Rakennusoikeus

Rakennusoikeus is a Finnish planning term referring to the permitted amount of building on a plot or area, usually expressed as the maximum gross floor area in square metres. It is a central instrument in municipal land use planning and zoning, used to regulate density, building size and urban form.

Rakennusoikeus is typically determined in a detailed local plan (asemakaava) or town plan and can be given as an absolute floor area or as a ratio relative to plot size (tonttitehokkuus, often shown as an "e‑luku"). The practical measurement is the kerrosala (gross floor area) defined in building regulations; municipal decisions and permits are checked against this limit.

A building permit (rakennuslupa) is required to use rakennusoikeus. Construction that would exceed the permitted amount normally cannot be approved without a plan amendment or other legal arrangement. In some cases municipalities may allow transfer, sale or allocation of unused building right within a block or through specific procedures, but such moves are governed by planning provisions and sometimes require compensation or a formal change to the plan.

Rakennusoikeus functions as a planning and development control tool, balancing public objectives (infrastructure, open space, heritage protection) with private development rights. Exceeding assigned building rights can lead to enforcement measures, including orders to remove or modify structures, and may require retroactive regularisation through planning changes.