The end of the land-use study. What it means for landowners and investors – especially in Kraków

On 1 September 2026, studies of conditions and directions of spatial development (studium uwarunkowań i kierunków zagospodarowania przestrzennego) expired in all Polish municipalities that had not adopted a general plan by 31 August. Kraków is among them. This is not a formality – in practice it means a halt to new zoning decisions (WZ) and to the adoption of new local zoning plans until a general plan is adopted. For plot owners and developers, it is one of the most important changes in the land market in years.

What changed on 1 September 2026

Poland's 2023 spatial planning reform replaced the land-use study with a new document – the municipal general plan (plan ogólny). The legislature gave municipalities time to adopt it; the deadline was extended twice and finally expired on 31 August 2026. From the following day, three main consequences apply in municipalities without a general plan:

1. The land-use study ceases to apply – by operation of law, without the need for any resolution.
2. As a rule, no new local zoning plan can be adopted and no existing plan can be amended. The exception is advanced procedures in which the draft plan was put on public display before the study expired – these can be completed under the existing rules. This also applies to integrated investment plans (ZPI), which are a special form of local zoning plan.
3. New zoning decisions can only be issued within an infill development area designated in the general plan. As there is no general plan, there is no infill development area either – so WZ applications filed from 1 September 2026 cannot, as a rule, be granted.

There are exceptions to this rule. WZ proceedings started by 31 August 2026 continue under the previous rules, even if the decision is issued later. The restriction also does not apply to, among other things, decisions on the location of public-purpose investments or – to a certain extent – the extension, raising and reconstruction of existing buildings. Final WZ decisions issued earlier remain valid, subject to the new rules on their duration.

The situation in Kraków

Kraków is among the municipalities that did not adopt a general plan in time. The key facts:

• Kraków's land-use study ceased to apply on 1 September 2026. The document was adopted in 2003 and amended in 2010 and 2014. In January 2024, the City Council abandoned work on a new study to focus on the general plan.
• There is still no General Plan of the City of Kraków. Publication of the draft, announced for July 2026, has been postponed.
• Local zoning plans cover approx. 82.5% of the city's area. On this land, development rules do not change – the provisions of the local zoning plans (MPZP) continue to apply.
• On the remaining approx. 17.5% of the city's area – land without a local zoning plan – new zoning decisions are currently, as a rule, unavailable, and a local zoning plan cannot be adopted until the general plan is in place.
• The city is not initiating amendments to existing local zoning plans, because there is no document with which such amendments would have to comply.

What it means for the market for multifamily development land

Plots with a "ready" planning status gain in value. Land covered by a local zoning plan that allows multifamily housing, or a plot with a final WZ decision, is now in short supply. Developers who need to replenish their land banks have no alternative in the form of quickly obtaining a WZ for a new location. The price gap between land with an established designation and land without one can be expected to widen.

Plots with neither an MPZP nor a WZ do not lose their potential, but the time horizon changes. Their future depends on how they are classified in the general plan – in particular, whether they fall within a residential zone and an infill development area. Until then, selling such a plot is possible, but requires a different transaction structure, e.g. a preliminary agreement conditional on obtaining a specified planning status.

Risk on the buyer's side is growing, and so is the importance of due diligence. For every plot, it is now necessary to establish precisely: whether a local zoning plan applies and what exactly it allows, whether there is a WZ decision, when it became final and whether it is open-ended, and whether any pending proceedings could affect it.

What to do now – practical tips for plot owners

1. Check the planning status of your plot – in Kraków, most easily through the city's spatial information system and the Public Information Bulletin (BIP).
2. If you have a WZ decision, verify the date it became final and its validity. This determines whether it is open-ended or will expire after five years.
3. Follow the work on the General Plan of the City of Kraków. Once the draft is put on public display, anyone will be able to submit comments. This is a real opportunity to influence the designation of your own property.
4. Do not decide to sell under pressure. A transitional period brings both opportunities and undervaluations. A thorough analysis of the plot's potential – buildable capacity, access to infrastructure and planning prospects – makes it possible to judge whether to sell now or after the general plan is adopted.

Frequently asked questions