The Ministry of Defence has issued the Draft Amritsar Cantonment Building Bye-Laws, 2026 to regulate construction, re-construction, additions, alterations, building sanctions and zoning within the limits of Amritsar Cantonment. The Bye-Laws shall come into force upon their final publication in the Official Gazette by the Central Government.
The following has been stated:
Building sanction: No person shall undertake erection, re-erection, addition or alteration of any building without obtaining sanction from the Competent Authority. Applications are to be submitted online through the E-Chhawani portal through the Board's registered architect.
Eligibility: Only persons having legally valid occupancy rights over leased, old grant or private land may apply for building-plan sanction. Applications may be refused where lease or old grant conditions have been breached until such breach is regularised or condoned.
Fees and environmental requirements: Building application fees, development charges, labour cess and other applicable charges are payable before sanction. Incentives may be provided for rooftop solar installation and rainwater harvesting for buildings having covered area below 100 sq. metres, while rainwater harvesting is mandatory for buildings with covered area exceeding 100 sq. metres.
Documents: Applicants are required to submit ownership/legal-rights documents, notarised affidavit and indemnity bond, identity proof, admission deed, no-dues certificate, site photographs, sanctioned plan where available, prescribed Forms A, B and C, and other documents required by the Competent Authority.
Minimum plot size: Construction is generally not permitted on plots below 50 sq. metres, except for existing authorised plots as per GLR records. Rooftop solar installation and rainwater harvesting are mandatory where the covered area exceeds 100 sq. metres.
Cooling and energy measures: For approval, applicants must adopt at least one specified measure under the India Cooling Action Plan, including plantation of trees, cool roofs/high solar-reflective paints, pervious pavement or solar PV installation. Applicable energy conservation codes are also required for buildings falling within their scope.
Unauthorised construction: The Cantonment Board may impose a fee of up to 10% of the cost of construction for regularisation of unauthorised construction, subject to the Bye-Laws. Only minor deviations that do not involve a change of use may be considered for compromise.
Zoning: Amritsar Cantonment is proposed to be divided into Zone-I, comprising the notified civil area/Sadar Bazar and generally high-density areas, and Zone-II, comprising other land including old grant properties and leases outside the civil area.
Zone-I FSI and site coverage: For Zone-I, the prescribed site coverage and FSI vary according to plot size, with coverage ranging from 60% to 90% and FSI from 1.50 to 2.00. Mezzanine floors are included in FSI calculations, and not more than one dwelling unit is permitted on each floor.
Zone-I building height and storeys: The minimum floor height is 3 metres, while the total building height is capped at 13.5 metres, including the stilt floor. The maximum permissible configuration is Ground + 2 or Stilt + 3 floors, where the stilt is used for parking.
Advertising signs: No advertising sign may be installed by any holder of occupancy rights without the prior permission of the Cantonment Board, and such signage will be subject to the Board's applicable signage-control policies.
Please refer to the document attached below for more details.
