If you would like to know whether your property could be used as a building plot at all, you should take a look at the land use plan of the responsible authority.

The land use plan is the preparatory land-use plan (urban development framework plan) of the responsible authority. It contains the urban development uses intended by the planning authority and differentiated for the individual areas. For example, residential construction areas, commercial construction areas, utility areas, areas for public use, traffic areas, green areas, forest areas and agricultural areas.

The land use plan has no direct legal effect on citizens. No legal claims can be derived from its graphic and textual representations, in particular the right to a building permit for a specific plot of land. However, it represents a binding program for the administration and other authorities that is binding for planning purposes.

An indirect impact results from the fact that development plans, which contain legally binding stipulations for all citizens, must be developed from the representations of the land use plan.

In addition, citizens are indirectly affected by approvals for projects in "outdoor areas" in accordance with Section 35 of the German Building Code (BauGB), as any representations in the land use plan that contradict the building project would have to be opposed as "impairment of public interests".

In order to ensure planning security, the land use plan should be valid for 10 to 15 years.