Prevailing Building Bylaws of Kathmandu Metropolitan City: A Case Study of Koteshwor, Kathmandu Ar. Rashmi Dahal and Prof. Dr. Sudha Shrestha Background Building regulations and bylaws provide the obligatory framework for regulating building activities from planning and designing to completion of any construction project. Thus, one has to obtain necessary permissions from the local authority before proceeding toward the construction of any structure. Despite these mandatory rules and regulations, the development of cities within the Kathmandu Valley is experiencing haphazard and unplanned urbanization. In this situation, one of the most helpful alternatives is to maintain the planning standards and manage the city as per the development plans to make it more livable. In order to promote the public health, safety, and social welfare of the city, it is necessary to control the development of lands and buildings through proper planning and building bylaws. Building bylaws are indispensable tools for achieving society’s goals in terms of health, safety, and accessibility. Such laws prevent “overcrowding” in buildings and on land to ensure the maintenance of adequate facilities and services. In addition, they are increasingly being observed as means of achieving such goals as energy efficiency, greenhouse gas emissions reduction, and sustainability. It is apparent that the prevailing building bylaws of the Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) in practice, has been incapable of upgrading the living standards of the inhabitants and furthermore, unable to protect the city from additional degradations. The rise of contemporary building style has caused the residential building designs to become more complicated and unsafe than ever. Even with the boom of Real Estate Development since the last decade, the residential buildings in the housing sector are being more and more vulnerable from environmental and construction (structural) viewpoint. There is no uniformity and harmony in newly emerging buildings which has brought individual characters incompatible with surrounding buildings and the environment. Consequently, the effectiveness of implementing