What are cadastral dimensions?
Every parcel of land in the Netherlands is registered with the Kadaster (Dutch land registry), with a unique identification (municipality code, section and parcel number, for example ASD09 M 3833) and a geographic boundary established through a professional land survey. This boundary, together with the area derived from it, forms the cadastral dimensions of a parcel: the official measurements as stored in the Basisregistratie Kadaster (BRK), the Dutch land registry database.
It is important to understand that a parcel is not the same as an address. One parcel can contain multiple addresses (for example a building with an upstairs and downstairs unit), and one address can span multiple parcels (for example a home with a separately registered garden strip). Anyone searching for the cadastral dimensions of a parcel tied to a home is therefore really looking for the measurements of the underlying cadastral object, not the house number as such.
The BRK is the statutory registry of all real property in the Netherlands, maintained by the Kadaster, part of the Ministry of the Interior. Every change to a parcel boundary — through a split, a merger, or a correction following a boundary reconstruction — is updated here and is subsequently publicly accessible.
How accurate are the cadastral measurements?
The accuracy of a parcel's measurements depends heavily on the survey method and the year it was recorded. That difference is larger than most owners realise.
Modern surveys (from roughly 2000 onward)
Since the 2000s, the Kadaster has surveyed boundaries using GNSS equipment (GPS-like satellite positioning) combined with a total station for local control measurements. This delivers an accuracy of ±5 to 10 cm on the position of each boundary point. For a parcel under 1,000 m², this translates to a deviation in calculated area of typically less than 0.5 m².
Surveys between 1980 and 2000
During this period, surveying shifted from tape measurement to electronic distance measurement (EDM) with a theodolite. Accuracy here is around ±10 to 20 cm — better than manual tape measurement, but less precise than today's GNSS method.
Surveys before 1980
Many parcels — especially in older urban neighbourhoods such as Amsterdam's De Pijp, Rotterdam's Kralingse Veer, or central Utrecht — were last surveyed with a tape measure and a map plot at a scale of 1:1000 or 1:2000. The accuracy of this method is ±30 to 50 cm, sometimes more on uneven terrain or in dense built-up areas. A large part of the cadastral map in urbanised areas of the Netherlands has not been resurveyed since: the boundaries still stand exactly as they were recorded decades ago.
This has a practical consequence many owners are unaware of: the Kadaster does not automatically update the survey when a fence subsides, a hedge creeps, or a border is relaid in a different spot. The registered boundary remains the legal boundary regardless of what physically stands on the ground. Only after a new official survey — for example during a boundary reconstruction — is the map updated, and only if the new measurement demonstrates an error in the old registration, not to legalise a factual shift.
What does the land registry record about your parcel?
Anyone looking up the cadastral dimensions of a specific location will find the following data:
- Area: in square metres, rounded to whole m². For parcels under 1 hectare, the area is calculated from the boundary coordinates and rounded; for larger parcels a deviation of a few square metres can arise purely from that rounding.
- Parcel identification: municipality code, section letter and parcel number, for example ASD09 M 3833 (Amsterdam, section M, parcel 3833) or RTD05 AB 1120 (Rotterdam).
- Parcel boundary (map): the coordinates of each boundary corner, recorded in the Dutch national grid (Rijksdriehoeksstelsel, RD), with an accuracy that depends on the survey year as described above.
- Boundary indications: the type of boundary marker recorded at the time of survey — fence, wall, ditch, hedge, or a fictitious (non-physical) boundary between two parcels with no visible separation.
This data can be viewed separately via the Kadaster map, but without the exact centimetre-level measurements — for that, an official extract or a cadastral map with coordinates is required.
When do the measurements not match reality?
In practice there are three situations where the registered cadastral measurements deviate from what is physically on the ground:
- A parcel was split or merged but not yet (re)surveyed. During a legal split, a provisional boundary based on the deed is sometimes used temporarily, pending the definitive land survey by the Kadaster.
- A fence, hedge or wall does not sit on the cadastral boundary. This is a common source of neighbour disputes: the physical divider was moved at some point — during a garden renovation, after storm damage, or simply through imprecision — while the legal boundary remained unchanged.
- Land was silently absorbed during a garden renovation or boundary work. When an owner uses a strip of municipal or neighbouring land unchallenged for years as if it were their own, this can in exceptional cases lead to acquisitive prescription (articles 3:99 and 3:105 of the Dutch Civil Code) — the acquisition of ownership through long-term possession. This is legally complex and is not automatically processed by the Kadaster; the transfer of ownership must be separately established, potentially through the courts.
If a discrepancy is found, the owner can commission an official boundary reconstruction by a Kadaster surveyor. This resurveys the original boundary points based on archival data and physically marks the legal boundary on the ground — for example with stakes. The cost is typically between €500 and €900, depending on the size and complexity of the parcel. In the event of an ongoing dispute with neighbours, the result of a boundary reconstruction is binding and forms the basis for any further legal steps.
How do you check the cadastral dimensions of your parcel?
There are three ways to check a parcel's cadastral dimensions, from accessible to officially binding:
- PlotSense parcel report — shows the official cadastral area, parcel number, section and municipality, plus a current aerial photo with the registered boundary overlaid. Ideal as a first check before a viewing or renovation. Ready within minutes, for €25.
- Kadaster map online — via kadaster.nl you can view the parcel boundary on the map for free, including parcel number and approximate area. However, you will not see the exact centimetre-level measurements per boundary point, nor when the parcel was last surveyed.
- Kadaster boundary reconstruction — a surveyor re-establishes the official boundary points on the ground. This is the only method with a legally binding result, used in an actual boundary dispute. Cost: €500–€900, depending on parcel size and the number of boundary points.
Dimensions on your parcel report
Alongside the official area, the PlotSense parcel report also shows a dimensioned drawing: the measured distance from each façade of the main building to the nearest parcel boundary. These distances are essential for permit-free building: the rules from the Besluit bouwwerken leefomgeving (Bbl art. 22.36) for the rear yard area apply relative to the cadastral parcel boundary, not to the public road or a fence. An extension that appears comfortably within the norm on paper can still turn out to require a permit if the boundary was misjudged.
Want to know exactly what a full parcel report contains, including soil condition and market information? Read what is in a Kadaster parcel report. Considering buying a plot of land? Check our checklist for buying a parcel, which includes checking the cadastral dimensions as a first step.
Not sure whether the cadastral dimensions of your parcel still match the situation on the ground? Enter your address on PlotSense and see the official area, parcel boundary and dimensions immediately — within minutes, without having to hire a surveyor.