BENGALURU: The BBMP has issued a gazette notification on the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (Advertisement) Bye-Laws, 2024, applicable to Greater Bengaluru Area under the Greater Bengaluru Governance Act, 2024.
The new rules specify the size and number of outdoor advertisements across the city. According to the rules, the amount of ad space allowed will now depend on how wide the road is. For every 200-metre stretch, BBMP has fixed maximum limits. The bye-laws also introduce a city-wide rule that no two hoardings can be placed closer than 175 metres to each other. This distance is calculated from the nearest edge of one hoarding to the nearest edge of the next.
However, the BBMP Chief Commissioner has the authority to modify these limits. In areas declared as “Business Centers” or “Business Roads”, the limits mentioned above will apply not for every 200 metres, but for every 100 metres, allowing more advertisements in high-density zones.
The Commissioner can also increase the minimum spacing between hoardings or reduce the overall ad area allowed on any stretch, if needed.
BBMP will also divide the city into specific zones through notifications. Only these notified areas will be eligible for commercial advertising. Advertising rights for these zones will be given out through open tenders or auctions conducted via the Karnataka government’s e-procurement portal. Only licensed advertising agencies will be allowed to participate.
“Winning an advertising right does not give an agency the automatic right to place hoardings on buildings or land. BBMP has made it mandatory for advertisers to enter into agreements with the owners of properties where the advertisements are to be displayed. No ads can be placed without written permission from the property owner. This rule applies even if the land belongs to BBMP or a government agency,” the notification stated.
If a hoarding is erected on private property, the property owner will have to pay additional property tax to BBMP for each advertisement. If the property is listed as a B-register (B-Khata) property, the tax will be double the regular rate. In cases where the property has no BBMP khata, the owner must pay full property tax for the entire land plus double the advertisement tax as penalty.
These charges apply for as long as the ad structure remains on the property. BBMP has made it clear that it reserves the right to remove advertisements from such properties without any prior notice if violations are found.
The bye-laws also specifies that the right to advertise does not include properties owned by the Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL). Metro stations, pillars and other metro-related infrastructure are excluded from BBMP’s advertisement zones.
These will be put to separate tenders in consultation with BMRCL. However, if any advertisement is placed on a metro structure and is visible from a BBMP-assigned area, the revenue from that advertisement will be shared equally between BBMP and BMRCL.
