How many floors can you build in Karachi? On an SBCA plot under 400 sq yd, the default answer is ground plus one (G+1). A second floor is possible, but only after you pay the Additional Floor charges in Schedule 9-A of the Karachi Building and Town Planning Regulations. On larger plots, the limit comes from FAR, and the arithmetic often surprises owners: a 600 or 1,000 sq yd plot built to its full footprint uses up its entire FAR at G+1.
This guide works through the floor count plot size by plot size, using Regulation 25-2.1 as substituted by the SBCA (Amendment) 2023, Notification No. Chief Executive/SBCA/2023/47, dated 5 June 2023. It then covers the other rules that cap height: cantonment bye-laws, katchi abadi limits, CAA airspace, and your existing structure.
The Rule in One Sentence
Regulation 25-2.1 states that "the approval of 2nd floor in respect of plots upto 399 Sq.yds shall be allowed after realizing Additional Floor charges as provided in Schedule 9-A of KB&TPR-2002." The same wording appeared in the 2019 substitution, Notification No. Chief Executive/SBCA/2019/03, dated 13 June 2019.
Two conditions must both be met before a second floor is sanctioned on a plot under 400 sq yd:
- The covered area fits your FAR. The total across all floors cannot exceed your plot's FAR entitlement.
- Schedule 9-A charges are paid. This is a separate payment, made before SBCA sanctions the extra floor.
We have not found a current published Schedule 9-A rate we can verify, so we do not quote one here. Ask SBCA for the figure applicable to your plot and zone, in writing, before you budget. Treat it as a real line item, not a formality.
Floor Count by Plot Size, With the Arithmetic
FAR sets total floor area. Footprint sets how much one floor can cover. Divide one by the other and you get the number of full-footprint floors the regulation allows. The table below uses the 2023 figures. Our SBCA setback and FAR guide has the setbacks behind them.
| Plot Size | Footprint | FAR | Max Floor Area (sq yd) | One Full Floor (sq yd) | Full-Footprint Floors FAR Allows | Default |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80 sq yd | 70% | 1:2 | 160 | 56 | About 2.9 | G+1, 2nd floor with 9-A charges |
| 120 sq yd | 70% | 1:2 | 240 | 84 | About 2.9 | G+1, 2nd floor with 9-A charges |
| 200 sq yd | 65% | 1:2 | 400 | 130 | About 3.1 | G+1, 2nd floor with 9-A charges |
| 300 sq yd | 65% | 1:1.95 | 585 | 195 | 3.0 | G+1, 2nd floor with 9-A charges |
| 400 sq yd | 65% | 1:1.3 | 520 | 260 | 2.0 | FAR-limited to G+1 at full footprint |
| 600 sq yd | 50% | 1:1 | 600 | 300 | 2.0 | FAR-limited to G+1 at full footprint |
| 1,000 sq yd | 50% | 1:1 | 1,000 | 500 | 2.0 | FAR-limited to G+1 at full footprint |
Three practical readings come out of this table.
On 80 and 120 sq yd plots, a full third storey does not quite fit. At 70% footprint, three full floors would need 2.1 times the plot area. FAR allows 2.0. A second floor on a 120 sq yd plot can be about 72 sq yd, not the full 84, unless the lower floors are smaller.
On 200 and 300 sq yd plots, G+2 fits the FAR. The constraint is the G+1 default and the Schedule 9-A payment, not the floor area. These are the plots where a second floor is most often worth it.
From 400 sq yd upward, FAR stops you at G+1 if you build the full footprint. To go higher, every floor must be smaller than the maximum footprint. Many large-plot owners discover this only when the architect's third storey comes back as a FAR objection.
Area-Specific Limits: G+2 Towns, Cantonments and Katchi Abadis
G+2 on 120 sq yd plots in five towns. In 2018, SBCA limited construction on 120 sq yd residential plots in Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Gulberg, North Nazimabad, Liaquatabad and Jamshed Town to ground plus two floors, citing illegal extra floors straining water and sewerage (Zameen News, 4 April 2018). Read that as a ceiling in those towns, not an automatic entitlement elsewhere. Confirm the current position for your zone.
Cantonment areas. SBCA rules do not apply in Clifton, Malir, Faisal, Korangi Creek, Karachi or Manora Cantonments. Their boards set height directly. Under Bye-law 22 of the Cantonment Board Clifton Building Bye-laws, 2007, total building height including the stair tower is capped at 33 ft above plinth. Our Cantonment Board vs SBCA comparison covers the full height table.
Katchi abadis. In regularized katchi abadi areas, storeys are restricted to G+1 across all plot sizes, with a maximum height of 25 ft. See our katchi abadi regularization guide.
Rules That Kick In as You Go Higher
Each extra storey can pull in another authority or another system. These are the thresholds owners of taller buildings need to know.
| Height or Size | What It Triggers | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Ground plus three storeys, or over 43 ft | Wet stand pipe fire system with dedicated 5,000 gallon tank | KB&TPR 13-2.1.1 |
| Over 50 ft | NOCs from relevant agencies, as SBCA told the Sindh PAC in July 2026 | Milkiyat |
| Within 15 km of Jinnah International Airport, high-rise | CAA height clearance NOC | CAA |
| Over 60,000 sq ft total covered area | Sindh EPA environmental checklist, IEE or EIA | SEPA Regulations 2021 |
The G+3 fire threshold matters most for small commercial and mixed-use projects. Adding a fourth storey on a shop-and-flat building adds a full stand pipe system, not just another slab. Our guides on the fire safety NOC, CAA height clearance and environmental NOC cover each in detail.
Under KB&TPR Regulation 25-2.1 as amended in 2023, a second floor on any plot up to 399 sq yd is approved only after Additional Floor charges under Schedule 9-A are paid.
Can Your Existing House Carry Another Floor?
The regulation tells you what is allowed. Your foundations tell you what is possible. A house designed and built for G+1 often has footings, columns and slab reinforcement sized for exactly that load. Adding a floor on top without checking is how cracking, settlement and worse begin.
Before an addition, a structural engineer should check the original drawings, if they exist, and the actual condition of the columns and foundations. Where the original structure cannot take the load, strengthening is possible, but it changes the budget. Our second floor addition cost guide covers the rupee side. Our second floor addition contractor service includes the structural assessment, the revised plan, the Schedule 9-A payment and the build under one contract.
The commercial reality is worth stating plainly. An unsanctioned floor is a liability at sale, at mortgage and at inheritance. Since the 2025 Lyari building collapse, enforcement against unauthorised floors has tightened sharply, with SBCA running dedicated teams against illegal construction (Dawn, 2026). A floor built without approval can be ordered demolished under the Sindh Building Control Ordinance, 1979, at the owner's cost.
How We Work Out Your Floor Count
On every project, we confirm the plot's FAR bracket, any scheme or lease conditions that override the table, the authority, and the zone, before an architect draws a single floor. SBCA interpretation is not uniform between zonal offices and officers. A design that clears on one file can draw an objection on another. That is why we confirm the position in writing first, and why we build a 15 to 20 day buffer into every approval stage.
For owners planning to build now and add later, we often design foundations and columns for the extra floor from the start. It costs less than strengthening a finished house, and it keeps the option real. Our construction contractor service treats this as a standard pre-construction question.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many floors can I build on a 120 sq yd plot in Karachi? The default is G+1. A second floor can be approved after paying Schedule 9-A Additional Floor charges, as long as total covered area stays within the 1:2 FAR, about 240 sq yd. In Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Gulberg, North Nazimabad, Liaquatabad and Jamshed Town, SBCA has capped 120 sq yd plots at G+2.
Can I build G+2 on a 200 or 240 sq yd plot? Yes, subject to sanction. These plots fall in the 200-299 bracket, with 65% footprint and 1:2 FAR, so three full floors fit within the FAR. The second floor needs Schedule 9-A charges paid before SBCA approves it.
What are Schedule 9-A Additional Floor charges? Schedule 9-A of the Karachi Building and Town Planning Regulations sets the charges SBCA collects before approving a second floor on plots up to 399 sq yd. We have not found a current published rate we can verify, so confirm the figure for your plot with SBCA in writing.
Why can't I build three floors on a 600 sq yd plot? The 500-999 sq yd bracket has a 50% footprint and a 1:1 FAR. Two full-footprint floors use the entire FAR, so a third floor is only possible if every floor is smaller than the maximum footprint.
How tall can a house be in a cantonment area of Karachi? It depends on the board. Under the Cantonment Board Clifton Building Bye-laws, 2007, total height including the stair tower is capped at 33 ft above plinth. Other boards administer their own bye-laws, so confirm with your board.
Does adding a floor need fresh SBCA approval? Yes. Any structural addition, including a new floor, needs a sanctioned plan, plus Schedule 9-A charges on plots up to 399 sq yd. The addition must also be structurally safe on the existing foundations.
At what height does a Karachi building need a fire fighting system? Under KB&TPR Regulation 13-2.1.1, buildings of ground plus three storeys or above, or over 43 ft high, need a wet stand pipe system with a dedicated overhead tank of at least 5,000 gallons.
What happens if I build an extra floor without approval? It is unauthorised construction. Regularisation may be possible on penalty, or it may not where the floor breaks FAR or land use. Otherwise, the floor is liable to demolition under the Sindh Building Control Ordinance, 1979, with the cost recoverable from the owner.
Find Out What Your Plot Can Actually Carry
Naffees & Sons has built and extended houses across Karachi since 1972. We confirm your plot's legal floor count, the charges involved, and whether your structure can take it, before you spend on drawings.
Get Your Plot's Floor Count Confirmed →
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