Stilt, podium and basement parking: what you get

6.7.1 What are stilt, podium and basement parking?

Stilt parking is parking on the open ground level of a building, on columns, with no walls. Regulation 40 of the Bangalore Development Authority’s Revised Master Plan 2015 (RMP 2015) zoning regulations defines “Stilt Parking” as a “Building constructed with stilt area of non habitable height (less than 2.4mtrs), used for parking.” Podium parking sits on a raised deck, usually one or two levels above the stilt or ground level, with the towers rising above it. RMP 2015 does not define “podium” as a separate term; a podium is a form of the “multi level” parking that Chapter 8 of the regulations covers. Basement parking is below ground. Regulation 3.9 defines a basement as a storey “partly or wholly below the average ground level,” with an overall ceiling height that “should not exceed 4.5 m” for normal parking. Apartment master plans show which parking type a project uses, and the sanctioned plan records whether that parking area counts toward the floor area ratio (FAR).

Surface or open parking is parking on the ground outside the building, with no roof. Mechanical or stack parking uses a lift or puzzle-type rack to park two or more cars in the same footprint, one above another. RMP 2015 regulation 3.9(i) allows a basement used for stacked or mechanical parking to go “up to a maximum of 4.5m” as well, the same cap as normal parking; the basement rule also limits any part above average ground level to a 1.2 m projection. The type you get changes what you can see, how far you walk, and how your parking area counts under planning and tax rules.

Parking type	Where it sits	RMP 2015 source
Stilt	Open ground floor, under the building, height under 2.4 m	Definition 40
Podium	Raised deck above stilt or ground level, towers rise above it	Chapter 8, multi-level parking notes
Basement	Storey below ground, up to 4.5 m high, up to 5 levels	Regulation 3.9
Surface / open	Ground level, outside the building footprint	Chapter 8, Table 23
Mechanical / stack	Lift or rack system, stacks cars in the same footprint	Regulation 3.9(i)

6.7.2 How many parking spaces must a Bangalore project provide?

RMP 2015 sets a parking norm by floor area, not a flat count of spaces per unit. Chapter 8, Table 23, item 13 (“Multi-dwellings Units”) sets three rules. First, “Dwelling unit measuring more than 50 sq.m up to 150 sq.m of floor area” gets one car park, with “Additional 1 car park for part thereof, when it is more than 50% of the prescribed limit.” Second, “Additional car parking” is required “for each two Dwelling units, if the DU is less than 50 sq.mt.” Third, “10% of additional parking shall be kept for visitors car parking.” The table’s general rule for all listed uses is “One car parking of 2.5m x 5.5m each shall be provided for every” unit of floor area or occupancy stated against each use. The norm reads by unit area, so two flats of different sizes in the same project can carry a different parking entitlement under the table.

Builders can provide parking through different structures. Chapter 8, note 8.1(a) covers “Parking provision through building on stilts.” It says stilt parking “shall be exempt from the calculation of FAR,” that “All sides of the stilt parking shall be open,” and that the height “shall not exceed 2.4mtrs” though that height still counts toward the building’s total height. Note 8.1(a)(v) adds that any additional car parking beyond what is required, if part of a parking complex or lot, is also “exempt from reckoning the FAR.” Note 8.1(b) covers multi-level parking: ramps and lifts to upper or terrace parking floors are exempt from FAR if kept within the plinth area, and parking cannot sit in the setback area; if it does, “a minimum of 3.0 m shall be left free” for a G+3 building and “6.0 m” for G+4 or taller. Note 8.1(b)(iii) says a standalone Multi Level Car Parking (MLCP) structure on its own plot has no FAR or height limit at all: “there shall not be any limitation for FAR or height of building,” subject to fire and airport authority clearance.

Rule	What RMP 2015 says	Source
Parking count for multi-dwelling units	One car space per 50 to 150 sq m unit; extra space if over 50% past the limit; one space per two units under 50 sq m	Table 23, item 13
Visitor parking	10% of the additional parking reserved for visitors	Table 23, item 13(C)
Stilt parking and FAR	Exempt from FAR if open on all sides and under 2.4 m high	Note 8.1(a)
Setback clearance for multi-level parking	3.0 m clear (G+3), 6.0 m clear (G+4 or more), if parking is near the setback	Note 8.1(b)(ii)
Standalone MLCP structure	No FAR or height limit, subject to fire and airport clearance	Note 8.1(b)(iii)
Basement for car parking	Up to 5 levels, with entry, exit, drainage, ventilation and lighting to the authority’s satisfaction	Regulation 3.9(iv), (ix)

Regulation 3.9(ii) bars basement parking on a site under 200 sq m. Regulation 3.9(vii) adds that a parking area “if misused is liable to be municipalised/taken over by the local body/authority without any compensation,” so a builder converting sanctioned parking to another use risks that area being taken over.

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6.7.3 Is parking a common area or something you can own separately?

Under the RERA Act, 2016, open parking is a common area by definition, and a covered garage is a separate, declarable category. Section 2(n)(iii) lists among common areas “the common basements, terraces, parks, play areas, open parking areas and common storage spaces.” Section 2(y) defines a “garage” as “a place within a project having a roof and walls on three sides for parking any vehicle, but does not include an unenclosed or uncovered parking space such as open parking areas.” So a stilt space, open on all sides under RMP 2015’s own stilt rule, does not meet the garage definition and sits in the common-area list instead. A covered, three-walled garage is neither automatically a common area nor automatically yours; Section 4(2)(i) makes the builder declare “the number and area of garage for sale in the project” at registration, and Section 4(2)(h) makes it declare carpet area separately from “the exclusive balcony or verandah areas and the exclusive open terrace areas.” Parking is not listed with those exclusive areas.

Parking category	RERA Act, 2016 treatment
Open / stilt parking	Common area, Section 2(n)(iii)
Covered garage (roof, three walls)	Separate declarable category, Section 2(y), 4(2)(i); not automatically common or automatically yours
Basement used for parking	Not named separately in Section 2(n); builder’s declaration and your agreement decide treatment

6.7.4 What does RERA say about selling or changing your parking?

RERA does not stop a builder from declaring a covered garage for sale, but it fixes two things once your plans are shown to you: what the builder disclosed, and what it can change after that. Section 11(3)(a) makes the builder show you the sanctioned plans and layout plans, “by display at the site or such other place,” at the time you book and get your allotment letter. Section 14(2) then bars the builder from making “any additions and alterations in the sanctioned plans, layout plans and specifications,” including the common areas shown on them, once those plans are disclosed to you, unless you give consent first. Since open and stilt parking sit inside the common areas under Section 2(n)(iii), a builder cannot redraw or reassign that parking layout after disclosure without asking you.

This gives you a concrete document to hold the builder to: the sanctioned plan you were shown at booking under Section 11(3)(a). If the builder later moves, removes or resells a parking space shown on that plan, Section 14(2) is the provision a lawyer would point to, not a general sense of fairness. The provision does not say how a dispute gets resolved, only that the builder needs your consent for the change; K-RERA’s complaint process is the route if a builder goes ahead without it. Keep a dated copy of the sanctioned plan you were shown, since it is the baseline Section 14(2) protects.

6.7.5 Can a builder sell your stilt parking as a separate unit?

The Supreme Court read a near-identical scheme under Maharashtra’s law in Nahalchand Laloochand Pvt. Ltd. v. Panchali Co-operative Housing Society Ltd., (2010) 9 SCC 536. The Court held that a stand-alone garage is “not a ‘flat’” by itself (para 29), and that a stilt space, open on the sides, is not a garage under Maharashtra’s Ownership of Flats Act (MOFA) either: “we do not think that for the purposes of MOFA, such portion could be treated as garage” (para 36). It then held that stilt parking is a common area: “no justifiable reason to exclude parking areas (open to the sky or stilted portion)” from common areas and facilities (para 37), and that a builder cannot sell these spaces separately, only “charge the cost thereof in proportion to the carpet area of the flat” (para 39).

That judgment interprets MOFA, a Maharashtra law, and the Court examined Maharashtra’s specific definition of “flat” at Section 2(a-1), which names a garage as part of a flat. Karnataka’s RERA Act defines “garage” and “common areas” on similar lines: a roofed, three-walled garage is a separate declarable category under Section 2(y), and open or stilt parking sits in the common-area list under Section 2(n)(iii). Sachi’s reading: the same logic, that an uncovered stilt or open parking space fits the common-area definition rather than a separate, sellable unit, is worth raising with a lawyer if a Karnataka builder tries to sell you a stilt space outside the agreement for sale. This is not a decided Karnataka or RERA ruling, and Sachi did not find one on this point.

6.7.6 What must you check in the agreement for sale and cost sheet?

Check that your parking is named, not assumed. The flat cost sheet can show a parking charge as a separate line; that guide explains how to read it. In the agreement for sale, check the exact space (tower, level and a space number on the sanctioned plan, not a verbal promise). Check whether it is a garage under Section 2(y) or an open/stilt space under Section 2(n)(iii); the first is declared separately at K-RERA registration, the second is a common area by definition. For a basement or multi-level space, check the ramp width and slope; RMP 2015 regulation 3.10 sets a minimum width of 3.5 m and a slope of “not less than 1 in 10 and 1 in 8 in special cases.” Check whether your space is single or a tandem pair (one car behind another), and whether you are billed for one space or two.

For the count, use the K-RERA Uploaded Documents tab that the apartment master plan guide explains, and compare the sanctioned plan’s total parking spaces with the total flats.

RMP 2015 Table 23’s rule (one space per unit in the 50 to 150 sq m band, extra for larger units, shared spaces under 50 sq m) means the count will not always equal the flat count one-to-one, so ask the builder to explain any shortfall. For a basement, also check the site’s flood history; a lake buffer zone nearby, or a low-lying access road, raises the risk of water entering a basement ramp in heavy rain. RMP 2015 regulation 3.9(ix) requires “adequate drainage, ventilation, lighting arrangements” for a basement used for parking, but sets no flood-proofing standard. Sachi did not find a Karnataka rule mandating electric-vehicle charging points in residential parking, so this guide states none; ask the builder in writing if EV charging is planned, and put the answer in the agreement if it matters to you.

Checks before you book or sign:

1. Ask for the sanctioned plan’s parking count and compare it with the number of flats.
2. Get your space’s level, type (stilt, podium, basement, open, mechanical) and number into the agreement for sale.
3. Confirm whether the space is a declared garage under Section 2(y) or an open/common space under Section 2(n)(iii).
4. If the space is in a basement, ask about ramp slope, headroom for your vehicle, and drainage.
5. If two spaces are offered as a tandem pair, confirm in writing whether you are billed for one space or two.

Red flag	Why it matters
Parking promised only in the brochure or verbally, not in the agreement	Nothing to enforce if the builder reassigns or removes the space
Builder sells an open or stilt space as an “exclusive” extra, outside the agreement	Open parking is a common area under Section 2(n)(iii); a separate sale is questionable
Sanctioned plan shows fewer parking spaces than flats, with no explanation	Possible double-allotment or future dispute over spaces
A tandem space billed as two independent spaces	Only one car can leave at a time without moving the other
No ramp width or slope given for a basement space	RMP 2015 sets a 3.5 m minimum width and a 1-in-10 (or 1-in-8) slope; a steeper or narrower ramp is non-compliant

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6.7.7 Does this matter if you are buying a resale flat?

Yes, in one respect. In a resale, the parking space is whatever the original builder allotted and whatever the seller’s agreement or society records show, so check the same documents: the sanctioned plan’s parking count, the seller’s agreement or allotment letter naming the space, and the society’s record of who holds which space. The common-area question above still applies: an open or stilt space that was never legally sellable to the first owner cannot become legally sellable on resale either. A resale price that lists the parking space as a separate, itemised cost deserves the same scrutiny as a new booking. Ask the seller and the society for the space number and type in writing, and check it against the original sanctioned plan, before you finalise the resale price. A full guide for resale buyers is coming soon.