2. Definition

(1) In these rules, unless the context otherwise requires,-

(a) `access’ means the way to a plot or building;

(b) `accessory building' means a building attached or detached to a building in a plot, and containing one or more accessory uses;

(c) `accessory use' means any use of the premises, subordinate to the principal use and customarily incidental to the principal use;

(d) `Act' means the Kerala Panchayat Raj Act, 1994 (Act 13 of 1994);

(e) `advertising sign' means any sign either free, supported or attached to a building or other structure which advertises an individual, a firm, a society, an establishment or a product displayed on the said premises for identification purposes;

(f) `alteration' means a structural change, such as an addition to the area or height, or addition of floor/floors or mezzanine floor within any existing floor height, or change of existing floor or change of roof to concrete slab or re-construction of existing walls or construction of concrete beams and columns amounting to structural change, or construction of internal walls for sub-dividing the existing rooms with the intention of changing the use of the room/ rooms which amount to change in the occupancy group of the  building under these rules, or closing of any required means of ingress or egress to the building ; 

(g) `apartment ' means a part of a building intended for any type of independent use including one or more rooms or enclosed spaces located on one or more floors or parts thereof in a building, intended to be used for residential purposes and with a direct exit to a public street, road or highway or to a common area, leading to such street, road or highway. This word is synonymous with residential flat;

(h) `appendix' means the appendix to these rules; (i) ‘approved plan’ means the set of drawings and statements submitted under these rules for obtaining development permit or building permit duly approved by the Secretary;

(j) ‘balcony’ means a horizontal projection, including a handrail, or balustrade to serve as passage or sitting out place;

(k) `basement floor' means the lower storey of a building below or partly below the ground floor. This word is synonymous with cellar;

(l ) `bathroom' means a room or cubicle for bathing;

(m) 'building' includes any structure for whatsoever purpose and of whatsoever material constructed and every part thereof whether used for human habitation or not and includes foundations, plinth, walls, floors, roofs, chimneys, plumbing and building services, verandah, balcony, cornice or projections, part of a building, wells or anything affixed there to or any wall enclosing or intended to enclose any land or space and signs and

outdoor display structures;

(n) 'building line' means a line which is away from the street boundary and upto which the main wall of the building facing that street may lawfully extend; no portion of the building may extend beyond this line except as prescribed in these rules; (o) ‘built-up area’ means the covered area at any floor, covered by roof other than cornice, roof or weather shades permissible; 

(p) `carpet area' means the usable floor area excluding staircases, lift wells, escalators, ducts, toilets and air conditioning plant room and electrical control room; Note:- In calculating carpet area, for avoiding the area of wall, twenty percent of the floor area, shall be deducted from the total floor area in each floor. 

(q) Category –I Village Panchayat means a Village Panchayat notified as Category I Village Panchayat by the Government under sub-rule (4) of rule 3.

(r) Category –II Village Panchayat means a Village Panchayat notified as Category II Village Panchayat by the Government under sub-rule (4) of rule3.

(s) `ceiling' means the internal roof lining of any room; in case there is no such lining, the roof membrane shall constitute the ceiling; (t) ‘Centre line of road’ means the line along the middle of the entire width of land earmarked for the road;

(u) `Chief Town Planner' means the Chief Town Planner to Government of Kerala; 

(v) `chimney ' means an upright shaft containing and encasing one or more flues;

(w) `conversion' means the change of one occupancy group in to another occupancy group;

(x) `corridor' means an exit serving as a passageway communicating with separate rooms or with different parts of a building or with different buildings;

(y) ’coverage’ means the maximum area on any floor of the building excluding cantilevered open balconies; it does not include the spaces covered by,-

(i) garden, rockery, well and well structures, plant, nursery, water tank, swimming pool (if uncovered), platform round a tree, tank, fountain, bench and the like; 

(ii) drainage, culvert, conduit, catch-pit, gully pit, drainage chamber, gutter and the like; and

(iii) compound wall, gate, slide, swing, uncovered staircase, areas covered by sunshade and the like;

(z) ‘Cul de sac’ means a street with dead end having adequate maneuvering facility for vehicles;

(aa) `depth of plot' means the mean horizontal distance between the front and rear plot boundaries;

(ab) ‘developer’ means any individual or group of individuals or any firm (by whatever name called) who undertakes any building activity including

construction,  reconstruction, repairs, additions or alterations of buildings or development or redevelopment of land on behalf of the owner who has obtained permit under the provisions of these rules, through an agreement executed between them;

(ac) `development of land' means any material change on the use of land other than for agricultural purpose brought about or intended to be brought about by filling up of the land and/ or water bodies, changing from the existing/former use of the land, layout of streets and footpaths, sub-division of land, conversion of wet land and developing parks, play grounds and social amenities of the like but does not include legal partitioning of family

property among heirs ; (ad) `development plan' means any general town planning scheme for the local area as a whole or any detailed town planning scheme for any specified area prepared under the Town and Country Planning legislation in force;

(ae) `drain' includes a sewer, pipe, ditch, channel, and any other device for carrying of sewage, offensive matter, polluted water, sullage, waste water, rain water or sub-soil water and any ejectors, compressed air means, sealed sewage mains and special machinery or apparatus for raising, collecting, expelling or removing sewage or offensive matter to the sewage outfall;

(af) `drainage' means the removal of any liquid by a system constructed for the purpose;

(ag ) `dwelling' means a building or a portion thereof which is designed or used wholly or principally for residential purposes;

(ah) `dwelling unit' means a room or suites of rooms designed and intended for habitation by an individual or household in which facilities for cooking may or may not be provided;

(ai) `exit' means a passage, channel or means of egress from any building, storey or floor to a street or other open space of safety;

(aj) `external wall' means an outer wall of a building eventhough adjoining a wall of another building; it also means a wall abutting on an interior open space of any building;

(ak) `factory' means any premises including the precincts thereof used or

proposed to be used for any purpose as defined under Factories Act, 1948 and which comes

under the purview of the said Act;

(al) `family' means a group of individuals normally related in blood or connected by marriage living together as a single house- keeping unit and having common kitchen arrangements; customary resident domestic servants shall be considered as adjunct

to the term `family’;

(am) `floor' means the lower surface in a storey on which one normally walks in a building. The general term, ' floor ‘unless otherwise specifically mentioned shall not refer to a 'mezzanine floor ';

Note:- The sequential number of floor shall be determined by its relation to the determining entrance level. For floors at or wholly above ground level, the lowest floor in the building with direct entrance from road / street adjoining the ground shall be termed as ground floor. The other floors above ground floor shall be called in sequence as first floor, second floor, third floor etc with number increasing upwards.

(an) `floor area' means the built up area of a building at any floor level;

(ao) `floor area ratio (F.A.R)' means the quotient obtained by dividing the total floor area on all floors by the area of the plot;

(ap) `flue' means a confined space provided for the conveyance to the outer air of any product of combustion resulting from the operation of any heat-producing appliance or equipment employing solid, liquid or gaseous fuel;

(aq) `frontage' means side or part of a side of a plot, which abuts on a street;

(ar) `front yard' means an open space extending laterally along the front side (main entrance side) of a building and forming part of the plot;

Note: - Where there are more than one entrance to a building, the entrance giving access to the major portion of the ground floor shall be considered as the main entrance;

(as) `gallery' means an intermediate floor or platform projecting from a wall of an auditorium or a hall providing extra floor area, additional seating accommodation etc;

(at) `garage' means a building or portion thereof, used or intended to be used for the shelter, storage or repair of any mechanically propelled vehicle;

(au) `ground floor' means the lowest storey of a building to which there is an entrance from the adjacent ground or street;

(av) `Government’ means the Central or State Government; 

(aw) ‘Government Approved Private Information Technology Building’ means any Information Technology building constructed in the private sector and approved by the Information Technology Department of the Government of Kerala, which is not falling under the category of Government approved private Information Technology Park and Government owned Information Technology Park;

(ax) ‘Government Approved Private Information Technology Park’ means any Information Technology Park promoted by a private entity, which is approved by the Information Technology Department of the Government of Kerala;

(ay) ‘Government Owned Information Technology Park’ means any Information Technology Park promoted by an entity of the State Government or Central Government, which is approved by the Information Technology Department of the Government of Kerala;

(az) `head room' means the clear vertical distance measured from the finished floor surface to the finished ceiling surface; where a finished ceiling is not provided, the underside of the joists or beams or tie beams shall determine the upper point of measurement;

(ba) `height of building' means the vertical distance measured from the average level of the ground contiguous to the building or the centre line of the adjoining street, -

(i) In the case of flat roofs, to the highest point of the building adjacent to the street level;

(ii) In the case of pitched roof, to the point where the external surface of the outer wall intersects the finished surface of the sloping roof;

(iii) In the case of gabled roof, to the midpoint between the eves level and the ridge and

(iv) In the case of domed roof, to the lowest point on the ceiling: Provided that architectural features serving no other function except that of decoration shall be excluded for the purpose of taking heights;

Note:- For arriving at the ‘average level of ground’, the average of the levels of the lowest ground and that of the highest ground contiguous to the building shall be taken.

(bb) ‘height of room’ means the vertical distance between the floor and the lowest point on the ceiling;

(bc) ‘hut’ means any building constructed principally of wood, mud leaves, grass, thatch or such easily perishable material;

(bd) ‘Information Technology building’ means a building occupied by industries and other business establishments, whose functional activities are in the field of Information Technology, Information Technology Enabled Services (IT/ITES) and Communications Technology. Of the total built-up area in such buildings, at least 70% of the area  should be earmarked for this purpose and the remaining may be utilised for supporting activities like restaurants, food courts, meeting rooms, guest houses,

recreational facilities;

(be) ‘Information Technology Park’ means an integrated township, which would contain Information Technology buildings, as well as other buildings. The Information Technology buildings in the Information Technology Park shall be constructed for the purpose of carrying out the activities set out in the clause (bd) for Information Technology buildings and the remaining buildings in the Information Technology Park are meant to play a complementary role, supporting the activities in the Information Technology buildings.  In the Information Technology Park, 70% of the land area is to be set aside for the construction of Information Technology buildings and the remaining land area may be utilised for all the supporting activities. The buildings for the supporting activities may include residential buildings, recreational facilities, educational facilities, convention centres, hospitals, hotels and other social infrastructure meant to support the activities in the Information Technology buildings and Information Technology Parks; 

(bf) `lift well’ means the unobstructed space within an enclosure provided for the vertical movement of the lift car(s) and any counter weight(s) including the lift pit and the space for top clearance;

(bg) `loft' means a residual space in a pitched roof, or any similar residual space, above normal floor level without any direct staircase leading to it, which may be constructed or adopted for storage purposes;

(bh) ‘mezzanine floor‘ means an intermediate floor in any storey overhanging and over looking a floor beneath;

(bi) ‘occupancy group’ means the principal occupancy for which a plot, a building or part of a building is used or intended to be used; for the purpose of classification of a plot or building according to occupancy, an occupancy shall be deemed to include the subsidiary occupancies which are contingent upon it;

(bj) 'open space' means an area, forming an integral part of the plot left open to the sky;

(bk) `operational construction' means a construction whether temporary or permanent which is necessary for the operation, maintenance, development or execution of any of the services essential to the life of the community or so declared by the Central or State Government from time to time;

(bl ) ’owner' in respect of land or building, means the person who receives rent for the use of the land or building or would be entitled to do so if they were let and includes,-

(i) an agent or trustee who receives such rent on behalf of the owner or is connected with any building devoted to religious or charitable purpose;.

(ii) a receiver, executor or administrator or a manager appointed by any court of competent jurisdiction to have the charge of or to exercise the rights of the owner;

(iii) mortgagee in possession; and

(iv) a lessee in possession;

(bm) ‘Panchayat’ means a panchayat constituted under section 4 of the Kerala Panchayat Raj Act 1994 (13 of 1994);

(bn) `parapet' means a low wall not more than 1.2 m in height built along the edge of a roof or floor;

(bo) `parking space' means an area enclosed or unenclosed, sufficient in size to park vehicles, together with a drive way connecting the parking space with a street or alley and permitting ingress and egress of vehicles;

(bp) `passageway ' means a means of access; and is synonymous with corridor;

(bq) `pathway' means an approach constructed with materials, such as bricks, concrete, stone, asphalt, or the like;

(br) `permit ' means a permission or authorisation in writing by the Secretary to carry out the work;

(bs) ‘Persons with disability’ means, persons with disability as defined in clause (t) of section 2 of the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation ) Act, 1995 (C.41 of 1996).

(bt) `plinth' means the portion of a structure between the surface of the surrounding ground and surface of the floor, first above the ground;

(bu) `plinth area' means area of the building at the plinth level, does not include the area of open porch not enclosed by walls, uncovered staircase and the like;

(bv) `plot' means a parcel or piece of land enclosed by definite boundaries;

(bw) ‘plot corner’ means a plot abutting two or more intersecting streets;

(bx) `pollution control board' means the Kerala State Pollution Control Board;

(by) ’porch’ means a canopy supported on pillars or otherwise and used for the purpose of pedestrian or vehicular approach to a building;

(bz) `rear yard' means the utility open space extending laterally along the rear side of the plot and forming part of the plot; any side other than the rear if used as utility open space shall be deemed as rear yard;

(ca) `re-development of land' means the revision or replacement of an existing land use and population distribution pattern and the clearance and building of the area according to a development plan. It involves the reduction or increase in population densities; the acquisition and clearance of deteriorated buildings, the repair, modernisation and provision of sanitary facilities, water supply and electricity, provision of street, parks or other public improvements, and preservation of predominantly built up areas that are in good condition;

(cb) `registered Architect/ Engineer/Building Designer/ Town Planner/ Supervisor’ means an Architect/ Engineer/ Building Designer/ Town Planner/Supervisor registered or deemed to have been registered as such under these rules;

(cc) ‘road’ means any highway, street, lane, pathway, alley, passageway,

carriage way, footway or bridge whether a thorough fare or not, over which the public have a

right of passage or access uninterruptedly for a specified period; whether existing or

proposed in any scheme;

(cd) `row building' means a row of buildings with only front and rear open spaces with or without interior open spaces;

(ce) `Secretary’ means the Secretary of a Village panchayat.

(cf) `section’ means a Section in the Panchayat Raj Act 1994(13 of 1994);

(cg) ‘Security Zone’ means any area, identified and delineated by the Home Department of the state government as Security Zone from time to time and notified and published in the government gazette by the Local Self Government Department. For the purpose of these rules, any area around compounds or sites which accommodate vital or strategic installations, offices, residences, institutions, landmarks, jail compounds, monuments, ports, shipyards, scientific and advanced research centres and the like, which

in the opinion of the government, needs special security and necessitates regulations and/or restrictions for constructions and land developments around, can be delineated as security zone;

(ch) `service road' means a road or lane provided at the rear or side of a plot for service purposes;

(ci) `service station' means a place where no automobile repairing is done but only washing, cleaning and oiling of automobile take place;

(cj) `set back line' means a prescribed building line drawn with reference to the centre line or boundary of a street, on the street side of which nothing can be erected or re-erected; 

(ck) ‘sewer’ means a drain used or constructed to be used for conveying solid or liquid waste matter, excremental or otherwise to a sewer;

(cl) `shop' means a building or part of a building where articles of, food, personal, domestic and household use and consumption, and goods of any kind are ordinarily sold. It does not include a workshop;

(cm) `side yard' means an open space extending laterally between any side

of a building and the boundary of the plot facing that side other than front and rear/utility

yard and forming part of the plot;

(cn) `site' means a plot and its surrounding precincts;

(co) `stair cover' means cabin-like structure with a covering roof over a staircase and its landing built to enclose only the stairs for the purpose of providing protection from weather and not used for human habitation; it is synonymous with stair cabin or staircase room;

(cp) ‘stall’ means any temporary structure other than a hut used solely for the display and sale of goods;

(cq) ‘storey' means the portion of a building between the surface of any `floor and the surface of the floor next above it, or if there be no floor above it, then the space between any floor and the ceiling next above it;

(cr) `street' means a private street or a public street, synonymous with road and giving access to more than one plot or one building;

(cs) `street line' means the line defining the side limits of a street;

(ct) `street level' means the level at the centre line of the street;

(cu) `structure' means anything that is built or constructed or building of any kind or any piece of work, artificially built up or composed of parts joined together in some definite manner. The term `structure' shall include "building";

(cv) `sunshade or weather shade’ means a sloping or horizontal structural overhang usually provided over openings on external walls to provide protection from sun and rain; (cw) ‘tenement’ means a part of a building intended or used or likely to be used as a dwelling unit for human habitation especially one that is rented to tenants

(cx) `to erect' means,- (i) to erect a new building on any site whether previously built up or not; (ii) to re-erect any building of which portions above the plinth level have been pulled down or destroyed; and  (iii) to convert from one occupancy to another;

(cy) `travel distance' means the distance an occupant has to travel to reach an exit;

(cz) 'tribal area’ includes an area declared as tribal settlement by Government from time to time;

(da) ’unconnected latrine’ means a latrine not connected to public sewer system; it may be connected to a septic tank;

(db) `unsafe building' means building which is structurally unsafe, insanitary or not provided with adequate means of egress or which constitute a fire hazard or is otherwise dangerous to human life or which in relation to existing use constitutes a hazard to safety or health or public welfare, by reason of inadequate maintenance, dilapidation or abandonment;

(dc) ’use group’ means the principal use for which a plot, a building or part of a building is used or intended to be used;

(dd) `verandah' means a covered area with at least one side open to the outside with the exception of a parapet, trellis, jally or grill work on the open side; 

(de) `Village panchayat’ means a village panchayat constituted under section 4 of the Kerala Panchayat Raj Act 1994(Act 13 of 1994) clause (a) of sub-clause (1);

(df) ‘warehouse' means a building, the whole or substantial part of which is used or intended to be used for the storage of goods whether for keeping or for sale or for any similar purpose but does not include a store room attached and used for the proper functioning of a shop;

(dg) `Water Authority' means the authority delegated by the Government of Kerala to be in charge of the management of water and sewerage installations in the area; 
(dh) `water closet’ or` WC' means a latrine with arrangement for flushing the pan with water but does not include a bathroom;

(di) `water course' includes any natural or artificial drainage canal, river or stream;

(dj) `yard' means an open space at ground level between a building and the adjoining boundary lines of the plot unoccupied and unobstructed except by encroachment  of structures specially permitted by these rules on the same plot with a building. All yard measurements shall be the minimum distance between the front, rear and side yard plot boundaries as the case may be, and the nearest point of the building including enclosed porches. Every part of yard shall be accessible from every part of the same yard;

(2) Words and expressions used but not defined in these rules but defined in the Kerala Panchayat Raj Act, 1994 (13 of 1994) shall have the same meaning assigned to them

in the Act.