Phuket’s Draft City Plan: What the Official Zoning Rules Actually Say
Phuket’s comprehensive city plan is being rewritten, and the draft published by the Phuket Public Works and Town & Country Planning Office sets numeric limits on building size for every zone. This article summarises the draft land-use requirements, explains what they could mean for buyers and landowners, and flags what is still uncertain. The draft is undated and may change before it is finalised.
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Where the plan stands
The office has posted the draft requirements together with land-use, road, open-space, utility, natural-resource and water maps. Provincial officials told the press the requirements are being revised after many business owners commented, and that the draft awaits provincial committee approval before a 90-day public posting, with enactment expected in 2027. reic
The rules, zone by zone
The draft limits floor-area ratio (FAR: total building floor area divided by land area), maximum height, and how much of a plot may be built on. Heights are measured from ground level, and several zones treat schools, hospitals and convention buildings separately.
| Zone | Intended role | Max FAR | Max height |
|---|---|---|---|
| พ.5 (red) | New commercial centre | 8 | 75 m |
| พ.4 (red) | International tourism and commercial centre | 7.5 | 60 m |
| พ.3 (red) | Business, digital and convention district | 7 | 60 m |
| พ.2 (red) | Suburban community commerce | 6.5 | 45 m |
| พ.1 (red) | Conservation-minded old-town commerce | 6 | 45 m |
| ย.5 (orange) | Expansion beside main centres | 4.5 | 30 m |
| ย.4 (orange) | Suburban community centres | 4 | 30 m |
| ย.3 (yellow) | Housing and tourism around centres | 3 | 23 m |
| ย.2 (yellow) | West-coast housing and tourism | 2.5 | 23 m |
| ย.1 (yellow) | East-coast and suburban housing | 2 | 23 m |
| อศ. (light brown) | Cultural and heritage conservation | 3 | 9 m |
| ก.3 (green) | Peri-urban agriculture | 1.5 | 18 m |
| ก.2 (green) | Agriculture and eco-tourism | 1 | 15 m |
| ก.1 (green) | Agriculture on the outlying islands | 0.6 | 8 m |
Only three areas in the whole plan reach the 75-metre limit, and red zones make up 59 of the roughly 280 designated residential, commercial and agricultural areas.
Rules that matter more than the headline height
- Yellow zones are low-rise by design. Buildings that count as “large” under the building-control law are not allowed, commercial uses are capped at 200 square metres, and in the west-coast and central yellow zones (ย.2 and ย.3) a condominium or apartment block is only allowed on a public road at least 10 metres wide with a 6-metre front setback. In ย.1, that road rule applies to condominiums over 1,500 square metres.
- Green zones close the door on large condominiums. In ก.1, condominiums over 500 square metres and land subdivision are both prohibited. In ก.2, condominiums over 500 square metres are only allowed within 1 kilometre of the coast and on a 10-metre road, and in ก.3 the threshold is 1,000 square metres.
- No splitting plots to gain floor area. If a plot is divided, the combined FAR of the resulting plots cannot exceed the original plot’s limit.
- Bonus floor area is capped at 20%. Developers can earn extra FAR by providing public open space, building water-retention capacity (at least 1 cubic metre per 50 square metres of land), or achieving Thai green-building certification, but the total bonus cannot exceed 20%.
- Highway setbacks. Land along Highways 402 and 4024 must keep a 10-metre open strip, and a 6-metre strip applies along Highways 4021 and 4022.
- Planned roads can freeze a plot. The draft lists 85 planned roads, 12 to 30 metres wide. Land inside a planned road line can only be used for a single house of up to 150 square metres and 6 metres in height, and not as part of a subdivision.
- Water and infrastructure. The plan reserves eight canal-improvement areas, six flood-drainage areas and seven wastewater-treatment sites.
What this could mean for buyers and landowners
These are our interpretations, not official forecasts. The big upside is concentrated in a small number of red zones, so the value of a plot depends heavily on which zone it ends up in and on whether the existing buildings can be redeveloped. Yellow beachfront land is likely to stay a low-rise market of pool villas and small condominium projects. Green zones leave less room for speculative large-condominium plans. Permits issued under current rules reportedly remain valid, and nearly 100 condominium projects are said to be rushing to secure approvals before the new plan applies. reic
Where investors are looking
Broker guides published this year are fairly consistent, though they are marketing material and their yield figures vary widely. Bang Tao and Cherngtalay are named for overall return, Patong for short-term rental cash flow, and Rawai and Nai Harn for long-term expat demand. One guide calls the Bang Tao–Cherngtalay–Layan corridor Phuket’s “Golden Mile”, reporting 6–8% rental yields and price rises of 23–29% since 2023. Layan, Manik and Ao Po are suggested for capital growth, with Rawai, Phuket Town, Kata and Karon as more accessible entry points. Treat all yield figures as indicative and check the assumptions behind them. Phuket Property Investment Guide 2026: Yields & ROI +2
What to do now
- Find out your land’s zone code and whether a planned road crosses it. The map and the schedule of areas are on the Phuket Public Works and Town & Country Planning Office website.
- If you own land, note the 90-day public posting period when it opens, since that is when objections can be filed.
- Before buying a condominium, confirm the project’s building permit and environmental approval are valid, especially in yellow and green zones.
- Compare net yields after fees, management and vacancy, not headline gross figures.
- Get advice from a lawyer or tax adviser before a major purchase.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or investment advice. It is based on the draft land-use requirements and maps published by the Phuket Public Works and Town & Country Planning Office, Thai press reports on the plan’s status, and 2026 agency market guides. The draft is undated and may change before enactment.