Plot Size & Covered Area Planner
Maximum permissible covered area, setbacks, and total buildable area across storeys — LDA/CDA-style bylaws
Frequently Asked Questions
Pakistani cities regulate how much of a plot can actually be built on through coverage percentage and setback rules that vary by plot size tier — and these rules differ meaningfully between government development authorities (like LDA or CDA) and private housing societies (like DHA or Bahria Town), which set their own separate bylaws.
Why plot size tier changes what you're allowed to build
Development authority bylaws typically set a maximum ground coverage percentage that shrinks as plot size grows — a smaller plot is often allowed to cover a larger percentage of its area with structure (since setback requirements matter proportionally less on a small plot), while a larger plot is required to leave proportionally more open space. Setbacks — the mandatory clear distance from each plot boundary — also scale with plot size tier, and both coverage percentage and setback distance directly determine how much floor area is actually buildable per storey, before even considering how many storeys the bylaws permit. This calculator models representative LDA/CDA-style tiers — it explicitly does not model DHA, Bahria Town, or other private-society bylaws, which set their own distinct rules per phase and aren't derivable from a single general formula.
A worked example
Two plots of different sizes in the same city, built to their respective bylaw-maximum coverage percentages, don't scale linearly — the smaller plot's higher allowed coverage percentage partially offsets its smaller total area, so "double the plot size" doesn't automatically mean "double the buildable area," which is a common miscalculation when comparing plot options of different sizes.
How this connects to your other property planning
This calculator answers "how much can I build," which is a different question from "how much land do I have" (answered by the Land Area Converter, since Marla and Kanal figures need converting to consistent square footage before applying any bylaw percentage) and "what will it cost to build it" (answered by the Construction Cost Calculator once the buildable footprint is known).
Common mistakes
The most consequential mistake is applying general development-authority coverage rules to a plot that's actually inside a private housing society with its own distinct bylaws — always confirm the exact coverage percentage, setback distances, and storey limits with your specific development authority or society office before finalizing a building plan, since this calculator is a planning starting point, not a substitute for official approval.