Calculator
Enter the plot area, TAKS and emsal to calculate the footprint, the floor area counted towards emsal, the area per floor and the total with exempt areas.
The total uses the exempt area ratio you selected. Items such as twice the mandatory parking area in basements, shelters, lift shafts and stairs do not count towards the 30% cap (Art. 5(8)); the actual construction area may be larger.
Talk to us about your plot — the first meeting is freeMisreading a plot's building potential affects every step, from the purchase decision to the architectural design.
Footprint and emsal are calculated on the net zoning plot (Art. 5(5)). A calculation that ignores land ceded to roads or public use overstates the construction area.
Some areas such as balconies, stairs and parking do not count towards emsal, but their total cannot exceed 30% of the floor area counted towards emsal (Art. 5(8)). Certain items, such as mandatory basement parking, shelters and lift shafts, are kept outside this cap.
TAKS is an upper limit. Unless the plan says otherwise, the front garden is at least 5 m and the side and rear gardens at least 3 m (Art. 23); the footprint is the smaller of TAKS and the area left by these setbacks (Art. 20(3)). On narrow plots, setbacks are often the deciding factor.
NET PLOT = GROSS PLOT − CEDED LAND
FOOTPRINT = NET PLOT × TAKS
EMSAL FLOOR AREA = NET PLOT × KAKS (NO EMSAL: TAKS × FLOORS)
APPROX. TOTAL = EMSAL FLOOR AREA × (1 + EXEMPT RATIO ≤ 30%)
| Emsal (KAKS) | Floor area counted towards emsal | With 30% exempt areas |
|---|---|---|
| 0.5 | 500 m² | 650 m² |
| 1 | 1,000 m² | 1,300 m² |
| 1.5 | 1,500 m² | 1,950 m² |
| 2 | 2,000 m² | 2,600 m² |
| 2.5 | 2,500 m² | 3,250 m² |
| 3 | 3,000 m² | 3,900 m² |
The table is generated by the calculator itself for a 1,000 m² net zoning plot. The last column is the total when all exempt areas subject to the 30% cap are used; items outside the cap (mandatory basement parking, shelters, etc.) may be added on top.
Emsal, the floor area ratio (KAKS), is defined in the Planned Areas Zoning Regulation as the total of all floor areas built, divided by the zoning plot area (Art. 4). Emsal 1.5 means a floor area counted towards emsal of 1.5 times the net plot area: 1,500 m² on a 1,000 m² net plot. With TAKS 0.30 the footprint is 300 m², which corresponds to 5 floors at full footprint. Areas exempt from emsal are added on top of these 1,500 m².
TAKS (site coverage ratio) is the building's ground projection, i.e. its footprint, divided by the plot area; KAKS is the total of all floors divided by the plot area. TAKS sets how much ground the building may cover, KAKS how large it may be in total. In detached or block layouts TAKS cannot exceed 40% unless the plan explicitly says so (Art. 5(6)). If the plan gives no emsal, the total floor area is TAKS multiplied by the number of floors (Art. 21(4)).
First the net zoning plot is found: land ceded to roads and public use is deducted from the gross area, because footprint and emsal are calculated on the net plot (Art. 5(5)). Net plot × KAKS gives the total floor area counted towards emsal. Exempt areas are then added, and their total cannot exceed 30% of that floor area (Art. 5(8)). For example, an 800 m² net plot with emsal 1.25 gives 1,000 m² counted towards emsal, rising to about 1,300 m² with 30% exempt areas. The number of floors, Hmax and setbacks decide how this area sits on the plot.
Article 22 of the regulation lists the uses excluded from the total floor area. The main ones are parking areas, the minimum shelter required for the building, atrium and gallery voids, communal prayer rooms, non-commercial children's play areas, heating, cooling and building-services areas, balconies meeting the open-projection conditions up to 20% of the unit's net area together with open or enclosed stairwells, and 70 m² of mandatory caretaker flats. The total of these areas cannot exceed 30% of the floor area counted towards emsal; however, twice the mandatory parking area built in basements and the minimum areas of shelters, lift shafts and stairs there are exempt without counting towards this cap (Art. 5(8)).
For a plot, the gross area is the total area on the title deed; the net zoning plot is what remains after ceded land and is the basis for emsal. For a flat, the regulation defines three measures (Art. 4): net area is the clear area between walls; gross area is the area enclosed by the unit's outer contours; overall gross area adds the unit's annexes and its share of common areas. Sellable area is not defined in the regulation; in marketing it usually means the overall gross area. Areas exempt from emsal cannot be turned into separate units (Art. 21(3)), so the floor area counted towards emsal and the area of flats for sale are not the same figure.
Yes. TAKS is an upper limit; unless the plan says otherwise, the front garden is at least 5 m and the side and rear gardens at least 3 m (Art. 23), and the footprint that applies is the smaller of the areas given by TAKS and by these garden setbacks (Art. 20(3)). On narrow or corner plots the setback is often the deciding factor. Many provisions of the regulation apply only where the plan says nothing to the contrary, so before calculating you should obtain the zoning status certificate from the municipality and read the plan notes.
This tool is for preliminary feasibility and does not replace the zoning status certificate (imar durumu belgesi). Many provisions of the Planned Areas Zoning Regulation apply only where the local zoning plan says nothing to the contrary, so the plan notes for your plot and the zoning status certificate issued by the municipality always take priority. The local authority's own zoning regulation may add further conditions. The exact area calculation is made in the architectural design.
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