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Lots and urban planning · City Hall and registry office

Lot merger (remembramento) or lot unification

Merging two or more neighboring lots into one, with documentation, a project and follow-up at City Hall and at the registry office.

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Aerial view of two neighboring lots separated by a wall, among houses

Quick answer

Lot merger (remembramento) in São Paulo, in a few lines

A lot merger (remembramento), also called lot unification, is the joining of neighboring lots to form a single one. In São Paulo, if the total area is up to 20,000 m², no City Hall permit is needed and the unification is done at the registry office, with lots belonging to the same owner. Above that, the permit is requested from SMUL. ZER (strictly residential zone) lots cannot be joined with lots in other zones.

Updated on by the MTC technical team, based on the rules cited on this page.

No permit
Resulting total area up to 20,000 m²
Source: Decree No. 57.558/2016 (land subdivision)(opens in a new tab)
Maximum lot area
20,000 m² and 150 m of frontage (smaller in some zones)
Source: Zoning Law, Law No. 16.402/2016 (Table 2A)(opens in a new tab)
At the registry office
Merging the property records of lots with the same owner
Source: Public Records Law, Law No. 6.015/1973(opens in a new tab)
On the IPTU
DIC-D Englobamento service
Source: São Paulo City Hall (Finance Department): lot change on the IPTU (DIC-D)(opens in a new tab)

What a lot merger is

A lot merger (remembramento), or unification, is joining two or more neighboring lots into a single lot, with one property record and one IPTU registration.

It is common when the owner buys the neighboring lot to expand the house, the shop or the warehouse. Sometimes the construction has already crossed the boundary, and the work cannot be regularized while the lots remain separate.

MTC checks the property records, the owners and the encumbrances on each lot, prepares the unification design and follows the application at City Hall and at the registry office.

What MTC does

  • Document review

    We check the property records, owners and encumbrances on each lot.

  • Survey

    Measurement and adjoining boundaries of the new lot.

  • Unification design

    Technical documents for City Hall.

  • New property record

    Follow-up at the registry office until recording.

Understand it in one image

How two lots become one

BEFORE250m²250m²ABmergeAFTER500 m²STREET2 lots2 property records1 lot1 property record
  1. 1The lots must be next to each other and have the same owner.
  2. 2Up to 20,000 m² in total, the merger is done directly at the registry office, with no permit.
  3. 3Above that, the permit is requested from the Urban Planning and Licensing Secretariat.
  4. 4A lot in a ZER zone cannot be merged with a lot in another zone.
Illustrative diagram, based on Decree 57.558/2016 and Law 16.402/2016. The resulting lot cannot exceed the maximum area for the zone.

What needs to be in order to unify

If one of them is pending, the unification is held up.
  1. 01 · AdjacencyLots sharing a common boundary
  2. 02 · OwnersSame owner or an agreement between them
  3. 03 · EncumbrancesMortgages and seizures reviewed
  4. 04 · Property recordsUp-to-date records for each lot
Situations that most often lead to a lot merger (remembramento):Buying the neighboring lotBuilding across the lot lineA larger projectWarehouse on two lotsPreparing for a saleSimplifying the IPTU (property tax)

How large lots can grow, by zone

Merging lots has a limit: the resulting lot cannot exceed the maximum frontage and area for the zone. The figures come from Table 2A of the Zoning Law.

ZoneMaximum frontageMaximum area
ZEU, ZEM, ZC, ZM and ZEISMaximum frontage:150 mMaximum area:20,000 m²
ZER, ZCOR and ZPRMaximum frontage:100 mMaximum area:10,000 m²
ZDE-1Maximum frontage:20 mMaximum area:1,000 m²

It is prohibited to merge ZER lots with lots in other zones (art. 17 of Law 16.402/2016). Lots above the maximum are allowed only for the uses listed in art. 42.

Source: Zoning Law, Law No. 16.402/2016 (Table 2A)(opens in a new tab)

Why do a lot merger

From several separate lots to a single lot

Tap a problem to see how it is solved.

What happens without a lot merger

Without the merger, every new step runs into the division between the lots. The problems pile up as the property grows. With the documents for the lots in order, the merger can still be requested.

  1. 1

    Separate neighboring lots

    The owner uses the lots as one, but the documents are separate.

    What can be done

    Check the property records, owners and encumbrances of each lot.

  2. 2

    Building across the lot line

    The building extends from one lot into the other.

    What can be done

    Prepare the merger plan before regularizing the building.

  3. 3

    Project or Habite-se denied

    City Hall does not approve construction across separate lots.

    What can be done

    Approve the merger first and then the building.

  4. 4

    Sale or estate inventory blocked

    The registry office requires the situation of each lot to be resolved.

    What can be done

    Register the merged property record and record the building on it.

While the lots remain separate on the property record

When selling or financing

  • Slow negotiationEach lot has to be reviewed.
  • Limited collateralThe bank appraises the lots separately.

In using the property

  • Expansion blockedConstruction across lots is not approved.
  • Multiple IPTU billsMore registrations to manage.

In the family's assets

  • Confusing estate inventorySeparate lots for a single property.
  • Loss of valueA fragmented area is worth less.

Bought the neighboring lot? See how to merge them.

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What a lot merger does for the property

  • Viable project

    Construction approval across the whole area.

  • Single set of documents

    One property record and one municipal registration.

  • Building potential

    A larger lot may allow more built area.

  • Added value

    A single area is usually worth more.

  • Habite-se possible

    Buildings that occupy both lots can be regularized.

  • Simple management

    One IPTU bill and one set of documents.

When it is needed

  • Construction project on more than one lot
  • Existing building across the lot line
  • Purchase of a neighboring lot
  • Preparing to sell
  • Requirement from City Hall or the registry office (cartório)

Documents that help you get started

You do not need all of them. The team will tell you what is missing.

  • Property records for all the lots
  • IPTU for each lot
  • Owners' documents
  • Existing plan or survey
  • Building plans, if any

How we handle your case

  1. 1

    Analysis

    Property records, owners and encumbrances.

  2. 2

    Survey

    Measurement and boundaries.

  3. 3

    Project

    Technical drawings and ART.

  4. 4

    Approval

    Filing at City Hall.

  5. Registration

    Opening of the merged property record.

Important
  • The lots must belong to the same owner or to owners who agree on the merger.
  • Encumbrances such as a mortgage or a seizure must be reviewed.
  • There are City Hall and registry office costs.

Questions about lot mergers (remembramento) or lot unification

The questions that come to the team and show up in searches most often, with the answer and the source.

See all questions

Through the lot merger (remembramento), the regrouping of lots for building, within the maximum measurements of the zone. If the total area is up to 20,000 m², the unification is done directly at the registry office, without a City Hall permit.

Source: Decree No. 57.558/2016 (land subdivision) (opens in a new tab)

Yes. Remembramento is the name the law gives to lot unification: the regrouping of neighboring lots for building, without changing the streets. At the registry office, it appears as the merger or unification of the property records.

Source: Zoning Law, Law No. 16.402/2016 (Table 2A) (opens in a new tab)

To merge the property records, yes. The public records law allows the merger of neighboring properties that belong to the same owner.

Source: Public Records Law, Law No. 6.015/1973 (opens in a new tab)

20,000 m², with 150 m of frontage, and smaller limits in some zones, such as ZER, ZCOR and ZPR, with 10,000 m² and 100 m.

Source: Zoning Law, Law No. 16.402/2016 (Table 2A) (opens in a new tab)

No. The Zoning Law prohibits the merger of ZER lots with lots in other zones.

Source: Zoning Law, Law No. 16.402/2016 (Table 2A) (opens in a new tab)

When the resulting total area exceeds 20,000 m². The application is made through Aprova Digital, at the Department of Urbanism and Licensing (Secretaria de Urbanismo e Licenciamento).

Source: São Paulo City Hall (SMUL): lot merger permit (opens in a new tab)

The IPTU unification is requested from the Finance Department (Secretaria da Fazenda), through the DIC-D Englobamento service, after the lots are unified.

Source: São Paulo City Hall (Finance): change of lot in the IPTU (DIC-D) (opens in a new tab)

No. Re-parceling is regrouping lots and then dividing them into new lots. A lot merger only joins them.

Source: Zoning Law, Law No. 16.402/2016 (Table 2A) (opens in a new tab)

Yes. It is valid for 1 year, and the registration at the registry office must be done within that period.

Source: Decree No. 57.558/2016 (land subdivision) (opens in a new tab)

Legal basis and sources

Informational content, reviewed on October 23, 2026. The rules may change; the analysis of each case considers the rule in force on the date of the application. MTC is a private company, with no affiliation with public agencies.

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