Ahmedabad: The Urban Development and Urban Housing Department of the state govt issued a notification on July 28, 2026, proposing amendments to CGDCR (Comprehensive General Development Control Regulations) and inviting objections from citizens.For the first time, CGDCR clarifies and fixes the height limits for bungalow construction. In urban areas, including Ahmedabad city, residential constructions up to a height of 12 metres and up to three storeys will now be classified as bungalows. If a residential construction exceeds 12 metres in height, apartment construction rules will apply. Residential construction exceeding 12 metres, instead of being treated as a bungalow, will be classified as an apartment-type structure and must leave compulsory open spaces (margins).Top sources close to the development said that the state govt implemented CGDCR in 2017, but it lacked clarity regarding the height of residential bungalows. An official from State Urban Development Department stated: “Land prices have escalated in major cities across Gujarat, including Ahmedabad, and residential development is expanding rapidly. However, the existing CGDCR had no specific provisions for bungalow heights. In several instances, layout plans for four- or five-story residential structures were approved under the guise of bungalows, and after obtaining BU permission, they were sold as flats. To address these cases of obtaining bungalow layout approvals and subsequently selling them as apartments, amendments to the CGDCR have been proposed.”“Under the proposed amendments, only residential constructions up to a height of 12 meters will be granted development permission as bungalows. If layout plans for residential structures exceeding 12 meters are submitted, apartment regulations will apply, requiring compliance with DW3 category construction rules,” the official said.Consequently, if any landowner or plot owner submits a bungalow layout plan for approval, they will not be permitted a height exceeding 12 metres. If the height exceeds 12 metres, DW3 category construction rules will apply, under which all residential structures taller than 12 metres will be classified as apartments, a senior official in the urban development department. Based on the height prescribed in the DW3 category, the construction must include proper staircases, maintain margin space, and secure a Fire NOC.“In residential bungalow constructions up to 12 meters in height, professionals—including doctors, advocates, architects, engineers, and Chartered Accountants (CAs)—will be permitted to use up to 50 sq. meters of built-up area for their professional offices,” the UDD official said.
