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Published on 11 October 20265 min read
Urban planning information in Belgium: how to apply
The Immolytics editorial team
Urban planning information (stedenbouwkundige inlichtingen in Flanders, renseignements urbanistiques in Wallonia and Brussels) is the official answer to one question: what may you do with this plot? It bundles the zoning, the subdivision rules and the permits that apply to a property. Buyers, sellers and notaries request it before the deed is signed. The name and the procedure differ from one region to the next.
What urban planning information actually is
The document is a set of extracts from plans and permits, issued for one specific plot. You do not get a general explanation of a city's rules. You get a description of what applies to that single property on the day the document is issued.
The name is not the same everywhere. In the Flemish Region, municipalities and the Omgevingsloket call it stedenbouwkundige inlichtingen. In the Walloon Region and the Brussels-Capital Region it is renseignements urbanistiques, and the term certificat d'urbanisme sometimes appears alongside it. Mix up the terms and you will not find the right application form. The glossary on this site puts the main terms of each region side by side.
Two things always come back. First, the zoning of the plot under the regional plan, a plan of layout or a spatial implementation plan, with the rules attached to it. Second, the list of permits issued for the property.
Why it matters in a sale
Without that information, a buyer cannot tell whether their plans are possible, and that goes straight to the value of the property. A plot in a residential area where a subdivision still applies is not the same as a plot where the municipality no longer allows new building.
The extracts also bring out things the seller does not always know. An extension that was never permitted, a strip along the street where building is forbidden, a rule that caps the height of the eaves: it is all in there. A buyer who discovers this after the deed has no room left to negotiate.
That is why the request belongs in the preparation of the sale, together with the other documents the notary collects. In practice the notary requests the information before the deed is signed. The buyer then knows what is being bought, and the price can be adjusted to what the property really allows.
Compare the outcome with the official figures for the municipality. The property prices page gives median prices per municipality, and the price map shows them in relief on a single map. You see at once whether a plot with restrictions still falls inside the normal range.
How to request it
You ask the municipality where the plot is located. In the Flemish Region you can also apply online through the Omgevingsloket. In the Walloon Region and the Brussels-Capital Region, the request goes through the municipal departments responsible for planning and spatial order.
As a rule, the applicant is the owner or someone who can show an interest, such as a candidate buyer or the notary preparing the deed. Send the address, the cadastral details and a location plan of the plot with your request, and you avoid a round of correspondence with the department.
Fees and processing times differ by municipality and by region, so ask the planning department before you file. An incomplete request pushes everything back. If you sell through an estate agent, the agency can handle the request; if you sell privately, you do it yourself or through the notary.
For a first idea of what a property is worth, there are the tools on this site. They do not replace the planning information, but they give you a range before you start the request.
What the document contains
The extract describes the state of the plot at the moment the municipality or the region draws it up. It is not a building permit and not an approval of your plans: it only states what applies.
You will usually find:
- the zoning of the plot under the regional plan, plan of layout or spatial implementation plan
- the rules of a subdivision or of a special plan
- the permits issued for the property, with the plans that go with them
- the building line and any strips where building is prohibited
- recorded infringements or ongoing procedures concerning the property
- special charges linked to the planning situation
Urban planning information says nothing about the energy performance of the dwelling. That is a separate track, with its own certificates and its own rules in each region. In the Walloon Region a PEB certificate is required for the sale and the rental of a dwelling, and it has nothing to do with the planning situation. In the Brussels-Capital Region, the region sets dated performance targets per dwelling, with no sale needed to trigger them. In the Flemish Region, selling a dwelling starts a renovation obligation. Keep those three tracks apart; each has its own documents.
What to do with the answers
Use the information to test the value of the property. A ban on building, an extension that does not comply, or a subdivision rule that fixes the layout all change what a buyer is prepared to pay.
If the property turns out to be fully in order and free of restrictions, the next logical step is the comparison with its own municipality. A valuation of a property in the municipality where it sits gives a supported range, and a valuation report puts that into a document you can show to a buyer or a bank. For a comparison inside a specific market, the regional page works, for instance Antwerp. The figures behind those pages come from the official property prices of Statbel, based on the deeds of sale, not on asking prices.
At a public sale the planning information weighs even more, because you buy the property in the state it is in. If you want to bid at auctions you can follow the public auctions; the Pépites subscription collects the files and sets them beside the median of the municipality. That way you can see before bidding whether a plot with a restriction still falls below the range of the municipality.
Frequently asked questions
How much does urban planning information cost?
The cost differs by municipality and by region and depends on the department that issues the document, so ask the planning department for the amount before you file your request and avoid a surprise.
How long is urban planning information valid?
The extract describes the situation at the moment it is issued, not the situation today, and there is no validity period that is the same in every region. If the extract is older than the most recent change to a plan or a permit, it is better to request it again.
What is the difference with the energy certificate?
An energy certificate is about the energy performance of the dwelling, while planning information is about what you may do with the plot, and the two are separate documents with their own rules in each region. In the Walloon Region a PEB certificate is required for the sale and the rental of a dwelling, in the Brussels-Capital Region the region sets dated performance targets per dwelling, and in the Flemish Region selling a dwelling starts a renovation obligation.
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