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Zoning

Zoning Plan

A scaled plan that defines future development, use decisions and construction conditions for a settlement. Organized in two levels: Master Plan (Nazım) and Implementation Plan (Uygulama).

A zoning plan (Turkish: *imar planı*) is a scaled plan that defines a settlement's land use decisions, transport infrastructure, densities and construction conditions. Articles 5-8 of Zoning Law 3194 regulate zoning plans.

Tiers: After the 2018 amendment, spatial plans come in three tiers: (1) Spatial Strategy Plans (national/regional overview), (2) Environmental Master Plans (province/regional scale), (3) Zoning Plans — which have two sub-tiers: Master Zoning Plan (1:5,000 or 1:25,000) and Implementation Zoning Plan (1:1,000). Each tier must conform to the tier above.

Mandatory threshold: Settlements exceeding 10,000 population at the last census must prepare zoning plans (Zoning Law art. 7). Below 10,000, the municipal council decides. Existing plans remain in force and are superseded if current population outgrows them.

Approval and publicity: Zoning plans are public and administrations must ensure that access. After the 2020 amendment, plans are uploaded to the Ministry's electronic system (NABIS — Spatial Address Registry). Approved plans are reported to the Ministry for review.

Examples

  • 1.İstanbul's 1:100,000 Environmental Master Plan → 1:25,000 Master Zoning Plan → districts' 1:1,000 Implementation Zoning Plans → each parcel's FAR/GCR/storey count derives from the last.
  • 2.A district with 8,000 population used the municipal council's discretion and skipped a zoning plan; when growth started, a new plan became necessary.
  • 3.A parcel was converted from residential to commercial through a zoning plan amendment → value uplift, with post-2020 value increment fee collected.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I access the zoning plan?expand_more
Apply to the relevant municipality's Zoning Department or consult the e-zoning systems most municipalities now offer. By law plans are kept public. Province/district directorates must keep plans available for inspection.
How do I object to a zoning plan amendment?expand_more
Plans are publicly posted for 1 month after approval; written objections can be filed during this period. After the posting period, an annulment action can be filed at administrative court within 60 days (Council of State 6th Chamber precedent).
Can construction occur where there's no zoning plan?expand_more
Inside municipal boundaries and adjacent zones, no local zoning plan means no permit until one is prepared. Outside municipalities, in unplanned areas, limited construction under the Unplanned Areas Zoning Regulation is possible (e.g. single-family homes up to 250 m² in residential areas).

Related Terms

Master Zoning PlanImplementation Zoning PlanLocal Zoning Plan

Sources

  • • Zoning Law 3194 art. 5-8
  • • Spatial Plans Preparation Regulation

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Last updated: 2026-04-24