You have found a new-build flat in Włochy at a price that looks better than what you have seen elsewhere in Warsaw, and while you were looking round the estate a plane went over. Chopin Airport is in this district, about 8 km from the centre, and covers about 680 ha (summary of the airport’s 2022 strategic noise map). Before you pay a reservation fee, check the airport noise at that address in three ways: whether the address is inside the airport’s area of limited use (obszar ograniczonego użytkowania, OOU) and in which zone, what the official noise maps show, and what the developer wrote about the airport in the information prospectus (prospekt informacyjny). You can check all three yourself, in official sources and in the developer’s documents, even if you do not read Polish; this guide gives you the Polish names to look for.
All rules and figures below are as of October 2026. The main statute is the Environmental Protection Law (Prawo ochrony środowiska, POŚ), consolidated text: Journal of Laws 2025, item 647, as amended.
What is an area of limited use, and who sets it?
An area of limited use is created when environmental quality standards cannot be met outside the site of a facility. An airport is one of the facilities listed in Article 135(1) POŚ.
Who creates the area depends on the type of project:
- for projects that are always likely to have a significant effect on the environment: the regional assembly (sejmik województwa), by resolution (Article 135(2));
- for other facilities: the district council (rada powiatu) (Article 135(3)).
The resolution sets four things (Article 135(3a)): the boundaries of the area, restrictions on how land may be used, technical requirements for buildings, and the way the land is used.
For Chopin Airport, the area was created by the Masovian Regional Assembly (Sejmik Województwa Mazowieckiego) in resolution No. 76/11 of 20 June 2011. It came into force in August 2011. Search for it by number and date in the Official Journal of the Masovian Voivodeship (Dziennik Urzędowy Województwa Mazowieckiego). The resolution, not an illustrative map in a sales brochure, decides whether an address is in a zone.
Zones Z1 and Z2 around Chopin Airport: what is allowed?
Resolution 76/11 divides the area into two zones. Their boundaries follow lines of equal night-time noise.
Scroll the table sideways to see all columns.
| Zone | Boundary | What the resolution bans |
|---|---|---|
| Z1 | outer boundary along the 55 dB night-time noise contour | new single-family and multi-family residential buildings, farm buildings, buildings for group accommodation, and facilities for children and young people |
| Z2 | from the edge of Z1 to the 50 dB night-time noise contour | new hospitals, care homes, facilities for children and young people, and changing existing buildings to those uses |
As of October 2026, under resolution No. 76/11 of 20 June 2011.
What this means for a buyer:
- A new flat in zone Z1. The resolution bans new residential buildings there. If a new development’s address on the map looks as if it is inside Z1, ask the developer to explain and check the prospectus.
- A flat in zone Z2. Residential buildings are not covered by the bans in the table, but new facilities for children and young people, such as nurseries or schools, are. If your children will travel to school every day, check where the existing ones are and which catchment school for a new address applies.
- Technical requirements. Read in the resolution itself which requirements it sets for buildings before you reserve.
An address outside Z2 does not mean silence. It only means the restrictions of the resolution do not apply there.
Noise maps: where to find them and how to read them
Noise maps are a second, independent source. They show noise levels, but they ban nothing.
Who makes them. Strategic noise maps are drawn up for cities of more than 100,000 people and for major airports, as well as for major roads and railway lines, every 5 years, by 30 June (Article 118(2) and (4) POŚ). A major airport is one with more than 50,000 operations a year (Article 112a POŚ). The same article sets the indicators used for the results: LDWN for the whole day and LN for the night.
The airport’s 2022 map. Chopin Airport’s 2022 strategic noise map covers parts of Włochy, Ursus and Ursynów, and the municipalities of Raszyn, Michałowice, Piastów, Piaseczno and Lesznowola. According to its summary, outside the area of limited use there is no land where LDWN 60 dB and LN 50 dB are exceeded (for hospitals, schools and similar buildings: 55 and 45 dB). The summary states that no people are exposed to exceedances.
No exceedances outside the area means noise there stays within the permitted levels. It does not mean you cannot hear the planes.
Warsaw’s acoustic map. The strategic noise map of Warsaw, and the acoustic maps from 2012 and 2017, are on the City of Warsaw map portal, mapa.um.warszawa.pl. They cover aircraft, road, rail and industrial noise. That matters, because at a particular address a busy street or a railway line can turn out to be more of a nuisance than the planes. Search for the address and compare the layers for each source of noise, especially at night.
The maps are updated every 5 years, so always check which year a layer comes from.
The prospectus: where does it mention the airport?
The model information prospectus is an annex to the Developer Act (ustawa deweloperska, consolidated text: Journal of Laws 2026, item 880). Two parts of it concern airport noise:
- Existing facilities nearby. The field is headed “Informacje dotyczące obiektów istniejących położonych w sąsiedztwie inwestycji i wpływających na warunki życia” (information on existing facilities near the development that affect living conditions). Its footnote names, in particular, facilities that cause nuisance from smell, noise and light. If the development is close to the airport, check whether the developer has listed it here.
- Investments planned within 1 km. The part is headed “Informacje dotyczące przewidzianych inwestycji w promieniu 1 km”. In it, the model lists, among other things, local zoning plans, zoning decisions, environmental decisions and resolutions on areas of limited use.
If both fields are empty and the approach to the runway is visible from the windows, ask about it in writing before you reserve. The other fields of the prospectus are covered in a separate guide: the full checklist for the developer’s prospectus in English.
Ask about the building itself too. The Construction Law (Prawo budowlane) lists protection against noise among the basic requirements every building must meet (Article 5(1)(1)(e), consolidated text: Journal of Laws 2026, item 524). At the sales office, ask how the design meets this requirement on the airport side: which windows and which ventilation are planned for the flat you are interested in.
Is there compensation for airport noise?
The Environmental Protection Law provides for compensation for damage caused by restrictions introduced, among others, by a resolution creating an area of limited use. The rules as of October 2026:
- damage also includes a fall in the value of the property (Article 129(2));
- a claim can be made within 3 years of the entry into force of the act that introduced the restriction (Article 129(4));
- the one whose activity caused the restrictions pays (Article 136(2));
- if the act sets technical requirements for buildings, damage also covers the cost of meeting them in existing buildings (Article 136(3)).
For the 2011 area, the limit at the time was 2 years from the resolution coming into force, and it came into force in August 2011. That deadline passed long ago. If you buy a flat in the existing zone today, do not count compensation as a reason to buy. If a new or amended area were created in future, the 3-year limit would run from the entry into force of the new act. Whether you have a claim in a specific case is a question for a lawyer.
Buying as a foreigner: what changes for an airport check?
The documents are in Polish, and nothing obliges the developer to translate them. The Developer Act says nothing about the language of the prospectus or the agreement (as of October 2026). Resolution 76/11, the airport’s map summary and the city map portal are in Polish too. Two practical steps:
- copy the Polish headings and terms from this guide and look for them exactly as written: obszar ograniczonego użytkowania, strefa Z1, strefa Z2, uchwała nr 76/11, prospekt informacyjny;
- if you want a certified translation of the neighbourhood fields of the prospectus, use a sworn translator (tłumacz przysięgły), who makes certified written translations and interprets orally (Article 13 of the Act on the Profession of Sworn Translator, consolidated text: Journal of Laws 2019, item 1326). The Minister of Justice keeps and publishes the list of sworn translators (Articles 6(2) and 10).
A contract with a consumer may be drawn up in a foreign language if you ask for it, know that language, are not a Polish citizen and were first told of your right to a document in Polish (Article 8(1b) of the Polish Language Act, consolidated text: Journal of Laws 2026, item 81). That does not make the prospectus or the resolution English, so plan the check on the Polish text.
You cannot hear a flat from a listing. If you are deciding from a rented flat on the other side of Warsaw, make at least one visit to the estate in the evening and one early in the morning, before 23:30 and after 5:30, when flights are allowed. A visit at midday on a weekday tells you little.
Off-plan means renting while the noise picture may change. According to Statistics Poland (GUS), multi-family residential buildings took on average 24.8 months to build in 2025 (“Efekty działalności budowlanej w 2025 r.”, published 30 June 2026). If you buy off-plan, you will keep renting for that time, and the airport expansion described below is reported for 2026–2029. Check the zones on the day you sign, not on the day you saw the advert, and read how to check whether an off-plan building will be finished on time.
Before you pay the reservation fee. The reservation fee (opłata rezerwacyjna) under a reservation agreement (umowa rezerwacyjna) cannot exceed 1% of the price stated in the prospectus (Article 32(2) of the Developer Act, as of October 2026). Do the zone and map check before you pay it, not after.
The flat itself needs no permit. Under the Act on the Acquisition of Real Estate by Foreigners (consolidated text: Journal of Laws 2017, item 2278, as of October 2026), a foreigner of any citizenship can buy a self-contained flat without a permit from the Ministry of the Interior and Administration (MSWiA), and a garage space if it serves the buyer’s housing needs (Article 8(1)(1) and 8(1)(1a)). These exemptions do not apply in the border zone (Article 8(3)); Warsaw is not in it. EEA and Swiss citizens need no permit at all (Article 8(2)). According to the MSWiA FAQ, a share in a separate property sold together with the flat, such as an access road, does need a permit for a buyer covered by the Act, so ask about it before you sign.
What may change in the next few years?
Night-time ban. Since 25 March 2018, commercial take-offs and landings at Chopin Airport have been banned between 23:30 and 5:30 (the core night).
Noise protection programme. Resolution No. 29/20 of the Masovian Regional Assembly of 3 March 2020 adopted an environmental noise protection programme for Chopin Airport. It is not a new area of limited use. Among other things, the programme aims to keep noise within the boundaries of the area set by resolution 76/11.
Airport expansion. According to media reports from January–February 2026, the airport is to increase traffic from about 600 to 800 operations a day, the works are planned for 2026–2029, and the environmental impact report has gone to the Regional Directorate for Environmental Protection (RDOŚ). These are press reports, not decisions. We do not know whether or how the zone boundaries will change.
Checklist before you reserve a flat in Włochy
- Find the development on the map. On our map of new developments in Warsaw you can see where the estate is. Most points on the map show an approximate location (a street or area), and the development page says when the location is approximate. To check the zones, you need the exact address or plot number.
- Check resolution 76/11. Is the address in Z1, in Z2 or outside the area? What technical requirements apply in that zone?
- Open Warsaw’s acoustic map on the city map portal and compare the aircraft, road and rail noise layers, by day and at night.
- Read the summary of the airport’s 2022 noise map, especially the part on exposed areas and people.
- Check the prospectus: the field on existing facilities nearby and the part on investments within 1 km.
- Ask the sales office about noise protection: windows, ventilation, and which side of the building the flat faces.
- Visit at different times, including in the evening and early morning, before 23:30 and after 5:30.
- Work out the commute. If you are choosing Włochy for the railway, check the door-to-door commute from Ursus and Włochy by rail.
If you would rather have the data in one place, third-party services sell paid reports. Veriplace, for example, charges PLN 39 for one analysis of a flat in Warsaw, and the report covers noise and the local zoning plan, among other things (as of October 2026). The legal source is still the resolution on the area of limited use.
FAQ
Can new flats be built in zone Z1 around Warsaw Chopin Airport?
No. Resolution No. 76/11 of the Masovian Regional Assembly of 20 June 2011, which created the airport’s area of limited use, bans new single-family and multi-family residential buildings, farm buildings, buildings for group accommodation and facilities for children and young people in zone Z1 (as of October 2026). If a new development’s address looks as if it is inside Z1, ask the developer to explain in writing.
Are there night flights at Warsaw Chopin Airport?
Since 25 March 2018, commercial take-offs and landings at Chopin Airport have been banned between 23:30 and 5:30 (the core night). Outside those hours flights are allowed, so view the flat in the evening and early in the morning, not only in the middle of the day.
Where can I see a noise map for a Warsaw address?
In two places. The City of Warsaw map portal, mapa.um.warszawa.pl, has the strategic noise map of Warsaw and the 2012 and 2017 acoustic maps, covering aircraft, road, rail and industrial noise. The airport publishes a non-technical summary of its own 2022 strategic noise map. The maps show noise levels but ban nothing; what may be built is decided by resolution No. 76/11.
Can I claim compensation for airport noise if I buy a flat in Włochy now?
For the 2011 area, probably not. Claims under Article 129 of the Environmental Protection Law had to be made within 2 years of the resolution coming into force in August 2011. Today the limit is 3 years from the entry into force of the act that introduces the restriction (law as of October 2026). Whether you have a claim in a specific case is a question for a lawyer.
The prospectus is in Polish. Where does it mention the airport?
Look for two headings. The field “Informacje dotyczące obiektów istniejących położonych w sąsiedztwie inwestycji i wpływających na warunki życia” covers existing nearby facilities, and its footnote names those that cause noise. The part on planned investments within 1 km lists, among other things, resolutions on areas of limited use (annex to the Developer Act, Journal of Laws 2026, item 880, as of October 2026).
Looking at a flat in Włochy and want to check it against the airport zones? Write to us before your first visit to the developer’s sales office (biuro sprzedaży). We will register you as our client and go to the sales office with you. Before that, we will go through the prospectus and the draft developer agreement (umowa deweloperska) with you, including the fields on the neighbourhood and on investments within 1 km, and point out what to ask the developer or a lawyer, in English or another of our seven languages. You do not pay us a fee for help buying a flat from a developer.
Jawno · Vladyslav Moroz, real estate agent (pośrednik w obrocie nieruchomościami), sole trader with OC liability insurance · +48 692 649 839 · infojawno@gmail.com
This text is for information only and is not legal advice. Law as of October 2026.