You are looking for a bigger flat on the primary market in Warsaw’s Włochy district, and a plane passes overhead while you view the estate. Chopin Airport lies in this district, about 8 km from the centre, and covers roughly 680 ha (summary of the airport’s 2022 strategic noise map). Before you pay a reservation fee, check three things: whether the address lies in the airport’s limited-use area 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 each of them yourself, in official sources and in the developer’s documents.
All rules and data below are as of October 2026. The main statute is the Environmental Protection Law (Prawo ochrony środowiska, “EPL”), consolidated text Journal of Laws 2025, item 647, as amended.
What is a limited-use area and who sets it?
A limited-use area (obszar ograniczonego użytkowania, OOU) is created when environmental quality standards cannot be met outside the site of the facility itself. An airport is one of the facilities listed in Art. 135(1) EPL.
Who creates the area depends on the type of project:
- for projects that may always have a significant impact on the environment: the regional assembly (sejmik), by resolution (Art. 135(2));
- for other facilities: the county council (Art. 135(3)).
The resolution sets four things (Art. 135(3a)): the boundaries of the area, restrictions on land use, technical requirements for buildings and the way land may be used.
For Chopin Airport the limited-use area was created by the Mazovian Regional Assembly in resolution no. 76/11 of 20 June 2011. It took effect in August 2011. Look for it by number and date in the Mazovian Voivodeship Official Gazette (Dziennik Urzędowy Województwa Mazowieckiego). It, not any indicative map, decides whether a given 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 contour | new residential buildings (single- and multi-family), farm buildings, collective housing and facilities for children and young people |
| Z2 | from the edge of Z1 to the 50 dB night-time contour | new hospitals, social care homes, facilities for children and young people, and changing existing buildings to those uses |
As of October 2026, according to resolution no. 76/11 of 20 June 2011.
What this means for a family looking for a flat:
- A new flat in zone Z1. The resolution bans new residential buildings there. If the address of a new development looks like it sits in Z1 on the map, ask the developer to explain and check the prospectus.
- A flat in zone Z2. Residential buildings are not covered by the ban in the table, but the resolution bans new facilities for children and young people there, such as new nurseries or schools. If your children will travel daily, check where the existing schools are and which catchment school the address belongs to.
- Technical requirements. Read the resolution itself to see what requirements it sets for buildings before you reserve.
An address outside the Z2 boundary does not mean silence. It only means that the restrictions in the resolution do not apply there.
Noise maps: where to find them and how to read them
Noise maps are the second, independent source. They show noise levels but ban nothing.
Who produces them. Strategic noise maps are prepared for cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants and for major airports, as well as for major roads and railway lines, every 5 years, by 30 June (Art. 118(2) and (4) EPL). A major airport is one with more than 50,000 operations a year (Art. 112a EPL). The same provision sets the indicators used for the results: LDWN for the whole day and LN for the night.
The airport’s 2022 map. The 2022 strategic noise map of Chopin Airport covers parts of Włochy, Ursus and Ursynów, and the municipalities of Raszyn, Michałowice, Piastów, Piaseczno and Lesznowola. According to its summary, outside the limited-use area there are no places where the LDWN 60 dB and LN 50 dB levels are exceeded (for hospitals, schools and similar buildings: 55 and 45 dB). The summary states that there are no people exposed to exceedances.
So according to the 2022 map, aircraft noise outside the limited-use area stays within the permitted levels. That does not mean you will not hear planes.
Warsaw’s acoustic map. You can find the strategic noise map of Warsaw and the acoustic maps from 2012 and 2017 in the city’s map portal, mapa.um.warszawa.pl. They cover aircraft, road, rail and industrial noise. That matters, because for a particular address a busy street or a railway line may be more of a nuisance than the planes. Search for the address and compare the layers for each noise source, especially at night.
The maps are updated every 5 years, so always check which year a layer comes from.
The prospectus: where to look for the airport
The template of the information prospectus is an annex to the Developer Act (consolidated text Journal of Laws 2026, item 880). Two places in it deal with airport noise:
- The field on neighbouring facilities. It is titled “Information on existing facilities located near the development and affecting living conditions”. Its footnote lists “in particular facilities generating odour, noise and light nuisance”. If the development is close to the airport, check whether the developer has listed it here.
- Investments planned within 1 km. In this part the template lists, among others, local plans, development conditions decisions, environmental decisions and resolutions on limited-use areas.
If both fields are empty and you can see the approach path from the windows, ask about it in writing before you reserve. We cover the other fields of the prospectus in a separate guide: full checklist for the developer prospectus.
It is also worth asking about the building itself. The Construction Law lists protection against noise among the basic requirements a building must meet (Art. 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 what ventilation are planned in the flat you are interested in.
Can you get compensation for airport noise?
The EPL provides for compensation for damage resulting from restrictions introduced, among others, by a limited-use area resolution. The rules as of October 2026:
- damage also includes a fall in the value of the property (Art. 129(2));
- a claim can be made within 3 years of the date the act introducing the restriction takes effect (Art. 129(4));
- the person whose activity caused the restrictions pays (Art. 136(2));
- if the act sets technical requirements for buildings, the damage also includes the cost of meeting them in existing buildings (Art. 136(3)).
For the 2011 area the period was then 2 years from the resolution taking effect, and it took effect in August 2011. That period passed long ago. If you buy a flat in an existing zone today, do not treat compensation as a reason to buy. If a new or amended area were created in future, the three-year period would run from the date the new act takes effect. Whether you have a claim in a particular case is for a lawyer to assess.
What may change in the coming years?
Night curfew. Since 25 March 2018, commercial take-offs and landings have been banned at Chopin Airport between 23:30 and 5:30 (the core night).
Noise protection programme. Regional Assembly resolution no. 29/20 of 3 March 2020 adopted an environmental noise protection programme for Chopin Airport. It is not a new limited-use area. 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 and February 2026, the airport is to raise traffic from about 600 to 800 operations a day, the works are planned for 2026-2029, and an environmental impact report has gone to the regional environmental protection directorate (RDOŚ). These are press reports, not decisions. We do not know whether or how the zone boundaries will change.
The takeaway: check the position on the day you buy, not the day you read the advert. You can check other planned developments in the area using a separate guide: how to check what will be built next to your flat.
If you are reading from abroad
The resolution, the prospectus and the map portals mentioned above are in Polish, so you will be reading them in the original. The key terms to look for are obszar ograniczonego użytkowania (limited-use area), strefa Z1 / Z2 (zone Z1 / Z2), prospekt informacyjny (information prospectus) and mapa akustyczna (acoustic map). Because the airport rules are tied to an exact address or plot number, an approximate location is not enough: ask the sales office for the exact address or plot number before you rely on any map. Put your questions about the airport to the developer in writing, so that you have the answer on record before you reserve.
Checklist before reserving a flat in Włochy
- Find the development on the map. On our map of new developments in Warsaw you can see where the estate lies. Most points on the map show an approximate location (a street or an area), and we mark this on the development page. 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 in the city map portal and compare the layers for aircraft, road and rail noise, by day and by night.
- Read the summary of the airport’s 2022 noise map, especially the part on areas and people exposed.
- Check the prospectus: the field on neighbouring facilities and the section on investments within 1 km.
- Ask the sales office about noise protection: windows, ventilation, which side of the building the flat is on.
- Visit the area at different times, including evening and early morning, before 23:30 and after 5:30.
- Check the school. If you have school-age children, find out the school catchment for a new address.
If you prefer to have the data in one place, there are paid reports from third-party services. For example, Veriplace charges PLN 39 for one flat analysis in Warsaw, and the report covers noise and the local plan, among other things (as of October 2026). The source of law, however, remains the limited-use area resolution.
See also: new flats in Ursus and Włochy: commuting by rail without a car.
FAQ
Can new flats be built in zone Z1 near Chopin Airport?
No. Resolution no. 76/11 of the Mazovian Regional Assembly of 20 June 2011, which created the airport’s limited-use area, bans new residential buildings (single- and multi-family), farm buildings, collective housing and facilities for children and young people in zone Z1 (as of October 2026). If a new development looks like it sits in Z1, ask the developer to explain.
What is the difference between a noise map and a limited-use area?
A strategic noise map shows noise levels and is produced every 5 years (Art. 118 of the Environmental Protection Law). A limited-use area is a legal act: a resolution that sets boundaries, restricts land use and sets technical requirements for buildings (Art. 135(3a)). What may be built is decided by the resolution, not by the map.
If I buy a flat in the airport’s limited-use area, can I claim compensation for noise?
For the 2011 area, most likely not. Claims under Art. 129 of the Environmental Protection Law had to be made within 2 years of the resolution taking effect, and it took effect in August 2011. Today the period is 3 years from the date the restricting act takes effect (legal position as of October 2026). Whether you have a claim in a specific case is for a lawyer to assess.
Does Chopin Airport operate night flights?
Since 25 March 2018, commercial take-offs and landings have been banned at Chopin Airport between 23:30 and 5:30 (the core night). Outside those hours flights are allowed, so view a flat in the evening and early morning, not only at midday.
Where in the developer prospectus should I look for airport information?
In two places. First, the field on existing facilities near the development that affect living conditions (its footnote lists facilities causing noise nuisance). Second, the section on investments planned within a 1 km radius, where the template lists, among others, resolutions on limited-use areas (annex to the Act, Journal of Laws 2026, item 880, as of October 2026).
Have your eye on a flat in Włochy and want it checked against the airport? Write to us before your first visit to the sales office. We will register you as our client, go to the office together and go through the information prospectus and the draft contract with you, including the fields on neighbouring facilities and investments within 1 km. We will point out what to ask the developer or a lawyer. 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
This text is for information only and is not legal advice.