Utilisation rate
The utilisation rate is the ratio between how much a plot may be built on and the area of the plot. It is set by the municipality's zoning plan or municipal master plan as one of the most important limits on what can be built on a property: a plot of 1,000 m² with a permitted %-BYA of 30 can be built on with a footprint of up to 300 m². It is the first figure you check when you assess a development opportunity.
The utilisation rate can be stated in three standardised ways under circular H-2300 (the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development's guide Grad av utnytting):
- %-BYA (built-up area as a percentage of the plot): the building's footprint on the ground, including covered parking spaces and roofed outdoor areas. Defined in TEK17 section 5-2. Most used for detached houses and terraced houses.
- %-UFA (usable floor area as a percentage of the plot): the internal usable floor area for all storeys combined, divided by the plot area. Defined in TEK17 section 5-4. Most used for apartment buildings and commercial buildings, where the aim is to regulate volume, not footprint.
- m²-UFA per plot: an absolute maximum value in square metres, often used for large single plots or fields in a detailed zoning plan.
In addition, TU (plot utilisation) occurs as a collective term, as do older plans using %-BTA or %-BOA. The legal basis for setting a utilisation rate lies in the Planning and Building Act section 11-9 no. 5 for the land use element of the municipal master plan and section 12-7 no. 1 for zoning plans. The wording of section 11-9 no. 5 itself uses the term "development volume", but it is settled practice in the planning system that the provision gives a legal basis for all forms of utilisation rate (%-BYA, %-UFA, m²-UFA per plot). The details of how ground floor area, usable floor area and parking area are counted are set out in circular H-2300 and must be read together with the zoning provisions themselves.
Practical pitfalls:
- Parking counts towards %-BYA. Under H-2300, open parking spaces must also be counted (18 m² per space) in BYA. If you forget this, you get less BYA for the building itself than expected.
- Ridge height, eaves height and airspace utilisation are separate limits. Maximum UFA is one thing; the zoned eaves height and ridge height are something else, and a plot with a generous %-UFA but a low eaves height cannot fill the whole UFA allowance in practice.
- Underground area: cellars that are measurable under NS 3940 count towards UFA, even if they lie below ground level. The general rule is that BYA covers only what is visible on the ground, while UFA covers all measurable area.
- Outdoor areas and MUA: the utilisation rate regulates what you can build, not how much outdoor area you must set aside. Minimum outdoor living area (MUA) is governed separately in the zoning provisions and can in practice be the limiting factor.
For a property without a zoning plan, the land use element of the municipal master plan applies as the legal basis, alternatively older municipal master plans, or only the general building lines in the Planning and Building Act if the municipality has not adopted any utilisation rate. A dispensation from the stated utilisation rate can be applied for under Planning and Building Act section 19-1, but is rarely granted without substantial counter-arguments.
In Placepoint, the applicable zoning plan with its utilisation rate is shown directly in the map through the map layer for land use plans; click a property to see which plan applies, what utilisation it sets, and the maximum permitted UFA for the plot. The example Zoning and max UFA goes through the lookup step by step.
How this looks in Placepoint
In Placepoint you find this in the Property panel:
From Placepoint's glossary: Utilisation rate
More information: DiBK: TEK17 section 5-1 Setting the degree of utilisation, Lovdata: Planning and Building Act section 11-9, Lovdata: Planning and Building Act section 12-7
English: Plot utilisation rate (BYA/UFA per plot, permitted building density).
Frequently asked questions
What does utilisation rate mean?
The ratio between the permitted built area and the plot area, set in the municipality's zoning plan or municipal master plan. Common measures are %-BYA, %-UFA and m²-UFA per plot.
What is the difference between %-BYA and %-UFA?
%-BYA regulates the building's footprint on the ground (as a percentage of the plot). %-UFA regulates the total internal usable floor area across all storeys. %-UFA gives a higher permitted volume than the same figure in %-BYA, because several storeys are added together.
Do parking spaces count towards the utilisation rate?
Yes. Under circular H-2300, open parking spaces must also be counted (18 m² per space) in %-BYA. This is a common pitfall in plot analyses.
Where do I find the utilisation rate for a property?
In the applicable zoning plan or in the land use element of the municipal master plan for the area. In Placepoint, the plan and its utilisation rate are shown directly in the map.
Can I get permission to build more than the maximum utilisation allows?
Only through a dispensation under Planning and Building Act section 19-1, or by having the plan changed. A dispensation requires weighty grounds and is not granted routinely.