High-rise building: the height line in NBC 2016, NBCS 2026 and every state

High-rise building at a glance

High-rise building in NBC 2016 and NBCS 2026

How to find the high-rise building line that applies to you

1. 1

   Measure the height the way your rules do

   Most rules measure to the last occupied floor, not the roof, and some count the stilt floor. Note both the height in metres and the number of floors above ground.

2. 2

   Find your state in the matrix below

   Read whether the state's number is a definition of high-rise, a fire NOC trigger or a risk class. A building can be under the high-rise line and still need a NOC.

3. 3

   Read the instrument's own words

   Open the act, rule or bye-law named in the matrix. Check whether it says "above", "or above" or "exceeding": a building of exactly 15 m or 18.3 m depends on it.

4. 4

   Check your city's development rules

   Building bye-laws often carry their own definition, as in Kerala's rule 80, Tamil Nadu's rule 2(58) or Meghalaya's A2.30, and the plan sanction follows them.

5. 5

   Confirm with the fire service in writing

   Where the act and the bye-laws give different lines, as in Karnataka, ask the fire officer which one your file will be judged against before you fix the drawings.

High-rise building height in every state and UT

Flamekite read the line in all 36 states and union territories. 13 define a high-rise building; most others set a fire NOC height instead. Two publish neither in a text Flamekite could find.

Definition = the instrument defines "high-rise building". Trigger = the height at which a fire NOC or certificate is needed. Class = a risk or fee band. A building below every line here can still need a NOC for its use or floor area: schools from 9 m in Delhi, Haryana and Bihar, for example.

What the NBCS 2026 definition of a high-rise building says

The definition is one line. What it does depends on whether your state adopts it.

NBC 2016 used the same words with 15 m, in clause 2.38 of Part 4. Part F says it is only for guidance and referral for the state government or local authority, and a note to clause 1.2 lets them change its height and area thresholds. Only Assam had written NBCS 2026 into its fire law by 24 October 2026, and the same Assam amendment of 14 August 2026 removed the 15 m figure from its own definition and left the height to a Government notification.

How high-rise building height is measured, rule by rule

Two buildings of the same height can fall on different sides of the line, because the rules measure from different points and count different floors.

• NBCS 2026, clause 2.6

  From the fire tender's grade to the last occupied floor

  Height runs from the ground where the fire tender stands to the floor level of the last occupiable floor; on a sloping site, from the lowest level a fire vehicle can reach. 1BIS, SP 7:2026

• West Bengal, section 2(ha)

  From the street's centre line to the highest point

  The 14.5 m line is measured from the average level of the centre line of the abutting street. 47Indian Kanoonnews report

• AP G.O.Ms.No.273

  The stilt floor is counted

  Since 19 December 2025 the 24 m line includes the stilt floor. 8G.O.Ms.No.273

• J&K bye-laws, chapter 9

  Stilts add 2.5 m

  Higher than 15 m without stilts, or above 17.5 m with stilts kept for parking. 40J&K H&UDD

• Punjab Act, section 24(2)

  Stilt parking keeps 17.5 m low-rise

  An independent floor up to 17.5 m with stilt parking gets low-rise fire norms; shops in the stilts end the relief. 25Punjab Gazette

• Kerala KMBR, rule 80

  Floors count as well as metres

  16 m or more, or more than 4 floors excluding basements: a low-ceilinged 5-floor block is a high-rise. 17KMBR 2019

• MP Bhumi Vikas, rule 2(38)

  Storeys or metres, whichever comes first

  More than 10 storeys or more than 30 m. 18MP Town Planning

• Delhi Rule 27

  Stilt and mezzanine floors are storeys

  A stilt plus 4 floors is 5 storeys, which brings a home in even below 15 m. 35DFS

What NBCS 2026 asks of a high-rise building

Part F's Annex D and the clauses it points to add these duties once a building reaches 24 m. They apply where your state adopts NBCS 2026 or a contract names it.

One 20 m high-rise building tested in six cities

The same block of flats, 20 m to its last occupied floor, 6 floors and 2,400 m², is a high-rise in some states and not in others.

1. Case 1

   Hyderabad

   A fresh Provisional NOC application filed after 7 October 2026.

   What applies Below Telangana's 24 m line for residential apartments, so no Provisional fire NOC is needed for this block; a commercial block of the same height would still need one above 15 m. 29TGFD circular 3455

2. Case 2

   Bengaluru

   Plan sanction from the city corporation.

   What applies Below the 21 m high-rise line in section 13(3) of the Karnataka Fire Force Act, but Seva Sindhu lists eligibility from 15 m: ask KSFES in writing which line applies. 16Government of Karnataka

3. Case 3

   Kolkata

   Inside the Kolkata Municipal Corporation area.

   What applies Above West Bengal's 14.5 m line, so a high-rise and a high-risk building; 2,400 m² is also over the 500 m² cap for self-certification, so it needs the recommendation and the certificate. 41WB notification 1930

4. Case 4

   Chennai

   Planning permission from CMDA.

   What applies Over the 18.30 m line in TNCDBR rule 2(58), so a high-rise: the Director of Fire and Rescue Services issues the NOC. 28TNCDBR 2019

5. Case 5

   Indore

   Building permission from the municipal corporation.

   What applies Not a high-rise until it passes 30 m or 10 storeys, but above 12.5 m it must submit fire drawings and fit the systems before occupancy. 18MP Town Planning

6. Case 6

   Kochi

   Permit under the Kerala Municipality Building Rules.

   What applies A high-rise twice over: 16 m or more, and more than 4 floors. Over 15 m it also needs the fire NOC under rule 5(4). 17KMBR 2019

How state high-rise building lines were set, 2012 to 2025

Before NBCS 2026 most states copied 15 m from the code. These are the ones that wrote their own line, and when.

1. 30 May 2012

   Madhya Pradesh's Bhumi Vikas Rules define a high-rise as more than 10 storeys or 30 m. 18MP Town Planning

2. 17 December 2014

   Goa's section 13 notification lists high-rise buildings of more than 15 m. 12DFES Goa charter

3. 2016

   NBC 2016 Part 4 defines a high-rise as 15 m or above, irrespective of occupancy (clause 2.38). 2BIS, NBC 2016 Part 4

4. 4 February 2019

   Tamil Nadu's Combined Development and Building Rules set the line at exceeding 18.30 m. 28TNCDBR 2019

5. 8 November 2019

   Kerala's Municipality Building Rules define a high-rise as 16 m or more, or more than 4 floors. 17KMBR 2019

6. 25 March 2021

   Meghalaya's Building Bye-Laws define a high-rise as exceeding 15 m, any occupancy. 21Bye-Laws 2021

7. 24 December 2021

   J&K's Unified Building Bye-Laws set 15 m, 17.5 m with stilts, and call buildings above 50 m tall. 36J&K Gazette

8. 2023

   Karnataka's amendment adds section 13(3): a high-rise is 21 m or above, any occupancy. 16Government of Karnataka

9. 19 December 2025

   Andhra Pradesh moves to 24 m, stilt floor included, by G.O.Ms.No.273. 8G.O.Ms.No.273

10. 24 December 2025

    Assam's new fire Act defines a high-rise as 15 m or above in section 2(oo). 42Assam Act LIII of 2025

High-rise building line changes in 2026

From news reports, not yet an official source.

High-rise building and the terms used next to it

Rules use several near-synonyms, and each one carries its own number.

TTall building

NBCS 2026 uses 60 m and above for tall buildings (clause 4.2.10); the J&K bye-laws use more than 50 m. 1BIS, SP 7:2026

SSpecial building

In NBC 2016 Part 4, clause 1.2(b): non-high-rise buildings the fire chapter still covers, such as schools and hospitals of 9 m, every assembly building and any floor over 500 m². 2BIS, NBC 2016 Part 4

MMulti-storey building

Uttar Pradesh's Act uses it for buildings more than 15 m; Jharkhand's bye-laws put it at 16.40 m, or 15 m for fire. 30UP Act 16 of 2022

MMulti Storied Building (Tamil Nadu)

18.3 m and above on the single window portal: the Director of Fire and Rescue Services issues these NOCs, the District Officer the rest. 43TNSWP

HHigh-risk building (West Bengal)

A high-rise of 14.5 m or more, or any occupancy the state notifies; notification 279 of 2003 lists 19. 44West Bengal Fire and Emergency Services

SSection 45 building (Maharashtra)

The Act's high-risk class: above 30 m for listed uses and residential buildings above 70 m, with a licensed fire audit every 2 years. 45Amendment Act 2023

FFirefighting shaft

An enclosed shaft of 120-minute fire resistance holding a staircase, a fire lift and its lobby (NBCS 2026, clause 2.24). 1BIS, SP 7:2026

RRefuge area

A space for temporary use during escape, open to air on at least one side, required above 24 m in NBCS 2026 where refuge spaces are not planned. 1BIS, SP 7:2026

High-rise building lines across India, counted

Flamekite’s working from the official rules; no government publishes this figure.

Flamekite's count from the 36-row matrix above, on 24 October 2026.

• 36

  States and UTs whose high-rise or fire NOC height line Flamekite looked for 4Legislative Department, Ministry of Law and Justice

• 13

  That define "high-rise building" in an act, rule or bye-law (Assam until August 2026) 42Assam Act LIII of 2025

• 19

  That use 15 m as their main line, the NBC 2016 and Model Bill figure 5DGFS, MHA

• 4

  At 24 m: Andhra Pradesh, Tripura, Mizoram once gazetted, and Telangana for apartments 7Directorate of Fire and Emergency Services, Tripura

• 14.5 m

  The lowest definition: West Bengal 47Indian Kanoonnews report

• 30 m

  The highest: Madhya Pradesh, more than 30 m or 10 storeys 18MP Town Planning

• 2

  With no line Flamekite could find: Arunachal Pradesh and Lakshadweep 9Government of Arunachal Pradesh

Four myths about the high-rise building line

• You may have read

  Since 2026 every building under 24 m is outside the high-rise rules.

  Myth

  What the sources say

  NBCS 2026 is voluntary. Most states still use 15 m in their own acts and bye-laws, and those decide the fire NOC. 1BIS, SP 7:2026

• You may have read

  Below the high-rise line, no fire NOC is needed.

  Myth

  What the sources say

  Use and height bands below the high-rise line bring buildings in too: Delhi's Rule 27 covers schools, hospitals and shops over 9 m and hotels over 12 m. 35DFS

• You may have read

  Telangana raised the high-rise line to 24 m for all buildings.

  Myth

  What the sources say

  Circular Rc.No.3455/MSB/2026 moves only residential apartments to 24 m; commercial buildings still need a NOC above 15 m. 29TGFD circular 3455

• You may have read

  Assam no longer has a high-rise height.

  Myth

  What the sources say

  The definition now waits for a Government notification, but Schedule I of the 2025 Act still makes every building of 15 m or more high risk. 42Assam Act LIII of 2025

Where the high-rise building line catches owners out

These come from the wording of the rules, not from the number itself.

What Flamekite could not confirm about high-rise building lines

These gaps are listed so you know where to ask, not filled with guesses.