What can you build in Ghent?
What you can build in Ghent 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: 5 from Ghent itself, 1 from the province of East Flanders and 6 from the Flemish Region. The register lists 127 plans for Ghent.
At a glance
| Province | East Flanders |
|---|---|
| Plans in the register | 127 (RUPs, BPAs and others) |
| Municipal regulations | 5; most recent: ‘Algemeen bouwreglement versie 2024 (gecoördineerd)’ (adopted on 25 March 2024, Belgian Official Gazette 27 May 2024) |
| Provincial regulations | 1 |
| Regional regulations | 6, as everywhere in Flanders |
| All plans in the register | yes, according to the municipality |
Find out for free what you can build on your plot in Ghent
How much can I build in Ghent?
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.
Do I need an environmental permit in Ghent?
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 Ghent?
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.
Can I split a dwelling into several units in Ghent?
For Ghent, the register lists no separate regulation on housing, but the general regulation ‘Algemeen bouwreglement versie 2024 (gecoördineerd)’ may contain rules on it. For each address, the Perceelscan lists the regulations that apply to the plot, with a link to their text. 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 Ghent?
For Ghent, the register lists no separate regulation on parking, but the general regulation ‘Algemeen bouwreglement versie 2024 (gecoördineerd)’ 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 Ghent?
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.
Where can I find the spatial implementation plans (RUPs) for Ghent?
In the register of plans and regulations (DSI) of the Departement Omgeving, with 127 plans for Ghent (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.
The planning regulations of Ghent
| Algemeen bouwreglement versie 2024 (gecoördineerd) | adopted on 25 March 2024, Belgian Official Gazette 27 May 2024 |
|---|---|
| Algemeen Bouwreglement versie 2023 | adopted on 24 April 2023, Belgian Official Gazette 23 June 2023 |
| Algemeen bouwreglement versie 2022 | adopted on 26 September 2022, Belgian Official Gazette 21 November 2022 |
| Gemeentelijke stedenbouwkundige verordening raamprostitutie | approved on 23 April 2015, Belgian Official Gazette 11 July 2017 |
| Algemeen Bouwreglement versie 2004 | approved on 16 September 2004, Belgian Official Gazette 1 December 2004 |
A regulation may appear in the register in several versions; the most recent one is at the top. Whether a version replaces the previous one or only amends it is stated in the text itself.
Provincial regulations (East Flanders)
| Provinciale stedenbouwkundige verordening Weekendverblijven en openluchtrecreatieve terreinen | approved on 13 July 2015, Belgian Official Gazette 12 August 2015 |
|---|
What applies throughout Flanders
What the Perceelscan checks for each plot in Ghent
- 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 Ghent
Building near Ghent
- What can you build in Destelbergen?
- What can you build in Evergem?
- What can you build in Sint-Martens-Latem?
- What can you build in Merelbeke-Melle?
- What can you build in Lievegem?
- What can you build in Lochristi?
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.
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