What does the regional zoning plan say about my plot?

The regional zoning plan (gewestplan) gives every plot in Flanders a zone, shown as a colour on the map, which says what is allowed there in principle. A new house is possible in a residential area (woongebied, red), including a residential area of rural character (woongebied met landelijk karakter) and a residential park (woonpark); in most other zones it is not, or only as a home that belongs to a business. If a more specific plan applies to the plot, such as a spatial implementation plan (ruimtelijk uitvoeringsplan, RUP), that plan takes precedence. A zone is never a right to build, though: the permitting authority always also checks whether a project fits its surroundings.

What the colours mean

The Royal Decree of 1972 (Inrichtingsbesluit) says what each zone allows; a circular of 1997 (omzendbrief) explains how to read it. For housing:

Residential area (red): housing is the main use, alongside shops, services and small businesses, among others, that are compatible with the immediate surroundings. A residential park is a residential area with few homes and plenty of green.
Residential area of rural character: homes and farms on an equal footing, as in villages, hamlets and ribbons of houses along roads.
Residential expansion area (woonuitbreidingsgebied, red hatching): only for group housing, until the authorities decide how it is to be laid out; see below.
Agricultural area (agrarisch gebied, yellow): only the home of the operator of a viable farm. In an agricultural area of landscape value (landschappelijk waardevol agrarisch gebied), a project must also not endanger the beauty of the landscape.
Nature, forest and park areas (natuurgebied, bosgebied, parkgebied, shades of green): no homes; in nature and forest areas at most a hunting or fishing hut, which may not be used as a dwelling.
Recreation area (recreatiegebied): for recreation and tourism, sometimes with campsites, chalets and weekend homes, but no ordinary homes.
Industrial area (industriegebied, purple), SME zone (KMO-zone) and community facilities area (gebied voor gemeenschapsvoorzieningen, blue): no ordinary homes; in an industrial area only housing for security staff that the business needs, and at a facility only what it needs to function.

An overlay (overdruk) can also lie over the colour. In a residential area of cultural, historical and/or aesthetic value, any change can be made subject to special conditions; in a flood area on the regional zoning plan (overstromingsgebied), works are prohibited or subject to conditions as long as no measures against flooding have been taken. That is separate from the P-score or a signal area.

What you may build also depends on other rules, such as the building regulations of each municipality and the spatial implementation plan (RUP). For one address, the free Perceelscan preview brings it together.

Which plan takes precedence

Flanders has 25 regional zoning plans, adopted between 1976 and 1980. Since 2002 they have not been amended, apart from one update: new zones come through RUPs. A RUP replaces the regional zoning plan on its territory, unless it expressly says otherwise. A special development plan (bijzonder plan van aanleg, BPA) for a neighbourhood, or a general development plan (algemeen plan van aanleg, APA) for a whole municipality, also takes precedence.

Where the regional zoning plan applies, its provisions remain binding until another plan replaces them, and the map and the text carry the same weight. Departing from them is only possible through the exception rules of the Flemish Spatial Planning Code (Vlaamse Codex Ruimtelijke Ordening, VCRO), such as the basic rights (basisrechten) of houses outside their zone (zonevreemde woningen).

The residential expansion area is now a housing reserve area

Since 7 July 2023 the residential expansion area has fallen under the housing reserve areas, with a ‘bell jar’ (stolp) that freezes the land: building or subdividing is only possible:

after a decision of the municipal council releasing the area;
in parts already covered by an unexpired subdivision permit or a permit for group housing;
in line with an APA or BPA;
through an exception rule of the VCRO, such as the basic rights or the completion rule (afwerkingsregel).

Since 20 August 2026, demolishing, felling trees and subdividing without building or paving are also allowed without a release. The atlas of housing reserve areas on Geopunt shows which parts are frozen (gestolpt); it is for information only and not a legal instrument.

Since 20 July 2024 the completion rule only applies in a housing reserve area: there it allows, under conditions, a single-family house against a blank wall on the plot boundary (wachtmuur), of at most 1,000 m³; before, this was also possible in agricultural areas, among others. Another exception rule (clicheringsregel) is no route to a house: it only applies to wind turbines and other energy installations.

What does this mean if you are buying a house?

Check which zone applies to the plot and which plan it comes from. An ordinary house in, for example, an agricultural area is a house outside its zone, with only limited rights to be renovated, rebuilt or extended. A zone boundary can also run right through the plot.

If the house is permitted as the home of a farm, anyone without a link to that farm needs a permit to live there, according to the Departement Omgeving, within the rules for uses outside their zone. A housing reserve area is not building land: on a frozen part you can, as a rule, only build after a release.

The digital maps are for information only: the adopted plan is what counts and, in case of doubt, the municipality decides; it keeps a plans register (plannenregister). So ask the municipality or the notary before you sign a preliminary sale agreement (compromis).

What the Perceelscan shows

For each address, the Perceelscan shows the plan that applies: a RUP of the municipality, the province or the region, a BPA, an APA or the regional zoning plan, with the zone and a link to its provisions. It adds the regulations, plans and regulations in preparation, expropriation plans and how many m² of floor area can be built under the rules.

It is not a planning certificate (stedenbouwkundig attest) or planning extract (stedenbouwkundig uittreksel), and not the advice of a notary or lawyer. It does not include owners’ names, the cadastral income or the energy performance certificate (EPC).

In the other regions

In Brussels: What is allowed on a plot in Brussels?
In Wallonia: Which plan decides what is allowed on a plot in Wallonia?

Sources

Check it for your address

Updated on 24 October 2026