Why it matters to you

The same field may or may not be buildable, depending on where it is and when it was created. The rules are now mainly in the Spatial and Urban Planning Code (Law 5306/2026) and in the decrees and Government Gazette (ΦΕΚ) issues for each area. This guide gives the basic ideas; every property needs its own check.

Inside an approved town plan

Inside the plan are areas with an approved town plan (street layout plan): roads, squares and city blocks with their own building terms. Here the property is called an urban plot (οικόπεδο). What matters is the street alignment line and the building line, the minimum area and frontage, and whether an implementation act has been carried out.

Settlements without a plan

Many villages have no town plan but have a settlement boundary (οριοθέτηση): a line that sets where the settlement ends. This concerns mainly settlements that existed before 1923 and settlements of fewer than 2,000 inhabitants. The Code divides them into small, up to 200 inhabitants, medium, up to 1,000, and large, up to 2,000. Within the settlement boundary its own rules on plot size and building apply, and they may differ between the old core and the newer extensions. A few metres outside the boundary, the rules for land outside the plan apply instead.

Outside the plan

Anything outside a town plan and outside settlement boundaries is outside the plan (εκτός σχεδίου), and the property is called a land plot (γήπεδο). The general rule for building is an area of at least 4,000 m² and a frontage of at least 25 m on a public road, with higher requirements on national and provincial roads. Smaller plots have been covered by exceptions with special conditions; the deadlines set by the law at any given time apply.

Minimum size and buildability

A property is conforming (άρτιο) when it has the minimum area and frontage set by the rules of the area. It is buildable (οικοδομήσιμο) when, in addition, it can actually take a building: it has access to a public road, no street plan or special restriction prevents it, and after the required distances there is room to place the building. A property can be conforming and still not buildable. Its history matters too: when and how it was created, by which deed or subdivision.

Special areas

Some areas have additional rules: traditional settlements, zones under special decrees, properties near the foreshore, streams or forest land, archaeological sites. There the general rules are not enough and the special regulation applies.

Where to find the building terms

At the municipality's Building Service (Υπηρεσία Δόμησης), which is also competent to confirm them
In the Government Gazette issues that approved the plan, set the settlement boundary or created a special zone
For a first orientation, on the free Cadastre map, where you can see settlement boundaries and town plans on an orthophoto

When you need a survey plan

Building terms are text; a property has a specific shape. You need a survey plan to know the actual area and frontage, where the street alignment line or the settlement boundary falls, and how much room is left after the distances. It is also required for contracts, building permits and subdivisions.

What you need / steps

Your title deeds and, if they exist, earlier survey plans and subdivisions
The KAEK (the 12-digit cadastral code) or the location of the property on the map
A survey in the field, tied to GGRS87 (ΕΓΣΑ87), the national coordinate system of Greece
A planning check on the survey: plan or settlement boundary, minimum size, distances
Confirmation of the terms by the Building Service and, for legal questions, by your lawyer

We prepare the survey plan and check the planning rules on it; we do not give legal opinions. If you are thinking of buying or building, send us the location and title deeds before you commit. See what a MAPS survey plan includes.

Greek planning rules in plain words: inside the plan, settlements, outside the plan