What does índice de utilização do solo mean in Portugal?
The índice de utilização do solo (Iu) is the total built area divided by the land area, with no unit. A 500 m2 plot with an index of 0.6 can carry up to 300 m2 of built area.
- Defined in
- Decreto Regulamentar n.º 5/2019, Annex I, ficha I-35
- Law
- Decreto Regulamentar n.º 5/2019, technical concepts for spatial planning and urbanism
- Official text
- data.dre.pt/eli/decregul/5/2019/09/27/p/dre/pt/pdf
- Sources
- data.dre.pt/eli/decregul/5/2019/09/27/p/dre/pt/pdf
- Checked
- 2026-11-05
What it means for the owner
- It replaces older terms such as índice de construção and coeficiente de ocupação do solo (COS).
- It differs from the índice de ocupação do solo, which compares the footprint, not the total built area, with the land area, as a percentage (ficha I-34).
- Municipal plans set the limit that applies to your plot.
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