Bhubaneswar does not count parking in cars per flat. Under the Odisha Development Authorities (Planning and Building Standards) Rules, 2020 (ODA Rules), which govern the Bhubaneswar Development Authority area, parking is set as a share of the built-up area that counts towards FAR. Mechanical parking is then converted back into area at a fixed rate: 15 sq m for each Equivalent Car Space (ECS).
This note reads Rule 37 of the 2020 rules and the amendments notified up to October 2026, and sets out what they mean for a stack or puzzle layout.
The table: parking as a share of built-up area
Rule 37(1) refers to Table No. 9. The table was last substituted by the Second Amendment Rules, 2025 (notified 9 June 2025).
| Category of building | Parking area, % of FAR built-up area |
|---|---|
| Multiplexes, malls, cinemas, kalyan mandaps, banquet halls, auditoria, stadia, convention halls, clubs | 50 |
| Community centres | 40 |
| Apartments, housing projects, hostels, hotels, restaurants, retail, banks, offices, mercantile, institutional, IT/ITeS | 30 |
| Storage godowns | 20 |
| Industrial buildings | 8 |
The notes under the table adjust this for housing:
- EWS and LIG units: parking at a minimum of 10% of their built-up area (note iii).
- MIG units: a minimum of 25% of their built-up area (note iv).
- 4 dwelling units or fewer: no mandatory parking. 5 to 8 units: 20% (note v).
- Apartments on plots up to 750 sq m: the requirement is deemed met if the whole stilt floor is left for parking.
Where mechanical parking fits
Rule 37 lists the places parking may be provided: basements, stilts, open parking, exclusive multi-level parking, roof-top parking for commercial, IT, ITeS and corporate buildings, and "a Stacked or Multi-level or Automated parking", or any combination.
The note on stacked, multi-level and automated systems is the key line for designers. The number of ECS must be shown in the parking plan, and "the area for 1 ECS in such parking shall be taken as 15 square meters for parking area calculation purpose".
Other figures from Rule 37 and Table No. 10:
| Item | Figure |
|---|---|
| Single basement allowed | plot of 500 sq m or more |
| Multiple basements allowed | plot of 1,000 sq m or more |
| Roof-top parking with car lift | plinth or roof area of 2,000 sq m or more |
| Ramps for basement or upper parking floors | at least two, preferably at opposite ends |
| Car ramp width (one-way / two-way) | 3.0 m / 6.0 m |
| Car ramp maximum slope | 1:8 |
| Clear access way kept beside parking in setbacks | 6.0 m (non-high-rise), 7.5 m (high-rise) |
| Basement or stilt usable for utilities | up to 20% |
| Visitor parking in housing projects and apartments | at least 10% of the parking |
A note under Table No. 10 says parking "at different level may also be mechanized". Underground and multi-storeyed parking must take special fire safety measures under Part 4 of the National Building Code.
What this means for a mechanical parking design
Take an apartment building with 8,000 sq m of built-up area counted in FAR, with no EWS, LIG or MIG units.
| Step | Figure |
|---|---|
| Parking area required, 30% | 2,400 sq m |
| Visitor share, at least 10% | 240 sq m |
| If met entirely by a mechanical system, at 15 sq m per ECS | 160 ECS |
| If met by mechanical for half the area (1,200 sq m) | 80 ECS |
Three practical points follow:
- The 15 sq m is a counting rule, not a pallet size. A two-level stacker that holds two cars on one footprint is credited 30 sq m. The physical footprint can be smaller. That is where the land saving comes from.
- Count the ECS on the drawing. The rule asks for the number of ECS to be specified in the parking plan. Show each system, its levels and its car count, and total them.
- Keep the conventional part workable. Visitor bays, accessible bays and EV bays are easier to deliver on the surface or in a conventional basement. Plan those first, then put the stackers where they fit.
EV charging
The Third Amendment Rules, 2025 (notified 15 November 2025) replaced Rule 37(15). Parking in all apartment buildings, projects over 1 acre, high-rise buildings and multi-level car parks "shall be provided with facilities for Electric Vehicle (EV) charging points", shown in the building plan. The earlier 30% minimum is no longer in the sub-rule.
The same amendment substituted Rule 57(1). In new apartments and housing projects, 10% of the visitor parking must be community fast-charging stations, and never fewer than 2 car spaces and 2 two-wheeler spaces. For a stack system this usually means keeping charging bays at ground level, not on pallets.
Caveats and what is pending
- We read the 2020 rules on the Housing and Urban Development Department site and every final amendment listed there up to the Second Amendment Rules, 2026 (20 October 2026). None of them changes the 15 sq m ECS note.
- The 2026 Second Amendment allows alternative parking for small commercial uses in low-risk residential buildings (Rule 64). It does not change Table No. 9.
- The rules do not fix an area per conventional car. Ask the Bhubaneswar Development Authority how it measures conventional parking area (bays only, or bays with drives and aisles) before you compare the two options.
- Fire approval for stack and puzzle systems follows NBC 2016 Part 4. Check this separately with the Odisha Fire and Emergency Service.
Related reading
- Primary source: Odisha Development Authorities (Planning and Building Standards) Rules, 2020 (Housing & Urban Development Department, Government of Odisha, 2020)
- Patna Parking Norms: 2014 Byelaws vs the 2026 Draft
- Visakhapatnam parking: area, not bays, under AP rules
- How Indian codes count a mechanical parking space
- Check your city's parking norms in the Compliance Atlas