BMC releases new guidelines for OOH advertising in Mumbai

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has published its ‘Policy Guidelines for Display of Outdoor Advertisements 2025,’ introducing stringent regulations for hoardings and digital screens across Mumbai. These new guidelines, which supersede the previous 2008 policy, aim to improve safety, maintain the city's aesthetics, and keep pace with the evolving advertising field.

New rules on hoarding size and placement

The BMC has eliminated the former zone-based system (Zone 1/2/3) for hoarding sizes, allowing advertisers to install any permitted size hoarding anywhere in the city's jurisdiction. However, new restrictions have been placed on key locations:

• The size of hoardings is restricted to a maximum of 40 feet by 40 feet, though certain smaller sizes are mandatory in high-risk areas.
• No new hoarding will be permitted on terraces/rooftops or in the right-of-way on major corridors like the Eastern/Western Express Highways. Permits for existing hoardings projecting onto footpaths or roadways will be phased out upon expiration.
• The minimum distance between two hoardings (on open land) must be 70 meters to prevent clutter, measured from the outer edge.
• A Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for structural stability is now mandatory for new and existing hoardings. For hoardings exceeding 300 square feet or sky-signs above 100 square feet, a structural stability report from a BMC-registered structural engineer must be submitted.

Digital and illuminated advertisements

The new policy formally promotes digital advertising in controlled environments such as Malls, Multiplexes, Shopping complexes, Commercial Buildings, and Petrol Pumps. However, illuminated and digital displays are subject to stricter controls, including:

• All illuminated or digital hoardings require a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic).
• Digital, LED, and LCD electronic displays must be switched off at 11 p.m. using an automatic timer.
• Flickering advertisements are not permitted, and the colour used on hoardings should not resemble traffic signals.

Permit management and enforcement

The BMC is in the process of implementing online services for the grant and renewal of permits. Other key changes to the permit system include:

• A permit will cease to exist three months after its expiry, shortened from the previous six months.
• A formal policy on blacklisting advertisers or permit holders for frequent violations, such as non-payment of fees, has been introduced.
• Advertisers must obtain insurance of Rs 5 lakhs to 1 crore for each hoarding, with the amount determined by the location's pedestrian and vehicle movement criteria.
• Review of decisions regarding the rejection of a permit on technical grounds will now be handled at the Joint/Deputy Municipal Commissioner (Special) level.

The policy also formally recognises new and unconventional advertising formats for which permission can be granted, including:

• Permission can be granted for ‘V’ Shape (2 Sided), ‘L’ Shape (2 Sided), tri-vision (3 sided), square vision (4 sided), pentagon vision (5 sided), and hexagon vision (6 Sided) billboards.
• The use of construction fences and building wraps for temporary advertisements is permitted on buildings under construction or repair.
• Advertisements on BMC premises will be introduced by inviting e-tenders. The corporation also allows advertisements instead of operating and maintaining public utilities.

The Municipal Commissioner, Bhushan Gagrani, noted in the policy's preface:,"The present policy guidelines 2025 has been framed with an objective to improve the quality of outdoor advertising and bring it on par with international standards, and to strike a balance between aesthetics of the city and the commercial potential of the Advertising sector".