Skip to main content
A Singapore Government Agency Website How to identify
Official website links end with .gov.sg
Secure websites use HTTPS
Look for a lock () or https:// as an added precaution. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.
Get trusted information straight from the source.

Add the URA website (opens in new tab) as your preferred source on Google.

Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA)

Building Appendages

Check the guidelines relating to building appendages for semi-detached houses.

Last updated on 7 June 2026

Building Appendages

  • All structures shall generally be confined within the envelope. The car porch and patio/terrace area are subject to the setback guidelines shown in the Building Setbacks section.

  • Minor building appendages that do not increase the building bulk may be allowed to encroach slightly beyond the envelope control, as shown in the sections below. Notwithstanding, such features may require further evaluation depending on the site context, to ensure that they do not substantially add to building bulk.

  • Allowable protrusion beyond the envelope control for other building appendages not covered in the sections below shall be assessed on the merits of the proposal.

Car Porch

The height of the car porch shall not exceed 4.5m.

The car porch roof may be used as a balcony or garden, but it shall remain open-to-sky and unenclosed.

The required setback for the accessible car porch roof area, when used as open balcony/garden from the common boundaries, shall follow the requisite side/rear setbacks of the main building.

Where one side of the car porch abuts the neighbour’s boundary, a 1.8m high light-weight screen wall shall be built along the common boundary of the car porch roof to provide the neighbour with some privacy, unless the adjoining neighbour agrees to do without the screen wall. Examples of light-weight screens include angled louvres or slanted vertical panels.

Only the following may be allowed on the car porch roof:

  • A maximum 1m high parapet wall around the perimeter of the car porch roof, constructed of visually porous material (e.g. tempered glass and railing);

  • A maximum 1m wide sun shading canopy, cantilevered from the building wall to provide weather protection for the opening to the car porch roof;

  • Planters for landscaping.

Dormer Windows

A dormer window is typically a small feature that protrudes beyond the plane of a pitched roof to allow light and/or ventilation into the space beneath the roof. Proposed dormer windows can be allowed to protrude not more than 1m (vertically and horizontally) beyond the permissible building envelope. 

Cross-section diagram of a four-story building with key features labeled.

Dormer Window Guidelines

Minor Building Appendages

Table 1: Maximum allowable protrusion of minor building appendages

Appendage

Maximum Allowable Protrusion of Minor Building Appendages into Road Buffer and Setbacks

While the building appendages may be within the permissible building envelope, such features may require further evaluation depending on the site context, to ensure that they do not substantially add to building bulk.

Main roof eaves1

1 Secondary roof eaves may only extend 1m beyond the permissible building envelope.

Into road buffer: 2m

Into common boundary setback: 1m

Ledges or cantilevered awnings2 (without vertical supports)

2 The maximum projection (i.e. 1m) into the road buffer or into the common boundary setback applies to retractable awnings when they are fully stretched out (i.e. not when the awnings are in their retracted positions).

Into road buffer: 1m

Into common boundary setback: 1m

Horizontal sun-shading devices, vertical sun-shading fins/ screens, other minor decorative features3, planter boxes4

3 for example, fins or light weight cantilevered screens spaced apart for sun-shading purpose without vertical supports. All such structural projections shall not exceed 500mm in depth.

4 Planter Boxes: cantilevered box structures for planting purposes.

Into road buffer: 0.5m

Not to encroach into common boundary setback

Bay windows5

5 Bay Windows: Raised windows not exceeding one structural bay width and cantilevered at least 0.5m high from the floor.

Not to encroach into road buffer or common boundary setback

Note:

  • If the plot abuts a GCBA plot, the minimum setback is 3m.

  • These standards are based on Cat 3-5 roads. Setback requirement for other building features not covered under the table shall be assessed on the merits of the proposal.