What can you build in Antwerp?
What you can build in Antwerp depends on the plan that covers your plot – the regional zoning plan (gewestplan), a spatial implementation plan (RUP) or a special development plan (BPA) – and on 12 planning regulations: 6 from Antwerp itself and 6 from the Flemish Region. The register lists 133 plans for Antwerp.
At a glance
| Province | Antwerp |
|---|---|
| Plans in the register | 133 (RUPs, BPAs and others) |
| Municipal regulations | 6; most recent: ‘Gemeentelijke stedenbouwkundige verordening inzake lasten bij omgevingsvergunningen’ (adopted on 27 May 2024, Belgian Official Gazette 18 July 2024) |
| Provincial regulations | none |
| Regional regulations | 6, as everywhere in Flanders |
| Building code | Antwerp Bouwcode (2024), in force since 15 July 2024 |
| All plans in the register | yes, according to the municipality |
Find out for free what you can build on your plot in Antwerp
How much can I build in Antwerp?
That depends on the plot: the zoning plan that applies (the regional zoning plan, a RUP or a BPA), the regulations and what is there now. The Perceelscan works it out for each address: how many m² of floor area may legally be built, and how many are already built. In Antwerp, the Antwerp Bouwcode (2024) applies: among other things, 20% of the plot must remain unbuilt after the works (art. 22), and every dwelling must have outdoor space (art. 12). The Perceelscan cites the articles for every plot where they apply.
Do I need an environmental permit in Antwerp?
For most works, yes: building, renovating, demolishing and splitting a dwelling generally require an environmental permit (omgevingsvergunning, formerly called the building permit or planning permit), which you apply for through the Omgevingsloket portal. Some minor works are exempt or only require a notification: vlaanderen.be sets out the rules. For each address, the Perceelscan also shows the existing permits.
Can I demolish and rebuild in Antwerp?
Demolition usually requires an environmental permit. What you may build afterwards is determined by the plan and the regulations that apply to the plot; heritage status, a plan in preparation or an expropriation can stand in the way. The Perceelscan sets it all out for each address. Under the Bouwcode (art. 28), anyone in Antwerp who demolishes and replaces a single-family house must provide one family-sized dwelling for each single-family house demolished.
Can I split a dwelling into several units in Antwerp?
In Antwerp, the regulation ‘Stedenbouwkundige verordening tot het bewaken van de woonkwaliteit’ (only in the former municipality of Borsbeek) applies to this. For each address, the Perceelscan tells you which regulations apply to the plot. The Bouwcode governs the splitting of single-family houses (art. 28) and the housing mix (art. 27). Splitting a dwelling into several dwellings generally requires an environmental permit, even without any building works (see splitting a dwelling on vlaanderen.be).
How many parking spaces must I provide in Antwerp?
For Antwerp, the register lists no separate regulation on parking, but the general regulation ‘Stedenbouwkundige verordening Bouwcode - Herziening’ may contain rules on it. For each address, the Perceelscan lists the regulations that apply to the plot, with a link to their text.
Do I need to install a rainwater tank in Antwerp?
Often, yes, when you build, rebuild or extend a building or a paved surface: the regional regulation on rainwater (2023) then sets rules for collecting and reusing rainwater, letting it soak into the ground or buffering it. Which measure your project requires depends on its surface area. Antwerp has its own rules on rainwater in the regulation ‘gemeentelijke stedenbouwkundige verordening houdende een reglement tot infiltratie en buffering van hemelwater in nieuwe verkavelingen en nieuwe woonprojecten’ (only in the former municipality of Borsbeek).
Does Antwerp impose planning obligations?
Antwerp addresses this in the regulations ‘Gemeentelijke stedenbouwkundige verordening inzake lasten bij omgevingsvergunningen’ (only in the former municipality of Borsbeek) and ‘Stedenbouwkundige lasten’. A planning obligation is a piece of work or a contribution that the permitting authority can attach to an environmental permit, for example for a larger housing project.
Where can I find the spatial implementation plans (RUPs) for Antwerp?
In the register of plans and regulations (DSI) of the Departement Omgeving, with 133 plans for Antwerp (RUPs, BPAs and others). Where no RUP or BPA applies, the regional zoning plan (gewestplan) determines the zoning. For each plot, the Perceelscan names the plan that applies, with the zone and a link to its provisions.
Which articles of the Antwerp Bouwcode (2024) does the report cite?
ImSight has encoded the articles of the Antwerp Bouwcode (2024) itself; the report cites them for every plot where the Bouwcode applies. In force since 15 July 2024.
| Art. 3 · Departures allowed | The permitting authority may depart from any provision if the result is at least equivalent. |
|---|---|
| Art. 6 §1 · Fitting in | The size and form of a building fit in with its surroundings, taking the urban block as the starting point. |
| Art. 12 · Outdoor space | 4 m² per dwelling, plus 2 m² per bedroom from the second bedroom onwards. Existing outdoor space may not be reduced below this. |
| Art. 22 · Open space | After the works, 20% of the plot remains unbuilt at ground level, with an exception in the core shopping area. |
| Art. 27 · Housing mix | From 5 dwellings upwards, an average of at least 1.8 bedrooms per dwelling. |
| Art. 28 · Single-family houses | A single-family house that coincides with the entire building and has a gross floor area of no more than 350 m² may not be split into several dwellings. Anyone splitting a larger one must retain at least one dwelling of 130 m² net with 15 m² of outdoor space; anyone demolishing and replacing must provide one such dwelling for each single-family house demolished. |
Where the Antwerp Bouwcode (2024) does not apply
- Postcode 2150: Borsbeek district: the Borsbeek housing quality regulation (2018) still applies there alongside the Bouwcode and has not yet been encoded.
The planning regulations of Antwerp
| Gemeentelijke stedenbouwkundige verordening inzake lasten bij omgevingsvergunningen only in the territory of the former municipality of Borsbeek | adopted on 27 May 2024, Belgian Official Gazette 18 July 2024 |
|---|---|
| Stedenbouwkundige lasten | adopted on 29 April 2024 |
| Stedenbouwkundige verordening Bouwcode - Herziening | adopted on 25 March 2024, Belgian Official Gazette 30 May 2024 |
| Stedenbouwkundige verordening tot het bewaken van de woonkwaliteit only in the territory of the former municipality of Borsbeek | adopted on 25 June 2018, Belgian Official Gazette 27 September 2018 |
| GEMEENTELIJKE STEDENBOUWKUNDIGE VERORDENING - RAAMPROSTITUTIE | approved on 17 December 2009, Belgian Official Gazette 22 March 2010 |
| gemeentelijke stedenbouwkundige verordening houdende een reglement tot infiltratie en buffering van hemelwater in nieuwe verkavelingen en nieuwe woonprojecten only in the territory of the former municipality of Borsbeek | approved on 12 March 2009, Belgian Official Gazette 13 May 2009 |
After a merger, a regulation continues to apply in the territory of the municipality that adopted it: each regulation shows whether it applies only in the former municipality of Borsbeek.
What applies throughout Flanders
What the Perceelscan checks for each plot in Antwerp
- The plan that applies: a municipal, provincial or regional RUP, a BPA, an APA or the regional zoning plan, with the zone and a link to its provisions.
- The regulations that apply to that plot: a regulation may also apply to only part of the municipality.
- How many m² of floor area may legally be built, and how many are already built.
- Plans and regulations in preparation, and expropriation plans.
- Heritage: protection, the established inventory and archaeological zones.
- Flood risk (P-score and G-score), signal areas (signaalgebieden) and PFAS zones.
- Right of pre-emption, nature, Seveso sites and sewerage in the street.
- Environmental permits on the plot and next door.
Find out for free what you can build on your plot in Antwerp
Building near Antwerp
- What can you build in Stabroek?
- What can you build in Beveren-Kruibeke-Zwijndrecht?
- What can you build in Schoten?
- What can you build in Kapellen?
- What can you build in Brasschaat?
- What can you build in Wijnegem?
Source: DSI, the register of plans and regulations of the Departement Omgeving, retrieved on 5 October 2026. Each regulation’s record contains its full text.
Updated on