What can you build in the province of West Flanders?
What you can build in the province of West Flanders 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 the regulations of your municipality, the province and the Flemish Region. The register lists no provincial regulation for the province, and the 6 regional ones apply, as everywhere in Flanders. Of the 62 municipalities, 50 also have regulations of their own, and the register lists 1,892 plans from the municipalities in the province.
At a glance
| Municipalities | 62 |
|---|---|
| Municipalities with their own regulations | 50 |
| Provincial regulations | none in the register |
| Regional regulations | 6, as everywhere in Flanders |
| Municipal plans in the register | 1,892 (RUPs, BPAs and others) |
| Central cities | Bruges, Kortrijk, Ostend, Roeselare |
| Municipalities with a fixed rule on plot coverage | Ostend, Ypres |
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Which provincial regulations apply in the province of West Flanders?
The register lists no provincial planning regulation for the province of West Flanders; the regulations of the municipality and those of the Flemish Region apply.
Do I need to install a rainwater tank in the province of West Flanders?
Often, yes, when you build, rebuild or extend a building or a paved surface: the regional regulation on rainwater then sets rules for collecting and reusing rainwater, letting it soak into the ground or buffering it. A municipality can add its own rules on top; for each address, the Perceelscan states what applies.
Which municipalities in the province of West Flanders have the most regulations of their own?
According to the register, Middelkerke (10), Blankenberge (8), Ypres (8), Diksmuide (7), Nieuwpoort (7), Veurne (7) and Wingene (7) have the most regulations of their own. Each municipality’s page lists them with a link to their full text.
Which municipalities in the province of West Flanders have a fixed rule on plot coverage?
These municipalities have a fixed rule on how much of a plot may be built on: Ostend in art. 30 of the Ostend regulation on building works (2017) and Ypres in art. 7 of the Ypres regulation on living environment and heritage (2006). For each address, the Perceelscan applies that rule to the shape of the plot.
How much can I build in the province of West Flanders?
That depends on the plot: the zoning plan that applies (the regional zoning plan, a RUP or a BPA), the regulations of the municipality, the province and the Region, 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.
The 62 municipalities of the province of West Flanders
| Municipality | Regulations and plans in the register |
|---|---|
| Alveringem | 5 regulations of its own, 11 plans |
| Anzegem | 2 regulations of its own, 52 plans |
| Ardooie | no regulation of its own, 20 plans |
| Avelgem | no regulation of its own, 16 plans |
| Beernem | no regulation of its own, 30 plans |
| Blankenberge | 8 regulations of its own, 31 plans |
| Bredene | 3 regulations of its own, 23 plans |
| Bruges | 2 regulations of its own, 99 plans |
| Damme | 3 regulations of its own, 17 plans |
| De Haan | 6 regulations of its own, 25 plans |
| De Panne | no regulation of its own, 1 plan |
| Deerlijk | no regulation of its own, 32 plans |
| Dentergem | 2 regulations of its own, 22 plans |
| Diksmuide | 7 regulations of its own, 19 plans |
| Gistel | 3 regulations of its own, 21 plans |
| Harelbeke | 3 regulations of its own, 59 plans |
| Heuvelland | no regulation of its own, 13 plans |
| Hooglede | 2 regulations of its own, 16 plans |
| Houthulst | 3 regulations of its own, 4 plans |
| Ichtegem | 1 regulation of its own, 30 plans |
| Ingelmunster | 2 regulations of its own, 23 plans |
| Izegem | 3 regulations of its own, 36 plans |
| Jabbeke | 2 regulations of its own, 46 plans |
| Knokke-Heist | 2 regulations of its own, 60 plans |
| Koekelare | no regulation of its own, 33 plans |
| Koksijde | 6 regulations of its own, 35 plans |
| Kortemark | 5 regulations of its own, 29 plans |
| Kortrijk | 3 regulations of its own, 90 plans |
| Kuurne | 3 regulations of its own, 18 plans |
| Langemark-Poelkapelle | 1 regulation of its own, 15 plans |
| Ledegem | 1 regulation of its own, 20 plans |
| Lendelede | no regulation of its own, 26 plans |
| Lichtervelde | 3 regulations of its own, 22 plans |
| Lo-Reninge | 1 regulation of its own, 12 plans |
| Menen | 3 regulations of its own, 30 plans |
| Mesen | 1 regulation of its own, 3 plans |
| Middelkerke | 10 regulations of its own, 50 plans |
| Moorslede | 4 regulations of its own, 23 plans |
| Nieuwpoort | 7 regulations of its own, 20 plans |
| Oostkamp | 4 regulations of its own, 26 plans |
| Oostrozebeke | 2 regulations of its own, 13 plans |
| Ostend | 3 regulations of its own, 46 plans; fixed rule on plot coverage |
| Oudenburg | no regulation of its own, 20 plans |
| Pittem | 3 regulations of its own, 23 plans |
| Poperinge | 2 regulations of its own, 29 plans |
| Roeselare | 1 regulation of its own, 60 plans |
| Spiere-Helkijn | no regulation of its own, 9 plans |
| Staden | 2 regulations of its own, 43 plans |
| Tielt | 4 regulations of its own, 46 plans |
| Torhout | 1 regulation of its own, 33 plans |
| Veurne | 7 regulations of its own, 26 plans |
| Vleteren | 3 regulations of its own, 12 plans |
| Waregem | 1 regulation of its own, 60 plans |
| Wervik | 3 regulations of its own, 43 plans |
| Wevelgem | 4 regulations of its own, 47 plans |
| Wielsbeke | 3 regulations of its own, 16 plans |
| Wingene | 7 regulations of its own, 36 plans |
| Ypres | 8 regulations of its own, 54 plans; fixed rule on plot coverage |
| Zedelgem | 2 regulations of its own, 30 plans |
| Zonnebeke | 2 regulations of its own, 40 plans |
| Zuienkerke | no regulation of its own, 5 plans |
| Zwevegem | no regulation of its own, 43 plans |
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Other provinces
- What can you build in the province of Antwerp?
- What can you build in the province of Limburg?
- What can you build in the province of East Flanders?
- What can you build in the province of Flemish Brabant?
- What can you build in the Brussels-Capital Region?
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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