BI zone - housing in family houses

A BI zone is a zone for individual housing (bydlení individuální) in a Czech zoning plan. The uniform standard for zoning documentation (Decree No. 157/2024 Coll.) describes it as areas mainly of family houses with housing as the dominant function, complemented mainly by local amenities. The older MINIS methodology used the same code for 'housing in family houses - urban and suburban'.

How to read it

The code itself only states the main purpose of the zone. What may be built there is set in the text part of the zoning plan: main, permitted, prohibited and possibly conditionally permitted uses, plus spatial conditions (Section 80 of the Building Act No. 283/2021 Coll.). Typically these are:

• a height limit, i.e. storeys or height in metres,
• a plot coverage ratio, i.e. what percentage of the plot buildings may cover,
• a list of buildings not allowed in the zone, such as apartment blocks or businesses that disturb housing.

Under the decree, a housing zone may contain only buildings and facilities that do not reduce the quality of the environment and residential comfort. Plots for retail buildings over 1,000 m² do not belong in housing zones.

What it means for a buyer

When buying a building plot in a BI development area, the plan's conditions decide how large a house can be built. Around an existing house, a stabilised BI zone means a quiet residential setting where the plan does not foresee a change in character.

The difference from a BV zone is character: rural housing also allows non-commercial animal keeping and growing for the household's own needs. Housing in apartment buildings is coded BH.

Watch out for

• The same code may come with different limits in the next municipality.
• Older zoning plans, which remain valid, may use a different code for family houses.
• The binding wording is the municipality's plan text and drawings; the building authority assesses whether a specific project complies.