Planning Zones — what the codes on a listing mean

Cyprus plots are advertised with a planning zone code such as Η2, Κα6 or Γ3. The code decides how much you may build. This page explains how to read one, and lists the official figures.

What a zone is Reading the numbers Zone families Official figures Before you rely on this

What a planning zone is

Every parcel of land in the Republic is covered by a planning zone. The zone fixes the permitted use — housing, farming, industry, tourism — and caps the size of anything built on it. Two systems set them:

That split is why you see two residential families. Η is a village or countryside residential zone; Κα is the town equivalent. The Department's own legend notes that Κα zones correspond to the Η zones of the Policy Statement.

Within a family, a higher number means less building. Η2 is denser than Η6; Γ1 allows twice what Γ3 allows.

Reading the numbers

A zone comes with four limits, and a plot is bound by all of them at once:

Worked example — a 1,000 m² plot zoned Η2
Coefficient 0,90:1 → up to 900 m² of total floor area.
Coverage 0,50:1 → the footprint may cover at most 500 m² of the plot.
2 floors, 8,30 m → so roughly 450 m² per floor over two floors reaches the 900 m² allowance without breaking coverage.
The same plot zoned Γ3 instead allows 100 m² in total — and needs farming justification besides.

Zone families — what each letter means

The letter carries the use; the number carries the density. Descriptions below are the Department's own wording.

CodeMeaningOfficial descriptionSet by

Official figures — Policy Statement for the Countryside

These apply nationally, outside Local Plan areas.

ZoneUseCoefficientCoverageFloorsHeightOn this site

Before you rely on any of this

The same code differs between Local Plans. Only the Policy Statement figures above are national. A Local Plan code such as Κα6 is defined separately by each plan — the coefficient tends to agree at 0,90:1, but the height limit varies between 8,30 m and 13,50 m depending on the town and whether the plot sits inside a protected-character area. Read the figure from the Local Plan that covers the plot, not from a table like this one.
The zone shown on a listing is typed by the advertiser. It is free text, not a verified field. Across the plots on this site the same zone arrives written as Η2, H2, h2 and Η2 100% — Greek and Latin letters look identical here but are different characters. Some entries are percentages, plot numbers, a town name, or «δεν γνωρίζω». Treat it as a hint about which plots to look at, never as a fact about what you may build.
A plot can sit in more than one zone. Splits are common and listings show them as Η6 (67%) / Ζ3 (33%) or Γ3(54%), Ζ3(46%). The buildable allowance is calculated per part, so a headline area can be mostly unbuildable protection zone.
Verify before acting. The zone of a specific parcel is confirmed by the Department of Town Planning and Housing, or by a planning-zone certificate obtained against the parcel's registration and sheet/plan numbers. Nothing here is planning advice.

Sources