# Zoning Laws and DCR in India

> Zoning laws, known in India as Development Control Regulations (DCR), set the land use, height, FSI and setbacks allowed on a plot. See a Pune example.

Canonical: https://superwise.site/glossary/zoning-laws/
Last updated: 2026-11-01

Municipal regulations that divide a city into zones and set what may be built on each plot, how tall and how far from the boundary.

## What is Zoning Laws (Development Control Rules)?

Zoning Laws, formalised in India as Development Control Regulations (DCR), are municipal rules that divide a city into zones. They set the activity allowed in each zone, such as residential, heavy industrial or commercial, the maximum permissible building height, the [Floor Space Index](https://superwise.site/glossary/floor-space-index/) (FSI) and the mandatory open spaces (setbacks). They stop incompatible development, such as a toxic chemical plant next to a primary school.

## Practical example

A developer plans a 30-storey commercial IT park on an empty plot in Pune. The architect reviews the local zoning laws (DCR) and finds that the land is zoned for low-density residential use and that buildings in that neighbourhood are limited to 4 floors. The developer has to drop the 30-storey commercial tower plan.

## In SuperWise

In SuperWise the sanctioned plans and approvals that a zone requires can be filed as project documents in folders, each with a stage and a revision history. A document can be linked to the schedule node it applies to, such as the commercial wing, so the approval sits with the tasks it governs.

[Document management system](https://superwise.site/features/document-management-system/)

## Related terms

- [Floor Space Index (FSI) / FAR](https://superwise.site/glossary/floor-space-index/)
- [Setback Area (Margin Space)](https://superwise.site/glossary/setback-area/)
- [Commencement Certificate (CC)](https://superwise.site/glossary/commencement-certificate/)
- [Open Space Ratio (OSR)](https://superwise.site/glossary/open-space-ratio/)

## Related
- [Floor Space Index (FSI) / FAR](https://superwise.site/glossary/floor-space-index/)
- [Setback Area (Margin Space)](https://superwise.site/glossary/setback-area/)
- [Commencement Certificate (CC)](https://superwise.site/glossary/commencement-certificate/)
- [Open Space Ratio (OSR)](https://superwise.site/glossary/open-space-ratio/)
- [Document management system](https://superwise.site/features/document-management-system/)