What “need-based changes” means
Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) dwelling units were built to a fixed design. Over the years many owners have added a room at the back, enclosed a balcony or put a grill on it. CHB’s need-based changes policy lists the additions and alterations it allows, each with its own conditions and fee, so owners can apply for them instead of living with an unapproved change.
This guide is for owners of CHB flats and houses who want to make, or regularise, a change. It reflects the published orders as of 31 October 2026. It is not an approval for any particular unit; confirm the position for your own home with CHB before building.
Which order applies now
The policy is CHB’s Order No. 02 of 3 January 2023, which lists 28 changes. CHB order, 3 Jan 2023
On 10 March 2026, after a high-powered committee reviewed the order in the light of the Supreme Court’s January 2023 judgment, CHB directed that clauses 1–21, 24 and 26–28 be implemented. Two conditions matter:
- It is not applicable to CHB dwelling units in Chandigarh Phase I.
- For clause 1 (balconies), the curtailed balcony is to be specified property type and scheme wise.
CHB implementation order, 10 Mar 2026
Clauses 22, 23 and 25 were not included. News reports from February 2026 listed the clauses differently; where a news summary and the signed order disagree, rely on the signed order.
Why the limits are tight
In January 2023 the Supreme Court directed that the Centre and the Chandigarh Administration freeze FAR and not increase it further. The 2026 committee treated that direction as prospective. It is why the policy works through a fixed list of changes rather than open permission to add floor area. Supreme Court judgment, 10 Jan 2023
Every implemented change, with its fee
Fees are as published by CHB and are plus GST. “Structural certificate” means a structural stability certificate on CHB’s standard proforma (Annexure-A1) from a structural engineer on the Chandigarh Administration’s panel.
| Clause | Change | Fee | Main conditions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Balcony of 914 mm (3 ft) on the front or rear courtyard, where none was provided | ₹10,000 | Structural certificate; shorter width where a neighbour’s privacy is affected; not on a façade that already has a balcony or verandah |
| 2 | Chhajja over doors and windows | ₹5,000 per unit if not to the standard design | Projection no more than 1’-6”; not over government land |
| 3 | Extra window in the end wall of a corner unit | ₹200 per standard drawing print (free online) | Size and position as per CHB’s drawings |
| 4 | Lowering a window sill | None stated | Down to 4 inches above floor level |
| 5 | Additional construction shown in CHB’s type-wise drawings | ₹200 per sq ft | Consent of the owner of the adjoining floor; structural certificate |
| 6 | Removing walls | None stated | 115 mm (4½ inch) internal walls in flats; thicker walls only in independent houses, with a structural certificate |
| 7 | Grill or glazing on a balcony or verandah | ₹10,000 per balcony (grill); ₹25,000 per balcony (glazing) | A 4 ft × 4 ft area must open for fire rescue; clearance from the Chief Fire Officer |
| 8 | 1 m × 1 m cut-out in the roof slab for services | None stated | In the common area, covered with a flap door |
| 9 | Wider main gate | None stated | Up to 12 ft wide and 6 ft high |
| 10 | Exterior paint and tiles | None stated | Uniform colours for each block; tiles only on the flat’s main entry façade |
| 11 | Temporary car shed | None stated | Steel pipe frame with transparent polycarbonate or fibreglass, inside the boundary wall, average height up to 7’-6” |
| 12 | Lightweight sunshades over balconies | None stated | As per the standard design |
| 13 | Internal changes | None stated | Structural certificate; plans certified by a panel architect (Form D); no added covered area; no change to the exterior |
| 14 | One additional door | None stated | Structural certificate before work; not opening onto public or green space |
| 15 | Room over the rear courtyard or terrace | ₹200 per sq ft, minimum ₹20,000 | See the next section |
| 16 | 10 ft gate in the rear courtyard wall | None stated | Only on V-5 and V-6 roads; grill on that wall up to 2’-3” |
| 17 | Covering the corridor, HIG (Upper), Sector 45-A | ₹10,000 | Consent of every allottee in the block; structural certificate |
| 18 | Moving the gate from the side wall to the front wall | ₹5,000 per unit | No CHB approval needed; the road berm must be a ramp without steps |
| 19 | Using the parking roof as a terrace (specified HIG types, Sectors 45-A and 39-B) | ₹5,000 per unit | Consent of the upper-floor owners; railing only, no covering |
| 20 | Lift | None stated | Design approved through OBPAS by an empanelled private architect; CHB NOC after a 15-day notice to the block |
| 21 | Covering voids, HIG (Lower) Cat-II, Sectors 47-C, 45-B, 41 and 38-A | ₹15,000 for the store above the scooter parking | The ducts themselves cannot be covered |
| 24 | Rainwater spouts joined to one pipe or to rainwater harvesting | None stated | Services kept off the street face where possible |
| 26 | Foldable shades over end-wall windows | None stated | Up to 1’-6” wide |
| 27 | Bigger water tank | None stated | Up to 1,000 litres; structural certificate |
| 28 | LIG (Upper) duplexes, Sector 41-A: room widened about 2 ft into the rear courtyard, first-floor terrace as a glass house, second-floor terrace garden | ₹200 per sq ft, minimum ₹20,000 (room) | The widened area counts against the clause 15 limit |
Sources: CHB order, 3 Jan 2023 and the fee checklists in Forms A and B of the CHB SOP.
The rear room: clause 15 in detail
This is the change most owners ask about. Clause 15 allows additional construction of 150 sq ft or 75% of the rear courtyard or terrace, whichever is less, in CHB dwelling units except independent houses. The conditions are:
- Light and ventilation as required by condition 4.2.11 of the Chandigarh Building Rules (Urban), 2017.
- Plans prepared and submitted by a private architect on the Chandigarh Administration’s panel for self-certification.
- A structural certificate.
- The roof of the new room must be non-accessible, with a 9-inch parapet, and nothing may be built on it.
- The room’s clear height is the same as the unit’s habitable rooms.
- A fee of ₹200 per sq ft + GST, minimum ₹20,000 + GST.
- An owner who occupies more than one floor can use this benefit on one floor only.
Rooftop solar: no NOC needed
Clause 25 of the 2023 order needed the consent of every allottee in the block. CHB’s 13 October 2026 order replaces that: allottees may install rooftop solar strictly within the guidelines of the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana through CREST, and no prior approval or NOC from CHB is required. CHB solar order, 13 Oct 2026
How to apply
CHB’s standard operating procedure sets out the file. CHB SOP
- Form A if the change already exists and you want it regularised.
- Form B if you propose to build it.
- Form D, the architect’s self-certification of the plans, where the clause needs certified plans (for example clauses 13, 15 and 28).
- Form E, mutual consent, where other owners must agree.
- Annexure-A1, the structural stability certificate.
- The fee for each change.
The application is handed in at CHB’s reception counter, which accepts only complete files, and is examined by the Architect, CHB. CHB relies on the documents as submitted; responsibility for their correctness lies with the architect, the structural engineer and the applicant.
For new work, construction may start only 30 days after a complete application, and only if CHB has raised no objection.
Who signs the drawings
CHB’s Form D is signed by an architect registered with the Council of Architecture who states that they are empanelled with the Chandigarh Administration for self-certification. Separately, the Administration’s July 2020 notification made COA-registered architects eligible for ordinary building plans without separate empanelment. Because CHB’s own form still uses the word “empanelled”, confirm with CHB what it accepts before you appoint anyone. Chandigarh notification, 20 Jul 2020
What is still pending
On 27 October 2026, The Tribune reported that the CHB board would consider a wider, Delhi-model regularisation of need-based changes at its meeting on 3 November 2026, and that planners had objected to backyard rooms. The Tribune, 27 Oct 2026 We had not found a report of the outcome when this was last checked on 5 November 2026, so treat it as undecided until CHB publishes an order.
That proposal is not approved policy. Until CHB issues a written order, plan on the basis of the March 2026 order and the SOP. We will update this guide when a decision is published.
Five mistakes to avoid
Relying on a news list. Clause numbers in news reports have not always matched the signed order.
Assuming Phase I is covered. The March 2026 implementation order excludes CHB units in Chandigarh Phase I.
Treating a house like a flat. The clause 15 rear room excludes independent houses, and the whole policy applies to CHB dwelling units only. Private kothis on Estate Office plots follow the Chandigarh Building Rules instead.
Building before the clock runs out. For new work, wait 30 days from a complete application.
Glazing without a rescue opening. Without the 4 ft × 4 ft openable area and the fire officer’s clearance, glazing does not meet the conditions.
What to prepare before you meet an architect
- Your unit: the CHB scheme, sector, phase, category, floor and dwelling unit number, and your allotment papers.
- What exists today: photos and rough measurements of any change already made, and when it was made.
- What you want: the room, cover, grill, glazing or lift you have in mind, and how you will use it.
- Other owners: whether the change touches a shared wall, terrace, corridor or staircase, in which case their consent may be needed.
- Open questions: anything CHB has told you, any notice you have received, and whether the work is for your own use or ahead of a sale.
Discuss your CHB change with the studio
Ajooni Jasleen Architects designs homes and interiors in Chandigarh and Mohali. Tell the studio about your unit, the change you want and the records you have, and it can discuss design options and the drawings your file needs. Confirm with CHB who is eligible to certify the file under its current forms.
Building on a GMADA plot in Mohali instead? Read our GMADA building approval guide.