Free tools / Regional
Dubai GFA and Buildable Area Calculator
Work out permitted GFA in Dubai, and see exactly what counts toward it and what does not.
Why this exists. Dubai issued over ten thousand building permits in a single quarter and has essentially no architect tooling. Every FAR figure published online for Dubai communities is marketing content citing no authority.
Everything here is calculated in your browser. Your numbers are never sent anywhere, stored or seen by us.
- Plot area
- 10,000 sq ft (929 m²)
- Maximum GFA
- 8,000 sq ft
- Balconies and terracesExcluded from GFA, covered or uncovered
- 600 sq ft
- Covered parkingExcluded from GFA
- 800 sq ft
- Implied BUABUA includes what GFA excludes, so it is always larger
- 9,400 sq ft
- Roof structure coverageLimit is 50 per cent of roof area
- 35.0%
- Fallback setbacks
- Villa fallback: 3 m from road, 3 m from neighbour, 3 m from sikka.
| Counts toward GFA | Excluded from GFA |
|---|---|
| Habitable and occupiable spaces | Parking and parking lobbies |
| Lobbies, corridors and stairs | Balconies, covered or uncovered |
| Mezzanine floors | Terraces |
| Basements other than in villas | Basements in villas |
| Storage on ground and above | Storage below ground |
| Lift shaft at the recall floor only | Lift shafts at other floors, machine rooms |
| Base of double height volumes and atria | The void of double height volumes |
| Gym area over 50 per cent of roof area | Prayer room, ablution, swimming pools |
Dubai does not publish FAR by community. It is a per plot control issued on the affection plan or the development control regulations, and those documents take precedence over any general rule.
Roof structures must also sit at least 1.5 m back from the facade. Stair and lift rooms are exempt from that setback but still count toward the 50 per cent.
How this is calculated
- FAR must come from your plot's affection plan or its development control regulations. Those documents take precedence over any general rule, and Dubai publishes no FAR table by community.
- Setbacks shown are the Dubai Building Code fallback values, used only where the affection plan or development control regulations are silent.
- The Dubai Building Code applies across the whole Emirate including free zones under Decree 45 of 2021, but the permitting authority still differs by area. Trakhees continues to accredit against its own codes in practice.
- This tool advises. Your authority decides.
Sources
- Dubai Building Code 2021, Part A section A.5.2 and Table A.3
- Decree No. 45 of 2021 concerning the Dubai Building Code
This is a planning estimate, not professional advice. Read the full disclaimer.
Feasibility is quick. Winning the villa is the slow part.
ScaleArc answers Dubai villa enquiries on WhatsApp in seconds, in Arabic or English, and qualifies before they reach your calendar.
Talk to the founder