Published: August 2026 | White Warp | whitewarp.in
FSI for a residential plot in Delhi depends on which rulebook governs the plot. On an MCD plot, FSI rises with road width, from 1.2 on roads under 6m up to 3.5 on roads above 24m. On a DDA-allotted plot, FSI is set by plot size instead, from 3.0 on plots up to 250 sqm down to 2.0 on plots between 750 and 1,000 sqm. Multiply plot area by the applicable FSI to get total buildable floor area.
Quick Answer
- Two separate systems apply in Delhi. MCD building bye-laws use road width. The DDA Handbook uses plot size. Confirm which one governs your plot before using either number.
- MCD residential FSI (per the Unified Building Bye-Laws for Delhi 2016, as amended, the document currently in force): 1.2 on roads under 6m, rising in steps to 3.5 on roads above 24m. Note: the Delhi Master Plan 2041 remains unnotified as of 2026, so it is not the governing document for FSI today. Do not cite it as the authority for a live building-plan submission.
- DDA residential FSI (per the DDA Handbook, for planned colonies like Dwarka, Rohini, and most DDA-allotted sectors): 3.0 up to 250 sqm, 2.25 between 250 and 750 sqm, 2.0 between 750 and 1,000 sqm.
- Buildable floor area = plot area x applicable FSI. Ground coverage and setback rules then decide how that area gets distributed across floors.
- Basement area built for parking is typically excluded from the FSI count. Balcony depth up to about 1.5m is typically exempt as well.
- Always verify the exact FSI figure against the current bye-law or Handbook edition in force for your plot. Rules get amended, and a number from an old brochure or broker message can be stale.
Step 1: Find Out Which Authority Governs Your Plot
This is the step most buyers skip, and it is the one that decides everything after it.
Check your allotment letter or site plan. If the plot came from a DDA scheme (most of Dwarka, Rohini's DDA phases, and DDA residential sectors), the DDA Handbook applies and FSI is plot-size driven, not road-width driven. If the plot sits in an MCD-regulated freehold or leasehold colony, the Unified Building Bye-Laws for Delhi 2016 (UBBL 2016, as amended) apply and FSI climbs with road width. A separate document, the Delhi Master Plan 2041, has circulated in draft form for years and remains unnotified as of 2026. It governs long-range land use and zoning intent, not the FSI table a building-plan officer applies today. Do not cite it as your FSI authority.
Applying the wrong table is the single most common FSI error in Delhi. A DDA plot and an MCD plot of the same size, on the same road, can carry different permissible FSI because they are governed by different documents.
Step 2: Measure the Input Your Table Needs
For an MCD plot, get the actual road width fronting the plot, measured on site rather than read off an old layout plan. Roads get widened, and plot boundaries get subdivided, after the original approval.
For a DDA plot, you need plot area, which is fixed on your allotment paperwork.
Step 3: Read Off the FSI
Use the table for your authority. If your road width or plot area sits close to a slab boundary (just under or over 12m, for instance), get a professional measurement rather than eyeballing it. Being on the wrong side of a boundary changes your FSI by a full slab.
Step 4: Multiply Plot Area by FSI
Permissible floor area = plot area x FSI. This is the total floor area you can build across every floor combined, not the area of any single floor.
Step 5: Apply Ground Coverage
Ground coverage is a separate limit from FSI. It caps how much of the plot footprint you can build on at ground level, typically in the range of 33% to 50% of plot area for MCD plots depending on plot category, and a plot-size-driven percentage under the DDA Handbook. Confirm the exact figure for your plot category before finalizing a design, since it is not the same number as FSI and both limits apply simultaneously.
Step 6: Apply Setbacks
Setback rules require you to leave clear space from the front, rear, and side boundaries. These reduce your usable footprint below the raw coverage percentage. The setback distances scale with road width and plot size and should be confirmed for your specific plot before a floor plan is finalized.
Step 7: Distribute Floor Area Across Floors Within the Height Cap
Once you know total permissible floor area and the coverage-limited footprint per floor, divide one by the other to see roughly how many floors you need to use up your entitlement, and check that against the height cap that applies to your plot and road width.
Step 8: Deduct for Non-Sellable Area
Wall thickness, staircase, and shared circulation space typically take 12% to 15% off gross floor area before you arrive at net sellable or usable area. This deduction is where a lot of back-of-envelope feasibility math goes wrong, because it is easy to quote the gross FSI number as if it were sellable area.
Worked Example: 200 sqm Plot, Rohini, MCD-Governed, 12m Road
Plot area: 200 sqm Governing authority: MCD (freehold colony, not a DDA allotment) Road width: 12m, which falls in the 9m to 12m FSI band
Step 4: FSI 2.0 x 200 sqm = 400 sqm permissible floor area
Step 5: Assuming a ground coverage of roughly 50% for this plot category (verify the exact figure for the specific colony and plot type), ground footprint is about 100 sqm.
Step 7: At roughly 100 sqm of usable coverage per floor, the 400 sqm entitlement plays out over about four floors (ground plus three), which is a typical configuration on a 12m-road MCD plot. Confirm the exact height cap that applies to your colony category before finalizing the floor count.
Step 8: After a 13% deduction for walls and circulation, net sellable area is approximately 348 sqm, or about 3,745 sqft.
This is the buildable area figure that should go into any revenue or margin calculation, not the raw 400 sqm FSI entitlement.
Common Mistakes
Using the MCD road-width table on a DDA plot, or the reverse. The two systems are not interchangeable, and mixing them up is the most common error.
Reading FSI off an old brochure or a broker's WhatsApp message. Bye-laws and the Handbook get amended. Confirm against the current edition, not something forwarded a few years ago.
Treating FSI and ground coverage as the same number. They are two independent limits. A plot can have generous FSI and still be constrained by a tight coverage percentage that forces more floors to use up the entitlement.
Forgetting the basement and balcony exemptions. Skipping these either understates your buildable area, or, more dangerously, leads to double counting if a balcony beyond the exempt depth is assumed free.
Not measuring the road width on site. Layout plans can be outdated. A plot that looks like it is on a 12m road on paper may measure differently on the ground, and that can move you into a different FSI slab entirely.
FAQ
Is FSI the same thing as FAR in Delhi? Yes. FSI (Floor Space Index) and FAR (Floor Area Ratio) refer to the same ratio of permissible built-up area to plot area. Delhi's MCD bye-laws use the term FSI. Other authorities, such as Noida's GNIDA, use FAR. The calculation method is identical under either name.
Does FSI include the basement? Basement area built specifically for parking is typically excluded from the FSI count under Delhi's building bye-laws. This is one reason many Delhi houses include a basement in addition to the floors counted toward FSI.
What happens if I build beyond my permissible FSI? Construction beyond sanctioned FSI is unauthorized. It can be caught at the building-plan sanction stage or later during a completion-certificate inspection, and can result in a stop-work notice, a penalty, or an order to remove the excess portion, depending on the specifics of the case.
Can I purchase additional FSI in Delhi? Certain schemes allow transferable development rights or premium FSI in specific zones, but this is not a blanket option available to every residential plot. Confirm with MCD or DDA whether your specific plot and zone are eligible before assuming extra FSI can be bought.
How do I confirm the exact road width for my plot? A physical, on-site measurement is more reliable than the width shown on an old approved layout, since roads are sometimes widened or plots subdivided after the original layout was sanctioned. If your measured width sits close to a slab boundary, get it verified before relying on it.
White Warp computes the exact FSI, coverage, setbacks, and sellable area for a specific Delhi plot, and runs the full margin model on top of it. Check your Delhi plot →