Permits & NOCs · Plot information
For owners, buyers and designers who need the official plan of a plot or unit, and need to understand what it allows. We help obtain the right plan from the right authority and read it against what you want to build or change.
Before anyone can design a villa, approve an extension or check whether a shop can become a clinic, they need to know exactly what the plot is and what the rules allow on it. In Dubai, that information sits on the affection plan.
"Affection plan" is the everyday name used by owners, agents and consultants for the official plan of a plot or property. Authorities more often call it a site plan, plot plan or property map. Whatever the name, it is the reference document that designers and reviewers work from. This page explains what it shows, who issues it, what it costs where fees are published, and how it is used in approvals.
We don't issue affection plans. The Dubai Land Department and the planning authorities do. We help you get the right one and, more usefully, explain what it means for your project.
Dubai Municipality describes its unified site plan as covering the plot's borders, land tenure, landlord's name, zoning, land use, floors, setbacks, parking, location and dimensions. In practice, a plot plan typically gives you:
For apartments and villas, the Dubai Land Department also issues unit and villa maps that show the registered unit rather than the planning controls on the land.
Which plan you need, and who issues it, depends on the property and the jurisdiction.
| Issuer | What it issues | Published fee and time |
|---|---|---|
| Dubai Land Department (DLD) | Maps of registered property: land plot, unit, villa, building, common areas, extra parking and storage | DLD lists AED 100 for a land plot map outside DM's jurisdiction, AED 225 for the unified land map with DM, and AED 250 for an apartment or villa map, plus AED 10 knowledge and AED 10 innovation fees per drawing. Listed service time: 12 minutes. |
| Dubai Municipality | Unified site plans for mainland plots, with zoning and planning controls | Listed as a DM service. We confirm current fees per request. |
| Dubai Development Authority | Site plans for plots in DDA zones, used for design approvals and DLD registration | DDA lists AED 1,000 per site plan plus the two AED 10 fees, and 2 working days excluding the day of submission |
| Trakhees and other free zones | Their own plot or lease plans within their jurisdiction | Confirmed per case |
DLD lists its website, the Dubai REST app, the Oqood portal for developers and Trustee service centres as channels. Owners can apply. A letter from the owner is needed when someone else applies for them.
Fees change. The figures above are what the issuing bodies list at the time of writing. Check the current fee on the authority's service page before paying.
A valid plot plan is one of the first documents asked for in almost every building application. It answers the questions reviewers ask first.
The plan sets the box the design must fit into: setbacks, coverage, height and use. A new villa permit starts from it, and so does any feasibility study for a plot purchase.
Before extending a villa, the designer checks remaining plot coverage and setbacks on the plan. An extension that looks reasonable on site can break a setback the plan makes obvious. See our villa renovation and extension page.
The plan shows the permitted use. If the activity you want isn't listed, you are looking at a planning application, not just a fit-out. Our change of use page explains the difference.
Trakhees forms ask for a valid site plan or affection plan with several applications, and DDA requires a valid site plan for modification completion. In DDA's words, its site plan is a legal document used for design approvals and for registering plots with DLD.
Buyers and lenders use the plan to check the property's area and status. Comparing it with what is actually built can expose unapproved extensions before a sale, rather than after.
Is the plot under DM, DDA, Trakhees or another free zone? That decides where the planning site plan comes from.
Our team
A DLD map for a registered unit, or the planning authority's site plan for design work. Many projects need both.
Owner or authorised representative
Make sure the plan reflects current ownership and any re-zoning, subdivision or merger. An outdated plan can cause an application to be rejected.
Our team
We compare the controls with what you want to build or change, and with what already exists on site.
Our team + you
Our article affection plan: what it is and how to get it gives a step-by-step owner's view.
No. The title deed proves ownership. The affection plan or site plan shows the plot's boundaries, area and, for planning plans, its permitted use and building controls.
It depends on the issuer and the type of plan. DLD lists AED 100 to AED 250 for most plot, villa and apartment maps, plus small per-drawing fees. DDA lists AED 1,000 per site plan in its zones. Check the current fee before paying.
Plans are normally issued to the owner or to someone acting with the owner's written authority. Tenants planning a fit-out or change of use usually ask the landlord to obtain it.
Authorities expect a valid, current plan that reflects the latest ownership and planning controls. An older copy may not show re-zoning, subdivision or updated controls.
On this page
Need to know what your plot allows?
Send the plot number or a photo of your plan and what you have in mind. We will explain what it means.
Guide
An affection plan belongs to the property and planning information needed for a project.
Read more
Guide
Dubai’s long-term urban planning direction is useful context, but it does not determine whether a particular extension or development is approved.
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Guide
DM approval is often used as a catch-all phrase, but the first question is what you want to change.
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Service
Get support for Dubai Municipality approval: drawings, NOCs, permits, submissions and completion coordination. Check the approval route for your project.
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Service
DDA approval support for fit-out, renovation and construction in Dubai. Coordinate drawings, NOCs, permits, submissions and completion requirements.
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Service
Assess whether a property can support a different activity before committing to a lease or conversion. We help coordinate the existing records and proposed operational brief for technical and authority review.
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Service
Prepare a new villa project for the relevant design reviews and construction permissions. We help organise the site information, appointments and submission sequence before mobilisation.
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Service
Record the property as it exists and identify differences from available approval records. We help organise measured information and the technical review needed to discuss a regularisation route.
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Share a few details and we will tell you which approvals apply, what documents you need and how we can help. There is no obligation.