Kannada name board rule in Bengaluru: the 60% guideline explained

Short version: your shop's name board should show Kannada on about 60% of it, and the Kannada should sit in the upper half. English (or any other language) goes below, smaller.

What the law says

Karnataka amended Section 17(6) of the Kannada Language Comprehensive Development Act, 2022 in February 2024, in force from 12 March 2024. The amended text reads:

"The name boards of Commercial, Industrial and Business Undertakings, Trusts, Counseling centers, Hospitals, Laboratories, Amusement Centers, Hotels etc., functioning with the approval and sanction of the Government or Local Authorities, shall ensure that their name board displays 60% in Kannada language and Kannada shall be displayed in the upper half of the name board."

What that means for a shop board

60% Kannada. Read it as the share of the board's area the Kannada text takes up, not the number of words.
Kannada on top. The Kannada line sits in the upper half; the English line goes underneath.
Same name, two scripts. Most shops write their brand name phonetically in Kannada script, e.g. "Third Wave Coffee" becomes ಥರ್ಡ್ ವೇವ್ ಕಾಫಿ. Generic words like Bakery (ಬೇಕರಿ) or Stores (ಸ್ಟೋರ್ಸ್) are usually written the same way.

ಪ್ರಿಯಾ ಬೇಕರಿ

PRIYA BAKERY

Example layout: Kannada upper and larger, English below.

Common mistakes we see

Kannada added as a thin strip under a big English name (wrong order, too small).
Machine-translated names that read oddly to Kannada speakers. Brand names should be transliterated, not translated word by word.
Broken letters: Kannada needs proper font shaping, and some sign software splits conjunct letters. Always get the spelling checked before printing.

Not legal advice. We design to the 60% Kannada guideline in Section 17(6) of the Kannada Language Comprehensive Development Act, 2022 (amended 2024). For anything specific to your premises, ask your local authority.

Questions

Does the 60% apply to the area or the number of words?

The rule says the board "displays 60% in Kannada". Designers read that as the share of the board area, with Kannada in the upper half.

Do I have to translate my brand name?

No. Most shops write the same brand name in Kannada script (transliteration), so it sounds the same.

Is this legal advice?

No. This is a plain summary of the published text. Ask your local authority about your specific premises.

Kannada name board rule in Bengaluru, explained

What the law says

What that means for a shop board

Common mistakes we see

Questions

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