Where is the official area of my plot recorded?
At the Kadaster. Every plot in the Netherlands has a registered area in square metres, a parcel number, and a section designation. These details are public and free to view — you do not need a lawyer or notary.
The area the Kadaster registers is calculated from the surveyed boundary points of the plot. For most residential plots this is accurate to the square metre. What you won't find at the Kadaster: the living area of your house — that is in the BAG (Addresses and Buildings Register) and is always smaller than the plot area.
Three free ways to check your plot area
1. PlotSense — enter an address, see it immediately
Go to plotsense.app, type your address in the search bar and you immediately see the plot area, parcel number, and boundary on the map. Address lookup is always free.
2. Cadastral Map Viewer
Via kadaster.nl you can consult the Cadastral Map Viewer for free. Search by address and click your parcel — you see the parcel number and area. An official ownership extract with the owner's name costs €13.40.
3. Your WOZ assessment
Your municipality sends an annual WOZ assessment. That notice states the plot area — taken directly from the cadastral register. If you still have this year's assessment, the area is on it.
Plot area, living area, usable floor area — what is what?
- Plot area (m²) — the total ground area of your parcel: the footprint of the house, the garden, the driveway, and any outbuildings. This is the cadastral figure.
- Usable floor area (GBO) — the habitable floor area of the home itself, measured between inner walls. This is in the BAG and on NVM valuation reports.
- Gross floor area (BVO) — the total floor area including outer walls, stairs, storage, and outbuildings. Used in new-build and property development.
A house of 100 m² GBO can sit on a plot of 250 m². The garden is then 150 m² minus the footprint of the house itself.
My plot is smaller than I thought. Is that right?
Three causes we see regularly:
- The fence is not on the cadastral boundary. A strip of what you consider your garden is legally your neighbour's — or the other way around. The boundary runs where the Kadaster recorded it, not where the fence stands.
- The plot has an irregular shape. An L-shaped or triangular parcel looks larger than it is. The calculated area always reflects the actual geometry.
- Part of the plot is not usable garden. Water, public road, or a strip along a ditch counts in the cadastral area but cannot be used as garden.
Compare the cadastral boundary with an aerial photo of your plot. PlotSense overlays the official boundary on a current aerial photo — so you see at a glance whether there is a difference between what is registered and what the land actually looks like.
How much can I build on my plot?
The plot area is the starting point for calculating your permit-free build space. The Decree on Building Works (Bbl) applies a scale to the rear yard:
- 50% of the first 100 m² of rear yard → maximum 50 m²
- 20% of 100 to 300 m² → maximum 40 m² extra
- 10% above 300 m² → maximum 10 m² extra per 100 m²
- Absolute maximum: 150 m² for all outbuildings and extensions combined
Note: the rear yard is not the same as the full plot. It is roughly the part behind the front building line. And existing outbuildings already count — you are calculating remaining space, not the total.
The PlotSense Build Options Report makes this calculation exactly for your address, based on cadastral and BAG building data. It includes an explanation of the environmental plan for your municipality.
Look up your plot now
Enter your address on PlotSense — free. You immediately see the area, parcel number, and boundary on the map. The full Parcel Report with setback distances, build envelope, and foundation indication costs €25.