Free tool
From your plot dimensions and your zone rules (COS, CUS, height, R+n, setbacks), estimate the ground footprint, floor area and number of storeys allowed, with a plan and section diagram. The calculation runs in your browser.
Key terms
Article 19 of Law No. 12-90 on urban planning allows the development plan to set building rules zone by zone: heights, distances between buildings, the share of the plot that may be built on, easements. Their exact wording varies from one plan to another.
In Moroccan regulations, the coefficient d'occupation du sol (COS) is the share of the plot that the building may cover on the ground. For example, a COS of 60% on 200 m² allows a 120 m² footprint. Some regulations set a maximum footprint in m² instead, or both.
Elsewhere, the same acronym sometimes means a floor-area density: read the definition in your regulations.
The coefficient d'utilisation du sol (CUS) is the total permitted floor area divided by the plot area. For example, a CUS of 1.8 on 200 m² allows 360 m² of floor area, all storeys combined.
The achievable floor area is the smaller of two limits: CUS × plot, or footprint × number of storeys.
R+n means ground floor (rez-de-chaussée) plus n upper storeys: R+2 = three storeys above ground. Regulations often set both a maximum height in metres and a number of storeys; both must be met.
The regulations specify where height is measured from (pavement, natural ground) and whether it includes rooftop structures.
A setback is the minimum distance between the building and the street (front setback) or the boundaries (side and rear setbacks). It can be fixed (a number of metres) or depend on height (for example H/2 with a minimum).
Setbacks are measured from the real boundaries and from the street building line, which may differ from the current boundary wall.
In some zones (terraced housing, apartment buildings), the regulations allow or require building on one or more boundaries: the setback on that side is then zero. In villa zones, they often require setbacks on all sides.
Building on a boundary also brings neighbour rules into play: have the exact boundary checked first.
A basement (parking, storage) is not always counted in the permitted floor area, and its footprint may follow different rules from the building's.
The tool shows it separately and lets you say whether your regulations count it in the CUS.
Where to find your rules
The urban planning information note (note de renseignements urbanistiques), issued by the urban agency, states for a plot the applicable planning document, the zone land use, prohibited uses, the maximum land coverage and use, siting conditions, maximum height and access conditions (General Building Regulations, Decree No. 2-18-577 of 12 June 2019, arts. 6 to 9). It is issued within two working days at most.
It is based on the data supplied by the applicant and is in no way an agreement in principle to a project. The Taamir geoportal (taamir.gov.ma) lets you view approved planning documents free of charge before requesting it.
The procedures are detailed in the guides Development plan, zoning, Taamir and Building permit.
Plot outside a plan
Outside urban municipalities, delimited centres, their peripheral zones and special-purpose zones, where no planning document sets the land use, Law No. 12-90 (art. 46) makes the permit subject to rules set by regulation and requires a setback of 10 m from the edge of the public road and 5 m from the boundaries. These provisions do not apply to public buildings.
Decree No. 2-92-832 of 14 October 1993 implementing the law (art. 34) sets these rules: plot of at least 1 hectare, buildable ground footprint of at most 1/50 of the plot and no more than 800 m², height of at most 8.50 m including all rooftop structures. Exemptions are possible on the binding opinion of a committee, where the plot pattern prevents reaching 1 hectare (art. 35) or where the technical floor area of the building justifies it (art. 36).
This is the only preset the tool offers. In an urban municipality or delimited centre without a plan, the president of the municipality may defer the decision or grant the permit depending on the project's compatibility (art. 45): no national figures apply in that case.
The rules applicable outside plans have been clarified by successive regulations and circulars. Have your case confirmed by the municipality and the urban agency before buying or designing.
Frequently asked questions
Because there are none at national level: each development plan sets its own rules for each zone, under its own codes. The values of a villa zone differ from one city and one plan to another. Offering "typical" values would mean inventing rules, so the tool asks for those in your information note.
An old national text, Decree No. 2-64-445 of 26 December 1964 (Official Bulletin No. 2739 of 28 April 1965), contains building regulations for so-called low-cost housing zones defined by the plans (heights, patios, lot dimensions). It sets no COS or CUS; your plan's regulations and the information note say what applies to your plot.
No, it is an estimate. The project is examined by the committee on the architect's drawings, with the urban agency's opinion. Other rules can reduce what is achievable: easements, parking, courtyards and light wells, architectural requirements, safety rules.
Choose "Area only": the tool applies the COS, the maximum footprint and the CUS but not the setbacks, or works on an equivalent rectangle if you give the frontage. For an irregular, corner or sloping plot, only a dimensioned topographic survey can trace the exact buildable zone.
Your plan's regulations specify it: starting point (pavement, natural ground), where it is measured, end point (parapet, highest point) and whether rooftop structures are included. The permit application includes drawings showing the pavement level (joint order No. 337-20). On a sloping plot, have the levels surveyed.
In urban municipalities, delimited centres, their peripheral zones and special-purpose zones, yes (Law No. 12-90, art. 50). For a total floor area of 150 m² or less, the mandatory assignment is limited to design (art. 54).
No. The calculation runs in your browser. Your last entry is kept on your device so you don't have to retype it; the "Clear" button deletes it.
Sources
Texts consulted on 29 October 2026. The tool's figures come only from these texts; all other rules are entered by you.
Before you design
We survey the real boundaries, the relief, the street and its building line in Lambert coordinates, so your architect designs on exact measurements.