You have picked a three-room flat with windows facing an empty plot. It is green and quiet, but nobody at the sales office (biuro sprzedaży) can say what will stand next door in three years. Nobody can give you a certain answer. You can, however, check what is permitted to be built there and whether anyone has already applied for a building permit. Four sources are enough: the developer’s information prospectus, the local plan (MPZP), planning-conditions decisions (WZ) and the public GUNB permit register. We state the rules as the law stands in October 2026, and give the data date next to every figure.
Quick summary (as of October 2026)
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| Step | Where | What you learn |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Information prospectus | you receive it from the developer before reserving | local plan within 100 m of the project, planned investments within 1 km |
| 2. Local plan (MPZP) | architektura.um.warszawa.pl, mapa.um.warszawa.pl | what may be built on the plot outside your window |
| 3. WZ decisions | register kept by the city mayor; prospectus (1 km) | what may be built where there is no plan |
| 4. Permits and notifications | wyszukiwarka.gunb.gov.pl, Plot Report on geoportal.gov.pl | whether anyone is formally preparing construction |
Step 1: what must the developer say about the surroundings?
Start with the document you will receive anyway. The model information prospectus (annex to the Developer Act, consolidated text Dz.U. 2026 poz. 880) requires three pieces of information about the surroundings:
- the general plan and the local plan for the project site, and the local plan provisions for plots within 100 m of the project site boundary;
- planned investments within 1 km: including those from local plans, planning-conditions decisions, environmental-conditions decisions, resolutions on limited-use areas, flood-hazard maps and decisions on locating public-purpose investments;
- existing nearby facilities that affect living conditions. A footnote to the model names in particular facilities that cause nuisance through smell, noise or light.
If the empty plot lies within 100 m of the project boundary, the provisions of its local plan should be described in the prospectus. Compare that description with the site development sketch attached to the prospectus. The prospectus does show the position on the day it was drawn up, though, and the list of investments within 1 km does not cover building-permit applications. That is why steps 2–4 are still worth taking. We cover the whole document in our guide on which fields of the information prospectus to check before reserving.
The empty plot is sometimes land owned by the same developer, earmarked for the next phase of the estate. Ask about it directly and request a written answer. What to watch for in that situation is covered in our guide on what to check when a developer builds an estate in phases.
Step 2: does the plot outside your window have a local plan?
A local plan (miejscowy plan zagospodarowania przestrzennego, MPZP) sets the use of land and the building conditions (Art. 4(1) of the Spatial Planning and Development Act, consolidated text Dz.U. 2026 poz. 538, as amended). If the plot has one, you know what may be built there: for example, whether it is land for housing, services or green space, and how tall buildings may be.
Where to check in Warsaw:
- architektura.um.warszawa.pl/plany-miejscowe: lists of plans in force, as well as consultations and public displays of plans in preparation;
- mapa.um.warszawa.pl: the city’s map portal, where you can find plan boundaries;
- extract and map extract (wypis i wyrys): Art. 30(1) of the Act says plainly that “everyone has the right to inspect the general plan or a local plan and to obtain extracts and map extracts from them”.
How much of Warsaw has a plan? According to the Warsaw City Hall, as of 1 September 2026, 424 local plans are in force over 36,530.69 ha, which is 70.64% of the city’s area. That figure also includes areas excluded from the municipality’s planning powers. A further 144 plans are being prepared (8,864.53 ha, 17.14%). If you come across 44.1% in the media (Demagog, end of February 2024), that is a different counting method, without the excluded areas. The two numbers cannot be compared.
Plan coverage in selected districts, including areas where no plan needs to be drawn up (Warsaw City Hall, as of 1 September 2026):
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| District | Coverage |
|---|---|
| Żoliborz | 99.45% |
| Targówek | 89.56% |
| Praga-Południe | 87.87% |
| Ursus | 54.73% |
| Praga-Północ | 49.99% |
| Włochy | 38.08% |
In districts with lower coverage you are more likely to land on a plot with no plan. In that case move to step 3.
A local plan can also change. If a procedure is under way for the area, follow its consultations and public display on architektura.um.warszawa.pl. The provisions of a plan in force today are not a promise for ever.
Step 3: no plan means planning-conditions decisions
Without a local plan, development is decided by a planning-conditions decision (decyzja o warunkach zabudowy, WZ) or, for public-purpose investments, a decision on locating a public-purpose investment (Art. 4(2) and Art. 59(1) of the Act).
How the authority decides on a WZ (Art. 61 of the Act, legal position as of October 2026):
- good neighbourhood (para. 1 pt 1): at least one neighbouring plot, accessed from the same public road, must be built on. Alternatively, the land lies in an infill area designated in the general plan (para. 1 pt 1a);
- analysed area (para. 5a): the authority examines the surroundings of the plot in a strip equal to three times the width of its frontage, no less than 50 m and no more than 200 m.
This matters to you for a simple reason. Once your building is up, it may itself become the built-on neighbouring plot and part of the analysed area for the empty plot next door.
Where to find WZ decisions already issued. The register of issued planning-conditions decisions is kept by the city mayor (Art. 67(1) of the Act). WZ decisions within 1 km should also appear in the prospectus (step 1).
How long a decision is valid. A WZ decision expires 5 years after the day it becomes final (Art. 64c). That rule does not apply, however, to decisions that became final before 1 January 2026, or to those issued in cases opened before 16 October 2025 (Art. 62 of the Act of 7 July 2023 amending the Spatial Planning and Development Act, Dz.U. 2023 poz. 1688). So a WZ decision that became final before 1 January 2026, or was issued in a case opened before 16 October 2025, does not expire after 5 years under Art. 64c.
What changes from 1 January 2027. The amendment of 30 April 2026 (Dz.U. 2026 poz. 781) changes Art. 63 of the Act from 1 January 2027. A WZ decision will go only to an applicant who has the right to dispose of the property for construction purposes and makes a statement to that effect under pain of criminal liability. In its new wording the provision also says that more than one WZ decision may be issued for the same land. A single decision you find therefore does not settle what will actually be built.
Warsaw in autumn 2026: the study no longer applies, and there is no general plan yet
This is a transitional moment that directly affects empty plots without a plan:
- The planning study of the City of Warsaw (studium) ceased to apply on 1 September 2026. The amendment Dz.U. 2026 poz. 781 moved the date studia stop applying from 30 June to 31 August 2026.
- Warsaw’s general plan has not yet been adopted (as of October 2026). Consultations ran from 14 November 2025 to 9 February 2026. More than 27,000 letters containing more than 77,000 proposals were received. Next come consultations with other bodies, district opinions and a resolution of the City Council.
- New WZ decisions. On an application filed from 1 September 2026, a WZ decision can be issued only if the municipality’s general plan has entered into force (Art. 59(3) of the Act of 7 July 2023 as amended by 2026/781).
- New local plans. Without a general plan, a local plan can be adopted only if its public display or consultations were announced before the study ceased to apply, and in a few other exceptions (Art. 67(4) of the same Act).
The general plan sets planning zones and municipal urban standards and may also designate infill areas and inner-city development areas (Art. 13a of the Act). It will be the basis for WZ decisions (Art. 13a(5)) and an act of local law (para. 7). Once it is adopted, check which zone the plot outside your window falls into. The draft and announcements are on architektura.um.warszawa.pl/plan-ogolny.
What does that mean in practice? For an empty plot with no local plan, three things matter most today: WZ decisions already issued, WZ applications filed before 1 September 2026 (the general-plan condition applies to applications filed from 1 September 2026), and local plans whose public display or consultations were announced before 1 September 2026. Those are the ones to look for.
Step 4: has anyone applied for a building permit?
The plan and the WZ say what may be built. An application for a permit says someone is actually preparing to do it. Construction works may as a rule be carried out on the basis of a building-permit decision, with exceptions in Art. 29–31 of the Building Law, where in some cases a notification is enough (Art. 28(1), consolidated text Dz.U. 2026 poz. 524, as amended).
Register of Applications, Decisions and Notifications (RWDZ). Architecture and building authorities keep a register of building-permit applications, decisions and notifications (Art. 82b). The data is public and published in the BIP of the Chief Inspectorate of Construction Supervision, GUNB (para. 7). What you will see (as of October 2026):
- the investor’s name, the type and category of structure, and the address of the planned works;
- entries from 2016 in the public search tool wyszukiwarka.gunb.gov.pl, with no login.
What you will not see: the investor’s home or registered address, because it is excluded from publication (Art. 82b(3a) pt 1 lit. e).
Plot Report in Geoportal. Since 15 June 2026 the “Raport o działce” tool on geoportal.gov.pl has a section called “Rejestr Wniosków, Decyzji i Zgłoszeń (GUNB)” covering 150, 300 and 500 m around the plot. It is a convenient way to see what is formally going on around the building where you are buying a flat.
Notifications of works can be filed electronically through the e-Budownictwo portal (Art. 30(4d) pt 2 of the Building Law). No RWDZ entry does not mean nothing will appear on the plot. It means only that the register today holds no application, decision or notification for it.
What will be built next door? Reading the result in four typical situations
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| What you found | What it means |
|---|---|
| The local plan provides for housing | A building is permitted there. Check the plan for parameters that matter to you, for example height. |
| The plan provides for green space or public services | Housing is not permitted there today, but the plan may be changed through a new procedure. |
| No plan, a WZ decision exists | Check the date it became final and whether it may expire after 5 years (Art. 64c). There may be more than one. |
| An RWDZ entry: application or permit | Someone is formally preparing construction. The register tells you the type of structure and the investor. |
On the map of developments and metro lines in Warsaw you can see where flats from the Jawno catalogue are being built nearby, along with the indicative route of metro sections under construction and in design. Most points on the map show an approximate location. Check the status of plans and permits for a specific plot in the sources from steps 2–4. If you are looking at a flat near Chopin Airport, also read how to check airport noise before buying in Włochy.
If you are a foreigner and do not read Polish documents
Practical points for readers in English:
- Documents are in Polish. The information prospectus, extracts from the local plan and WZ decisions are drawn up in Polish. If you need a document translated, use a sworn translator (tłumacz przysięgły).
- What to ask the developer for in writing. Ask for the answer to your question about the neighbouring plot and about the estate’s phases on paper or by e-mail, so that it stays on file.
- Checking with a lawyer. If the surroundings are decisive for you, discuss them with a lawyer before signing the developer agreement (umowa deweloperska). We will help you work through the Polish texts, but legal advice is given by a lawyer.
What can you do as a future neighbour?
The law gives a neighbour no veto. It does protect the neighbour’s legal interest:
- anyone may develop land to which they hold a legal title in line with the plan or the WZ decision, “provided this does not infringe the public interest protected by law or the interests of third parties”. The same provision gives the right to protect one’s own legal interest when other people’s land is developed (Art. 6(2) of the Spatial Planning Act);
- the design and construction must respect the justified interests of third parties within the area affected by the structure (Art. 5(1) pt 9 of the Building Law);
- the parties to building-permit proceedings are the investor and the owners, perpetual usufructuaries or managers of properties within the area affected by the structure (Art. 28(2) of the Building Law).
Note the last point. Until you sign the deed transferring ownership you are not the owner, so you usually do not hold that role yet. If the matter is important to you, discuss it with a lawyer before signing the developer agreement.
FAQ
How do I find out what will be built on an empty plot next to a new flat?
In four steps: read the surroundings section of the information prospectus (local plan within 100 m and planned investments within 1 km), check whether the plot has a local plan (architektura.um.warszawa.pl, mapa.um.warszawa.pl), if there is no plan ask about planning-conditions decisions (WZ), and finally check building-permit applications and permits in the public GUNB search tool (legal position as of October 2026).
Does the developer have to tell me what will be built next to the project?
Within the scope set by statute, yes. As of October 2026 the information prospectus gives the provisions of the local plan for plots within 100 m of the investment boundary and details of planned investments within 1 km, including those from local plans, planning-conditions decisions and environmental decisions (annex to the Developer Act, Dz.U. 2026 poz. 880).
Where can I check whether the neighbouring plot has a building permit?
In the Register of Applications, Decisions and Notifications (RWDZ). The data is public and published in the GUNB BIP, and wyszukiwarka.gunb.gov.pl works without logging in (as of October 2026). Since 15 June 2026 the Plot Report in Geoportal shows RWDZ entries within 150, 300 and 500 m of the plot.
Can planning conditions (WZ) be obtained in Warsaw right now?
Warsaw’s planning study (studium) ceased to apply on 1 September 2026. A WZ decision on an application filed from 1 September 2026 can be issued only if the municipality’s general plan has entered into force. Warsaw’s general plan has not yet been adopted (as of October 2026). WZ decisions issued earlier still exist and are worth checking.
How long is a planning-conditions decision valid?
Under Art. 64c of the Spatial Planning and Development Act, a WZ decision expires 5 years after the day it becomes final. The rule does not apply to decisions that became final before 1 January 2026, or to those issued in cases opened before 16 October 2025 (legal position as of October 2026).
This text is for information only and is not legal advice. Legal position as of October 2026.
A window onto an empty plot and a visit booked at the sales office? Write to us before your first visit. We will register you at the sales office, go there with you and go through the information prospectus with you, including the section on the project’s surroundings, and the draft agreement. We will point out what to ask the developer or a lawyer. We serve clients in 7 languages. A buyer on the primary market does not pay us a fee. Our remuneration on the primary market comes from agreements with developers.
Jawno · +48 692 649 839 · infojawno@gmail.com