How to read a planning certificate

The usual call is: I have a plot, the town hall has issued a planning certificate (certificat de urbanism, CU), what can I build? The short answer is that it depends, and that three lines on the certificate are usually skipped. Here is a map of them.

POT — site coverage

POT is the share of the plot that may be covered by building at ground level. A POT of 40% on 1,000 m² means at most 400 m² on the ground floor.

It is not nudged “a little” by a good argument. It comes from the general or zonal plan and is hard to change without a new zoning procedure, which takes 12 to 24 months.

CUT — floor-area ratio

CUT is how many square metres of gross floor area you may build, relative to the plot. A CUT of 1.2 on 1,000 m² means at most 1,200 m² across all floors.

Read with the POT, it suggests the number of floors. POT 40% and CUT 1.2 is about three levels: 400 m² × 3 = 1,200 m².

RH — height

RH limits the number of levels or the height in metres. It often appears as S+P+2E+M (basement, ground, two floors, attic) or as a maximum height at the parapet.

Check both the number of levels and the height in metres. The CUT may allow four floors while the RH stops you at three. The stricter rule wins.

Setbacks

The certificate also states how far you must stand back from the street, the side boundaries and the rear. On a small plot the setbacks can shrink the buildable area more than the POT. A 3 m setback on every side of a 10×30 m plot cuts the buildable area from 300 m² to 96 m² (4×24).

Permitted use

The certificate also states the use: housing, retail, mixed, industrial. A plot with a generous POT and CUT is of little use if the use you need is not allowed.

Before buying a plot or commissioning a design, read the certificate with an architect who has already built in the area. An hour here can avoid months on a scheme that cannot be permitted.

At ARTATELIERS a reading of the planning certificate is part of the free discovery phase. Bring the papers; we leave with a short note.