The foundation of any modern city is not concrete or steel—it is data. On December 11, 2025, Bangladesh took a decisive step toward that reality with the official gazette of the Dhaka Metropolitan Building Rules 2025 (Dhaka Metropolitan Imarat Bidhimala 2025).
This is not a routine regulatory update. It is a structural shift in how Dhaka manages one of the most fundamental challenges of the 21st century: rapid urbanization without environmental collapse.
Covering the entire RAJUK Master Plan area, the new rules introduce rigorous technical standards designed to balance density, safety, and sustainability. But the most significant change is not what is being built—it is how construction is governed.
For the first time, all planning permits, construction permits, and occupancy certificates must be processed exclusively through digital systems. Paper-based approvals are no longer an option.
The Digital Mandate: ECPS as the Regulatory Backbone
At the center of this transformation is the Electronic Construction Permitting System (ECPS), a platform built and maintained by Dohatec.
The ECPS eliminates the traditional bottlenecks of manual processes by creating a streamlined, verifiable digital trail for every project. From coordinate-based digital surveys to scanned ownership records, all regulatory data is now centralized, consistent, and accessible to stakeholders in real time.
This is not merely about convenience. By anchoring compliance in a digital infrastructure, the system ensures that every approval, every modification, and every final inspection is traceable. No ambiguity. No lost paperwork. No room for unauthorized changes.
Smarter Density Management: The Dual-FAR System
Controlling urban density has always been a challenge in Dhaka. The 2025 rules address this through a scientifically grounded dual-index Floor Area Ratio (FAR) system.
Developers must now calculate two separate indices:
- Area-based FAR: Determined by the population density of the specific block.
- Road-based FAR: Determined by the width of the adjacent road.
The final allowable FAR is the lower of the two, ensuring that infrastructure can realistically support the building’s population. Developers can earn incentives for sustainable features, but the maximum FAR is an absolute ceiling without government-approved premiums.
The ECPS automates these complex calculations based on digital site data, reducing human error and preventing unauthorized densification before it begins.
Environmental Compliance: From Permeable Plots to Powered Rooftops
For the first time, Dhaka’s building regulations explicitly mandate environmental stewardship at the design level.
Key requirements include:
- Permeable Open Space: A specific portion of every plot must remain completely permeable—no underground foundations, no paving. Rainwater must be able to soak directly into the soil, sustaining the city’s sinking water table.
- Recharge Pits: Buildings bigger than 1,340 square meters (20 Katha) must construct groundwater recharge pits.
- Rainwater Harvesting: Mandatory for all new developments.
- Solar Power Installation: Required across the board.
These are not aspirational goals. They are design-level compliance checks integrated directly into the ECPS workflow. RAJUK can now monitor environmental compliance from the initial submission through to final inspection.
Elevated Safety Standards: Elevators, Egress, and Engineering Accountability
Public safety has been significantly upgraded under the new rules, with strict adherence to the Bangladesh National Building Code (BNBC).
- Buildings taller than 18 meters must install elevators.
- Buildings exceeding 33 meters (typically 10 stories) must feature at least two elevators, including a dedicated stretcher lift for medical emergencies.
- Fire safety standards now mandate smoke-free staircases, fire-rated doors, and clearly marked emergency exits under “Means of Egress” protocols.
All structural, electrical, and mechanical designs must be certified by registered technical professionals. These professionals are legally accountable for the adequacy of the project’s design.
The ECPS functions as an immutable repository for these certifications. Architects and engineers cannot distance themselves from their work—their names, stamps, and signatures are permanently preserved.
Heritage Protection and the Promise of Development Rights
Dhaka’s historical identity is not negotiable. The 2025 rules establish protective zones around heritage sites to ensure cultural preservation alongside urban growth.
For Grade-1 heritage structures:
- A 9-meter “no-build” radius is strictly enforced.
- New construction within a 25-meter buffer zone is limited to a height of 15 meters or 4 stories.
To offset the financial impact on property owners, the government has introduced a Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) program. Owners of historical properties can sell their “unused FAR” to developers in other parts of the city, providing compensation for conservation.
The management of TDR certificates will rely heavily on the digital infrastructure provided by Dohatec and the ECPS—ensuring a secure, transparent marketplace for development rights.
Professional Liability: Bonds, Blame, and Building Insurance
The 2025 rules fundamentally shift the compliance burden to technical professionals and developers.
Technical persons—architects, engineers, and planners—must now sign an Indemnity Bond for projects involving deep foundations or basements. They take personal responsibility for any damage to neighbouring properties.
Developers of commercial complexes and large residential projects must carry mandatory liability insurance to cover construction defects and post-completion claims.
Any deviation from the digital plans approved through the ECPS can trigger immediate work suspension, utility disconnection, or demolition of unauthorized structures.
The Path to Smart City Governance
As Dhaka moves toward its vision of a “Smart City,” the integration of the 2025 Building Rules with the ECPS marks a decisive break with the era of unchecked urban sprawl.
By grounding urban development in transparency, digital tracking, and environmental science, the new framework provides a blueprint for a safer, smarter, more sustainable capital.
The question is no longer whether Dhaka can modernize its building governance. With Dohatec’s ECPS as the regulatory backbone, the infrastructure is already in place.