, read September 2026. Regulations change: confirm with the authority, or the society, before a drawing is made.
Source: LDA Building and Zoning Regulations 2019, with amendments to 28 January 2020, clauses 2.2.1, 2.2.3 and 5.2.1, read September 2026.
Reference
What each authority allows on common plots
Setbacks, the ground floor, storeys and the most you may build, with a basement, for the usual plot sizes. Areas in sq ft.
| Plot | Setbacks: front / rear / sides | Ground floor | Storeys, height | Total, with basement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 marla, 20 × 34 ft | 5 ft / 5 ft / none | 480 | 3, 38 ft | 1,632 |
| 5 marla, 25 × 45 ft | 5 ft / 5 ft / none | 844 | 3, 38 ft | 2,588 |
| 7 marla, 30 × 52.5 ft | 5 ft / 5 ft / none | 1,181 | 3, 38 ft | 3,622 |
| 8 marla, 30 × 60 ft | 5 ft / 5 ft / none | 1,350 | 3, 38 ft | 4,140 |
| 10 marla, 35 × 65 ft | 10 ft / 7 ft / 5 ft | 1,440 | 4, 45 ft | 6,370 |
| 1 kanal, 50 × 90 ft | 10 ft / 7 ft / 5 ft | 2,925 | 4, 45 ft | 11,700 |
| 2 kanal, 75 × 120 ft | 20 ft / 10 ft / 10 ft and 10 ft | 4,950 | 4, 45 ft | 19,800 |
| Plot | Setbacks: front / rear / sides | Ground floor | Storeys, height | Total, with basement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 marla, 25 × 45 ft | 5 ft / 3 ft / 3 ft | 814 | 2, 39 ft | 2,617 |
| 7 marla, 30 × 52.5 ft | 7 ft / 3 ft / 3 ft | 1,148 | 2, 39 ft | 3,411 |
| 8 marla, 30 × 60 ft | 8 ft / 4 ft / 4 ft | 1,248 | 2, 39 ft | 3,694 |
| 9 marla, 33 × 64 ft | 9 ft / 5 ft 4½ in / 4 ft 9 in | 1,402 | 2, 39 ft | 4,128 |
| 10 marla, 35 × 64 ft | 10 ft 9 in / 5 ft 4½ in / 5 ft 4½ in | 1,418 | 2, 39 ft | 4,175 |
| 10 marla, 35 × 65 ft | 10 ft 9 in / 5 ft 4½ in / 5 ft 4½ in | 1,448 | 2, 39 ft | 4,258 |
| 1 kanal, 50 × 90 ft | 15 ft 9 in / 5 ft 4½ in / 5 ft 4½ in and 5 ft 4½ in | 2,703 | 2, 39 ft | 7,869 |
| 2 kanal, 75 × 120 ft | 20 ft 9 in / 8 ft 4½ in / 5 ft 4½ in and 5 ft 4½ in | 5,839 | 2, 39 ft | 16,532 |
| 2 kanal, 100 × 90 ft | 15 ft 9 in / 8 ft 4½ in / 5 ft 4½ in and 5 ft 4½ in | 5,879 | 2, 39 ft | 16,645 |
| Plot | Setbacks: front / rear / sides | Ground floor | Storeys, height | Total, with basement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 138.9 sq yd (5 marla), 25 × 50 ft | 5 ft / 7 ft / none | 750 | 2, 30 ft | 2,400 |
| 200 sq yd (8 marla), 30 × 60 ft | 6 ft / 8 ft / none | 1,080 | 2, 30 ft | 3,390 |
| 272.2 sq yd (10.9 marla), 35 × 70 ft | 10 ft / 10 ft / none | 1,470 | 2, 30 ft | 4,243 |
| 355.6 sq yd (14.2 marla), 40 × 80 ft | 10 ft / 10 ft / none | 1,920 | 2, 30 ft | 5,480 |
| 500 sq yd (1 kanal), 50 × 90 ft | 10 ft / 10 ft / 5 ft and 10 ft | 2,250 | 2, 30 ft | 6,550 |
| Plot | Setbacks: front / rear / sides | Ground floor | Storeys, height | Total, with basement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 125 sq yd (5 marla), 25 × 45 ft | 5 ft / 3 ft / none | 956 | 2, 37 ft | 3,063 |
| 200 sq yd (8 marla), 30 × 60 ft | 5 ft / 3 ft / none | 1,530 | 2, 37 ft | 4,865 |
| 250 sq yd (10 marla), 35 × 65 ft | 10 ft / 3 ft / 3 ft and 3 ft | 1,593 | 2, 37 ft | 4,784 |
| 500 sq yd (1 kanal), 50 × 90 ft | 15 ft / 5 ft / 5 ft and 5 ft | 3,060 | 2, 37 ft | 9,019 |
| 1,000 sq yd (2 kanal), 75 × 120 ft | 20 ft / 5 ft / 5 ft and 5 ft | 5,400 | 2, 37 ft | 17,245 |
From the regulations named under each table, read September 2026. LDA and CDA give no plot sides, so their usual layouts are used; the total counts a basement and, where the rules give one, the mumty.
How it is worked out
From the setbacks to the covered area
Every authority starts from the open spaces a house must leave at the front, the rear and, on bigger plots, the sides. Take them off the plot and what is left is the most any floor can cover. Some authorities also cap the ground floor at a share of the plot, the ground coverage, and whichever of the two is smaller wins.
The floors above follow each authority's own rule. The LDA allows 3 or 4 storeys, taken here at the ground floor's size, and holds the whole building, basement included, to a floor area ratio (FAR): the covered area divided by the plot area. DHA Lahore allows the first floor a share of the ground floor and no second floor. The CDA allows two storeys within a FAR, and DHA Islamabad-Rawalpindi two storeys, the first floor 90% of the ground on plots of 250 sq yd and over.
On a 10 marla plot of 35 × 65 ft under the LDA, the open spaces are 10 ft at the front, 7 ft at the rear and 5 ft on one side, which leaves 30 × 48 ft, 1,440 sq ft. That is less than the 70% ground coverage limit of 1,593 sq ft, so the setbacks set the ground floor. Four storeys of 1,440 sq ft make 5,760 sq ft, inside the FAR of 1:2.8 (6,370 sq ft). A basement counts in that FAR, so with one the total stops at 6,370 sq ft and the top storey shrinks.
These are the rules as the regulations print them, for residential plots only. Commercial plots, apartments, farm houses and special areas are not covered, nor is any amendment made after the editions named here. Private housing schemes often build under bylaws of their own. Confirm with the authority, or the society, before an architect draws the house.
Terms
Words the bylaws use
- Covered area
- The floor area of a building, every floor added together, measured to the outside of its walls. Shades within the permitted width are usually left out; whether a porch, a mumty or a basement counts differs from one authority to the next.
- Ground coverage
- How much of the plot the ground floor may cover, as a share of the plot's area. It is a cap: the open spaces may leave less.
- Floor area ratio (FAR)
- The covered area of all floors divided by the plot area. A FAR of 1:2.8 on a 2,275 sq ft plot allows 6,370 sq ft. The LDA counts the basement in it; the CDA does not when the basement is reached from inside the house.
- Setback
- Open space a building must leave between itself and the plot line. The LDA calls the front one the building line, DHA Lahore calls them clear spaces and includes the boundary walls, and DHA Islamabad-Rawalpindi calls them compulsory open spaces (COS).
- Mumty
- The small room on the roof over the stair, also called the stair tower or mumtee. Most rules cap its area and height, and it is where an overhead water tank is often hidden.
- Crown of the road
- The highest point of the road in front of the plot, from which building height is measured.
Questions
Covered area questions
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Ask our team during Pakistan business hours, in English or Urdu.
+92 333 2466662Chat on WhatsAppWhat is the covered area of a 10 marla house?
It depends on the authority. Under the LDA, a 35 × 65 ft plot may take 1,440 sq ft on the ground floor and 4 storeys, 5,760 sq ft in all, or 6,370 sq ft with a basement within the FAR. In DHA Lahore the same plot takes 1,448 sq ft on the ground floor and 1,187 sq ft on the first, 2,810 sq ft with the mumty, or 4,258 sq ft with a basement.
What are the LDA bylaws for a 5 marla house?
In an LDA approved scheme, a 5 marla plot leaves 5 ft at the front, 5 ft at the rear and no side space. The ground floor may cover 75% of the plot, up to 3 storeys and 38 ft high, within a FAR of 1:2.3. On a 25 × 45 ft plot that is 844 sq ft a floor and 2,588 sq ft in all, basement included.
What are the setbacks in DHA Lahore?
Clause 22 of the 2026 regulations, boundary walls included: 5 marla 5 ft front, 3 ft rear and 3 ft on one side; 10 marla 10 ft 9 in front, 5 ft 4½ in rear and one side; 1 kanal 15 ft 9 in front and 5 ft 4½ in at the rear and both sides; 2 kanal 20 ft 9 in front on a 75 × 120 ft plot or 15 ft 9 in on 100 × 90 ft, 8 ft 4½ in rear and 5 ft 4½ in both sides.
How much area can I build on a 1 kanal plot?
On 50 × 90 ft, with a basement: 11,700 sq ft under the LDA (4 storeys within a FAR of 1:2.6), 7,869 sq ft in DHA Lahore (ground and first floor, basement and mumty), 6,550 sq ft in a CDA sector of Islamabad, and 9,019 sq ft in DHA Islamabad-Rawalpindi, the figure its own regulations give.
What are the building bylaws in Islamabad?
In the CDA sectors, a 1993 regulation still sets house rules by plot size: a 30 × 60 ft (200 sq yd) plot leaves 6 ft at the front, 8 ft at the rear and no side space, may cover 60% on the ground floor within a FAR of 1:1.2, and has two storeys up to 30 ft, 2,310 sq ft with the stair tower. DHA Islamabad-Rawalpindi allows ground and first floor up to 37 ft. Private schemes in Zones 2, 4 and 5 have bylaws of their own.
Is a basement counted in the covered area?
Under the LDA it counts in the FAR, so it takes area from the storeys. In a CDA sector it is not counted in the FAR when reached from inside the house. DHA Islamabad-Rawalpindi counts it in the total covered area, up to the whole plot inside the setbacks, and DHA Lahore allows one storey up to the ground floor's covered area.
How big can the mumty be?
DHA Lahore allows 175 sq ft up to 10 marla and 300 sq ft from 1 kanal. The CDA allows a stair tower of 150 to 250 sq ft by plot type, 7 ft 6 in high inside. DHA Islamabad-Rawalpindi sets it by plot size, from 225 sq ft on 125 sq yd to 810 sq ft on 1,000 sq yd. The LDA sets no size, but leaves stair cases out of the building height.
Do these rules apply in private housing societies?
Not always. A private scheme builds under the bylaws approved for it, which may follow the development authority's regulations or differ from them. Ask the society for its building bylaws, and have the drawing approved before building.
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