The Government of Karnataka has proposed the Greater Bengaluru Area (Advertisement) Rules, 2025, setting the stage for a sweeping transformation of the city’s outdoor advertising ecosystem. The Urban Development Department’s draft framework, released on November 13, replaces the 2024 bylaws and introduces a centralised, auction-driven model aimed at curbing illegal hoardings, improving the city’s visual environment, and significantly increasing municipal revenue across the five corporations under the Greater Bengaluru Authority.
At the heart of the proposal is a zone-based auction system that divides Bengaluru into road stretches of up to 656 feet. Only licensed advertisers, who must pay a ₹5 lakh licence fee for a five-year term, can participate in the e-procurement auctions. Winning bidders will receive exclusive advertising rights for their allotted stretches, marking a shift toward stricter control and accountability in the sector.
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The draft also scales permissible display sizes based on road width. Wider corridors can host larger ad formats, with allowable display areas ranging from 1,000 to 1,600 sq ft per road stretch, and up to 3,000 sq ft at major circles and key intersections. Roads less than 18 meters (59 ft) in width will remain off-limits for commercial advertising. A minimum 164-foot gap between hoardings is mandatory to reduce clutter and improve traffic visibility.
Sensitive heritage regions including areas like the Cubbon Park and Lalbagh corridors, continue to remain protected, with commercial ads prohibited within these zones as well as in the buffers around religious institutions, flyovers and major junctions.
For the first time, the draft formally recognises digital formats such as LED screens, building facades and large-format illuminated displays. However, it introduces strict boundaries:
- Videos and moving images are banned
- Digital screens can change frames only once every 10 seconds
- Advertisers must reserve 10% of screen time for government public-service announcements
These curbs follow concerns raised by civic and transport bodies about driver distraction and the growing unregulated use of digital displays in commercial districts.
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The draft puts forward a far tougher enforcement framework to curb Bengaluru’s long-standing problem of unauthorised hoardings. It mandates the immediate removal of any illegal advertisement and empowers authorities to impose fines twice the standard ad fee, alongside initiating criminal action for repeated or serious violations. Non-compliant advertisers risk suspension or cancellation of their licences, while habitual offenders may be blacklisted. If violations are not addressed within seven days, the government can also seize advertising materials and equipment. Reportedly, municipal officials say these stringent measures are essential to break the cycle of recurring violations and the unchecked spread of illegal flex boards that have cluttered the city for years.
The draft will be taken into consideration 30 days after its publication in the Official Gazette, giving the public a window to submit objections or suggestions. Advertisers, OOH operators, citizen groups and industry bodies are expected to provide feedback on the proposed shifts — particularly the auction-based model, which could reshape market access for small and medium advertisers.
If finalised, the 2025 rules will mark one of the most comprehensive overhauls of Bengaluru’s outdoor advertising norms in more than a decade.