Outer Wall Setback, Daylight Regulations, Area Usage and Regional Planning

6 Outer Wall Setback (Building Standards Act: ​Article 54)

In the 1st and 2nd class low-rise residential areas, the distance from the exterior wall of the building to the property line ("exterior wall setback distance") may be set at 1.5m or 1m by city planning.

7 Daylight Regulations (Building Standards Act: ​Article 56-2)

(1) Buildings located in areas designated by local government ordinances shall not create shaded areas within a certain distance from the property line for more than a specified period of time (2 to 5 hours) between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on the winter solstice.

(2) The shaded area is calculated at the height specified by the local government (1.5m, 4m, or 6.5m).

(3) Restricted buildings are those exceeding 7 m in eaves height or 3 or more stories above ground in the 1st and 2nd low-rise residential areas, and those exceeding 10 m in height in other areas. ​In areas with no zoning designation, the local government will assign one or the other.

(4) ​When shading occurs over areas with different restrictions, each of the restrictions for each area where shading occurs must be met.

• ​Even if the building is outside the area designated by the ordinance, the restriction is determined by the area where the shading occurs.

8 Restrictions on Use by Zoning District ​(Building Standards Act: ​Article 48 Table 2)

(1) There are three types of city planning areas: urbanized areas, urbanization control areas, and areas without zoning.　In these areas, 12 different zoning districts may be defined.　​Each zoning district or area without this designation defines the uses of buildings that can (or cannot) be built.

(2) ​In principle, no buildings can be built in the urbanization control area.　​However, there are some exceptions to this rule, such as when development permission based on the City Planning Law is obtained.

(3) ​If the property is located in more than one zoning district, the restrictions of the district to which the majority of the land area belongs will be applied.

9 Restrictions due to Regional Zoning, etc. (Building Standards Act: ​Article 68-2 and 70)

(1) ​For 2-6 and 8, please note that in areas such as district plans determined based on the City Planning Law, restrictions may be added by ordinance according to the characteristics of the area.

(2) Some areas have agreements (building agreements) regarding standards for the building site, location, structure, use, form, design, or building equipment.