Karnataka Moves to Drop National Building Code References from All Master Plans Outside Bengaluru Region; Objections Open Till 28 August
The Urban Development Department has published a draft amendment to omit every reference to the withdrawn National Building Code of India 2016 from the Zonal Regulations of all approved Master Plans in Karnataka — excluding the Bengaluru Metropolitan Region — after BIS notified the new SP 7:2026 National Building Construction Standards. Public objections and suggestions can be filed till 28 August 2026.
The Bureau of Indian Standards has retired the National Building Code of India 2016 — and Karnataka's town-planning rulebooks must now catch up. A Gazette draft published on 29 July proposes to strike out every NBC reference from Master Plan Zonal Regulations across the State, with a 30-day window for the public to respond.
AT A GLANCE
- SP 7:2026 National Building Construction Standards notified by BIS; NBC 2016 withdrawn with effect from 30 April 2026
- Karnataka proposes to omit all NBC references from Zonal Regulations of every approved Master Plan in force
- Bengaluru Metropolitan Region is excluded — GBA, BDA and all planning authorities under BMRDA are untouched by this draft
- Draft issued under Section 13-E, Karnataka Town and Country Planning Act, 1961
- Existing approvals, sanctions and permissions are not affected
- Objections/suggestions to the Secretary, UDD, by 28 August 2026
Bengaluru, 2 August 2026 — The Urban Development Department (UDD), by Notification No. UDD 23 TTP 2026(E) dated 24 July 2026, published in the Karnataka Gazette on Wednesday, 29 July 2026, has proposed the Karnataka Zonal Regulations (Amendment) Regulations, 2026 — a draft that removes references to the National Building Code of India (NBC) from the Zonal Regulations of all approved Master Plans in force across the State.
THE NOTIFICATION · BACKGROUND
Why the Change
The Bureau of Indian Standards, by its Gazette of India notification dated 30 April 2026, established SP 7:2026 — National Building Construction Standards, 2026, and simultaneously withdrew SP 7:2016, the National Building Code of India 2016, with effect from the same date.
Zonal Regulations under Karnataka's Master Plans, prepared under the Karnataka Town and Country Planning Act, 1961, repeatedly refer to the now-withdrawn 2016 Code in matters of planning and development control. The State Government says the amendment is intended to "simplify and rationalise" these regulations by removing references to a code that no longer exists. The draft is issued in exercise of powers under Section 13-E of the Act.
THE NOTIFICATION · WHAT IT SAYS
What the Draft Provides
- Name and commencement. The regulations are called the Karnataka Zonal Regulations (Amendment) Regulations, 2026, and come into force on the date of their final publication in the Official Gazette.
- Where they apply. To the Zonal Regulations of all Master Plans approved under the KTCP Act and in force in the State — except the Master Plans within the Bengaluru Metropolitan Region, including the GBA, BDA and all planning authorities within BMRDA.
- What is removed. Wherever the expressions "National Building Code (NBC)", "National Building Code of India", "NBC 2016 or any subsequent version", "as per NBC" or "as prescribed in NBC" occur, such references shall be omitted.
- Savings. The omission does not affect any approvals, sanctions, permissions or actions already taken under the relevant regulations before the amendment commences.
THE NOTIFICATION · WHY IT MATTERS
What It Means on the Ground
For builders, architects and planning consultants in cities and towns outside the Bengaluru region — Mysuru, Mangaluru, Hubballi-Dharwad, Belagavi, Tumakuru and every other planning-authority area — development control references shift away from a withdrawn code, aligning local regulation with the new national standards regime. Bengaluru's own Master Plan framework (GBA/BDA/BMRDA areas) is outside this draft and will need any corresponding change separately.
How to File Objections
Objections or suggestions may be addressed to the Secretary to Government, Urban Development Department, Vikasa Soudha, Bengaluru – 560001, within thirty days of the Gazette publication of 29 July 2026 — that is, by 28 August 2026. The notification states that submissions received after this period shall not be considered.
Reference: Notification No. UDD 23 TTP 2026(E) dated 24.07.2026, Karnataka Gazette Part 4A, 29 July 2026 (pages 2650–2651). The Gazette extract is attached below.
ಕನ್ನಡ ಸಾರಾಂಶ
ಭಾರತೀಯ ಮಾನಕ ಬ್ಯೂರೋ (BIS) 30 ಏಪ್ರಿಲ್ 2026ರಿಂದ ಜಾರಿಗೆ ಬರುವಂತೆ ರಾಷ್ಟ್ರೀಯ ಕಟ್ಟಡ ಸಂಹಿತೆ (NBC) 2016 ಅನ್ನು ಹಿಂಪಡೆದು, ಅದರ ಸ್ಥಾನದಲ್ಲಿ SP 7:2026 — ರಾಷ್ಟ್ರೀಯ ಕಟ್ಟಡ ನಿರ್ಮಾಣ ಮಾನಕಗಳು, 2026 ಅನ್ನು ಅಧಿಸೂಚಿಸಿದೆ. ಈ ಹಿನ್ನೆಲೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ನಗರಾಭಿವೃದ್ಧಿ ಇಲಾಖೆಯು ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ ಪಟ್ಟಣ ಮತ್ತು ಗ್ರಾಮಾಂತರ ಯೋಜನೆ ಅಧಿನಿಯಮ, 1961ರ ಕಲಂ 13-ಇ ಅಡಿಯಲ್ಲಿ 'ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ ವಲಯ ನಿಯಮಗಳ (ತಿದ್ದುಪಡಿ) ನಿಯಮಗಳು, 2026' ಕರಡನ್ನು 29 ಜುಲೈ 2026ರ ರಾಜ್ಯಪತ್ರದಲ್ಲಿ ಪ್ರಕಟಿಸಿದೆ. ರಾಜ್ಯದ ಎಲ್ಲಾ ಅನುಮೋದಿತ ಮಹಾಯೋಜನೆಗಳ (Master Plans) ವಲಯ ನಿಯಮಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಇರುವ NBC ಉಲ್ಲೇಖಗಳನ್ನು ತೆಗೆದುಹಾಕುವುದು ಈ ತಿದ್ದುಪಡಿಯ ಉದ್ದೇಶ; ಆದರೆ ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು ಮಹಾನಗರ ಪ್ರದೇಶ (GBA, BDA ಹಾಗೂ BMRDA ವ್ಯಾಪ್ತಿಯ ಯೋಜನಾ ಪ್ರಾಧಿಕಾರಗಳು) ಇದರಿಂದ ಹೊರಗಿದೆ. ಈಗಾಗಲೇ ನೀಡಲಾದ ಅನುಮೋದನೆ, ಮಂಜೂರಾತಿ ಮತ್ತು ಪರವಾನಗಿಗಳ ಮೇಲೆ ಯಾವುದೇ ಪರಿಣಾಮ ಬೀರುವುದಿಲ್ಲ. ಸಾರ್ವಜನಿಕರು ತಮ್ಮ ಆಕ್ಷೇಪಣೆ/ಸಲಹೆಗಳನ್ನು 28 ಆಗಸ್ಟ್ 2026ರೊಳಗೆ ಸರ್ಕಾರದ ಕಾರ್ಯದರ್ಶಿ, ನಗರಾಭಿವೃದ್ಧಿ ಇಲಾಖೆ, ವಿಕಾಸಸೌಧ, ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು–560001 ಇವರಿಗೆ ಸಲ್ಲಿಸಬಹುದು; ತಡವಾಗಿ ಬರುವ ಸಲ್ಲಿಕೆಗಳನ್ನು ಪರಿಗಣಿಸಲಾಗುವುದಿಲ್ಲ.
