Bouwmogelijkheden Groningen

What makes Groningen unique for parcel data?

Groningen combines a compact, densely populated city centre with sharply contrasting post-war districts, and is the only major Dutch municipality dealing with a structural soil risk caused by decades of gas extraction. For buyers, owners and renovators, parcel data here is not just convenient — it is necessary to understand what a plot actually allows.

1. Gas extraction and the earthquake zone — extra building requirements

Groningen sits at the edge of the Groningen gas field, and years of gas extraction have caused induced earthquakes across the province. Parts of the municipality fall within the official earthquake zone, where additional building requirements apply on top of the national Bbl standards:

• ✓New construction and significant renovations must comply with NPR 9998, the practice guideline for earthquake-resistant building in the gas extraction area.
• ✓Outbuildings and extensions in the earthquake area may require a structural assessment, even if the structure would normally be permit-free based on dimensions alone.
• ✓Homes with visible cracking from ground movement may qualify for the reinforcement programme run by the Institute for Mining-Induced Damage Groningen (IMG); parcel data and BAG build year give an initial indication of risk.
• ✓Districts on the eastern side of the city, closer to the extraction area, generally have a higher registered damage risk than western districts.
• ✓Foundation type matters extra here: older foundations on strip footings are more sensitive to cracking from ground vibration than more recent pile foundations.

For buyers, this is a factor rarely visible in a regular property listing, but one that can have major consequences for construction costs, insurability and renovation timelines.

2. Large differences in parcel size between districts

Groningen shows striking differences in parcel size between districts that are sometimes only a few streets apart:

• ✓In De Wijert and Grunobuurt, parcels vary widely, from compact terraced-house plots of around 80 m² to more spacious corner plots of 280 m² — building options therefore differ enormously from house to house, even within the same street.
• ✓In the pre-war Oranjebuurt and Rivierenbuurt, plots are typically narrow and deep, with limited side-yard space and little room for a side extension.
• ✓In post-war expansion districts such as Beijum and Lewenborg, parcels are laid out more generously, with wider back gardens and more room for detached outbuildings.
• ✓Around Stadspark and in Helpman, larger detached and semi-detached homes sit on plots with considerably more building freedom than in the compact inner-city districts.

Without parcel data, this spread is invisible from the street view alone — two comparable homes on the same street can have completely different building options depending on the exact cadastral plot size and shape.

3. Permit-free building in Groningen

The national Bbl rules (art. 22.36) form the baseline in Groningen too: in the rear yard you may build permit-free up to 4 metres deep and up to 50% of the rear yard, to a maximum of 150 m² of outbuildings combined with existing structures.

• ✓On the smaller plots in De Wijert (around 80 m²), the permit-free allowance is often already largely used by an existing shed or storage unit; on the larger corner plots (up to 280 m²), considerably more is possible.
• ✓In the earthquake zone, an outbuilding that would normally be permit-free by dimensions alone may still require a structural assessment — always check this with the municipality or a structural engineer before starting construction.
• ✓Leasehold in the station area (around Europapark and the CiBoGa site) is regularly revised by the municipality; this has direct consequences for building and splitting rights on parcels in that area.
• ✓Dormers on the rear or side roof plane are permit-free for a home with more than one storey, provided the dimensions meet national standards.
• ✓Solar panels are always permit-free on the roof in Groningen too, regardless of location in the earthquake zone.

Want to know exactly what is possible on your Groningen parcel? Start with our explanation of permit-free building in 2026 and what a Kadaster parcel report actually shows. PlotSense calculates the exact permit-free buildable area for your specific Groningen address, taking the earthquake zone and leasehold situation into account.