MINIMUM SETBACKS FOR RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL
BUILDINGS
Van Amada
edited by admin Dec 8, 01:09 AM
Ref: IMPLEMENTING RULES AND REGULATIONS OF THE NATIONAL BUILDING CODE OF
THE PHILIPPINES (PD 1096) | 2005 REVISED EDITION
SECTION 804. Sizes and Dimensions of Courts
1. Minimum sizes of courts and yards and their least dimensions shall be governed by the use,
type of construction, and height of the building as provided hereunder, provided that the
minimum horizontal dimension of said courts and yards shall be not less than 2.00 meters. All
inner courts shall be connected to a street or yard, either by a passageway with a minimum width
of 1.20 meters or by a door through a room or rooms.
2. The required open space shall be located totally or distributed anywhere within the lot in such
a manner as to provide maximum light and ventilation into the building. (Figures VIII.12. through
VIII.15.)
3. YARD – the required open space left between the outermost face of the building/structure and
the property lines, e.g., front, rear, right and left side yards. The width of the yard is the setback.
Yards prescribed for Commercial, Industrial, Institutional and Recreational Buildings are shown in
Table VIII.3. hereafter.
4. The setback requirements in Table VIII.3. above are for newly-developed thoroughfares. For
highly built-up urban areas with duly established lines and grades reflecting therein proposed
road widening and elevation, the requirements in Table VIII.3. above may not be imposed and
the face of the building may abut on the side and/or rear property lines provided that all the
requirements on open space, window opening, artificial ventilation, if any, and firewalls (Rule VII)
are first fully complied with.
5. Every court shall have a width of not less than 2.00 meters for one (1) or two (2) storey
buildings. However, if the court is treated as a yard or vice versa, this may be reduced to not less
than 1.50 meters in cluster living units such as quadruplexes, rowhouses and the like, with
adjacent courts with an area of not less than 3.00 sq. meters. Provided further, that the
separation walls or fences, if any, shall not be higher than 2.00 meters. Irregularly–shaped lots
such as triangular lots and the like, whose courts may be also triangular in shape may be
exempted from having a minimum width of not less than what is required in Table VIII.3. and as
shown in Figures VIII.16., VIII.17., VIII.18. and VIII.19.
6. For buildings of more than two (2) storeys in height, the minimum width of the rear or side
court shall be increased at the rate of 300 millimeters for each additional storey up to the
fourteenth (14th) storey (Figure VIII.20. showing incremental setbacks). For buildings exceeding
fourteen (14) storeys in height, the required width of the court shall be computed on the basis of
fourteen (14) storeys.
7. Uncovered Driveways, Access Roads and Parking Spaces may be considered part of the
open space provided that they are open and unobstructed from the ground upward as in courts
and yards.
8. A carport shall not be considered part of the Total Open Space within Lot (TOSL) particularly if
it is entirely roofed or roofed with overhangs. In such a case, it must be counted as an integral
component of the Allowable Maximum Building Footprint (AMBF).
9. A front yard may be partly paved/hardscaped (converted into a courtyard) to serve as a carport
but only for a basic R-2 or basic R-3 or R-4 (individual lot) use or occupancy, i.e., all for single-
family dwelling units only. All other uses/occupancies shall not be allowed to use the front yard
for a carport nor for parking.
10. For Basic R-3, abutments on two sides and rear property lines may be allowed provided the
following requirements are first complied with: a. Open space as prescribed in Reference Table
for Maximum PSO, TOSL, and Table VIII.2. of this Rule are satisfied. b. Window opening as
prescribed in Section 808 of this Rule are satisfied. c. Firewall with a minimum of two-hour fire-
resistive rating constructed with a minimum height clearance of 400 millimeters above the roof.
(Figure VIII.21)
11. In case of conflict in the provisions on lighting and ventilation under this Rule or under the
Code, the more stringent restrictions must prevail.
SETBACKS, EASEMENTS AND RELATED DEVELOPMENT CONTROLS FOR A R-1 (SINGLE-
DETACHED DWELLING) IN A LOW DENSITY RESIDENTIAL ZONING CLASSIFICATION.
Based on P.D. No. 1096, the 1977 National Building Code of the Philippines (NBCP) and its
2004 Revised implementing rules and regulations (IRR), the following rules apply:
1) front setback for a R-1 dwelling MUST be 4.5 meters (m) deep, and the two (2) side setbacks
and the rear setback shall be at 2.0 m deep each. The setback which applies to the ground level
of the building is measured from the property line to the exterior face of the building wall; there
shall be full yards on all sides of the residential dwelling;
2) the farthest point of the roof from the 2 side and rear property lines shall be at 0.75 m from the
property line;
3) the floor to lot area ratio (FLAR) shall be 1.5 i.e. for a lot with an area of 300.0 sq.m., the gross
floor area (GFA) shall be at 450.0 sq.m. for a 3-storey dwelling; the total GFA (TGFA) shall be at
675 sq.m. i.e. including deck roof level, carport and utility areas;
4) the building footprint shall be from 60% to 70% of the total lot area (TLA) depending on lot
type/ configuration;
5) there MUST be NO FIREWALL along any of the property lines for a R-1 lot; duplexes and
single-attached dwellings (both with firewalls) are PROHIBITED for construction on a R-1 lot; and
6) the building height limit (BHL) is 10.0 m measured from the established grade elevation (EGE)
i.e. ask the Architect where the applicable EGE is; note however that the 10.0 m BHL is intended
for 3-level residences with a deck roof level that requires a 1.0 m tall parapet wall or railing i.e. for
dwellings with a regular roof instead of a deck roof level, the applicable BHL is only 9.0 m;
Based on Article 670 of R.A. No. 386, the 1949 New Civil Code of the Philippines (NCCP), the
easement for the second and any other upper floors shall be 2.0 meters from the property line;
the easement (different from the setback) is measured from the property line to the center of the
building’s exterior wall; as the setback under the NBCP is wider by about 0.10 m, the setback at
the ground floor should also apply to all upper floors; balconies or cantilevered floors with fixed or
operable windows are NOT allowed to intrude into the airspace above either the easement (or
setback) area. Thanks
