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Lots and urban planning · São Paulo City Hall

Zoning and feasibility check

Checking the zoning and the activity at the address before renting or buying, with the official City Hall document when needed.

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Printed zoning map with city blocks colored by zone, a red pin marking a lot, a magnifying glass and a lease agreement beside it

Quick answer

Zoning and the feasibility check in São Paulo, in a few lines

São Paulo zoning is set by Law 16.402/2016, revised by Law 18.081/2024, which defines the zones and the uses allowed in each. Before renting or buying, the lot's zone can be looked up on GeoSampa, which is indicative only, and the activity can be tested by its CNAE (business activity code) in the free feasibility check. For a formal answer before starting the activity there is the Operating Consultation Term (Termo de Consulta de Funcionamento), valid for 60 days. The Land Use and Occupancy Certificate (Certidão de Uso e Ocupação do Solo) is no longer required for environmental licensing.

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

Law
16.402/2016, revised by Law 18.081/2024
Source: Law No. 18.081/2024 (zoning revision)(opens in a new tab)
Feasibility
Free check by IPTU number and CNAE
Source: SP156: business opening and feasibility check(opens in a new tab)
Consultation Term
Optional, before installing; valid for 60 days
Source: Decree No. 49.969/2008 (operating license)(opens in a new tab)
Use not allowed
5 business days to shut down the activity
Source: Zoning Law, Law No. 16.402/2016(opens in a new tab)

What zoning is

Zoning is the law that defines what can operate on each lot in the city. In São Paulo, it is Law 16.402/2016, revised by Law 18.081/2024: it divides the city into zones and states, for each one, which uses are allowed and what level of nuisance to the neighborhood is accepted.

It is because of zoning that a company can have its license denied or be fined soon after renting the space. An activity that is not allowed at the address receives a summons to shut down within 5 business days, a fine and, later, closure. That is why the check comes before the contract is signed.

MTC checks the lot's zone, confirms whether the activity's CNAE is allowed, verifies the status of the building and, when in doubt, requests the official document from City Hall. For older activities, it assesses whether tolerated use applies.

What MTC does

  • Lot zone

    Search by IPTU number and review of the zone's parameters.

  • Activity at the address

    CNAE feasibility and category nR1, nR2 or nR3.

  • Official document

    Consultation Term, Technical Data Sheet or an inquiry to City Hall, when needed.

  • Older use

    Assessment of tolerated use for activities that predate the law.

Understand it in one image

Four checks before signing the contract

  1. 1

    Lot zone

    By the sector, block and lot on the IPTU.

  2. 2

    Activity category

    The CNAE defines whether the use is nR1, nR2, nR3 or industrial.

  3. 3

    Does the zone accept the use?

    Each zone has its own list of allowed uses.

  4. 4

    Property and nuisance

    Building in regular standing, and noise and emissions within the zone's limit.

Passed all four? The Operating License can be requested. If the zone does not accept the use, the way forward is another address, unless the activity was already operating before the law and tolerated use applies.

Illustrative diagram, based on Law 16.402/2016 (arts. 96, 135 and 136) and Decree 57.378/2016, which classifies activities by CNAE.
When the check is usually done:Before renting the spaceBefore buying the propertyOpening a businessChange of activityLicense deniedFine for a use that is not allowed

Which check fits your case

City Hall has different checks for each question. Find yours and see the path.

  1. 1I want to know the property's zone before renting or buying

    GeoSampa, using the sector, block and lot on the IPTU. The answer is indicative.

  2. 2I want to know if my activity can operate at the address

    Feasibility check, free, using the IPTU number and the CNAE.

  3. 3I want a formal answer before installing the activity

    Operating Consultation Term (Termo de Consulta de Funcionamento), valid for 60 days to proceed with the license.

  4. 4I am going to do construction or renovation

    Technical Data Sheet (Ficha Técnica), with the zoning and restrictions of the lot.

  5. 5The activity was already operating before the current law

    Assess tolerated use: allowed at the time, building in regular standing and nuisance within the limit.

  6. 6I am going to apply for an environmental license

    The Land Use and Occupancy Certificate is no longer required for this.

A map search is indicative: City Hall itself says it is up to City Hall to certify the GeoSampa information.

Source: São Paulo City Hall (SMUL): Technical Data Sheet and GeoSampa search(opens in a new tab)

Why check first

From renting blind to a safe choice

Tap a problem to see how it is solved.

What happens to an activity at the wrong address

The problem usually shows up after the contract is signed and the renovation is done: at the license application or during an enforcement inspection. The deadlines under the law for businesses operating without a license are short and cannot be extended.

  1. 1

    License denied or inspection

    The activity fails the feasibility check, or the inspector finds the irregular use.

    What can be done

    Check the zone, the CNAE and whether tolerated use applies.

  2. 2

    Fine and summons

    Activity not allowed: 5 business days to shut down. Allowed, without a license: 30 days.

    What can be done

    Defense filed on time and license application, when the activity is allowed.

  3. 3

    New fine and closure

    A summons that is not met leads to a new fine and a seal.

    What can be done

    Regularize, change the activity or change address.

  4. 4

    Seal violated

    Fine renewed every 15 days and an investigation for disobedience.

    What can be done

    Shut down the activity at the site and obtain a license at another address.

Beyond City Hall: what the wrong address costs

In the contract

  • Rent with no useThe contract continues, but the business cannot operate.
  • Wasted renovationWork done for an activity that is not allowed.

In business

  • Delayed openingWithout a license, the business cannot start.
  • Lost customersPremises closed by the inspectors.

In finances

  • FinesCalculated on the area occupied by the activity.
  • Forced moveNew premises, a new renovation and a new license.

Renting or buying? Check the zoning before you sign.

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What checking first brings

  • Right address

    The activity is allowed on the lot.

  • Viable license

    The application starts without surprises.

  • Safe contract

    Renting or buying with the answer in hand.

  • Renovation in the right place

    Investment in premises that can operate.

  • Official answer

    A City Hall document when in doubt.

  • Older use protected

    Tolerated use assessed before anything is changed.

When it is needed

  • Before renting commercial premises
  • Before buying a property for the company
  • Opening or changing an activity
  • License denied because of zoning
  • Fine for a use that is not allowed

Documents that help you get started

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

  • IPTU number (sector, block and lot)
  • Full address
  • CNAE and description of the activity
  • Area the activity will occupy
  • Habite-se or floor plan of the property, if available

How we handle your case

  1. 1

    Lot zone

    Search by IPTU number.

  2. 2

    Activity

    CNAE and use category.

  3. 3

    Property

    Status of the building.

  4. 4

    Official document

    Request to City Hall, when needed.

  5. Opinion

    Result and next steps.

Important
  • A search on the online map is indicative; City Hall is the one that certifies.
  • The Operating Consultation Term (Termo de Consulta de Funcionamento) is only valid if requested before the activity is installed.
  • Since 2026, the Land Use and Occupancy Certificate is no longer required for environmental licensing.

Questions about Zoning and the feasibility check

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

See all questions

Through GeoSampa, using the sector, block and lot numbers from the IPTU. The search is free and shows the zone and its parameters, but it is indicative only.

Source: São Paulo City Hall (SMUL): Technical Data Sheet and GeoSampa search (opens in a new tab)

No. City Hall says that the GeoSampa information is only indicative and that it is up to City Hall to certify it. For a project, the official document is the Technical Data Sheet (Ficha Técnica).

Source: São Paulo City Hall (SMUL): Technical Data Sheet and GeoSampa search (opens in a new tab)

Through the feasibility check, using the IPTU number and the activity's CNAE. The analysis is automatic and free, and it tells you whether the activity is allowed at the location.

Source: SP156: business opening and feasibility check (opens in a new tab)

They are categories of non-residential use: nR1 is compatible with a residential neighborhood, nR2 is tolerable to it, and nR3 is special or a nuisance. Each zone states which categories it accepts.

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

It is an optional preliminary analysis of whether the activity can be installed at the property. It can only be requested before the activity is installed, it is valid for 60 days, and it does not replace the Operating License.

Source: Decree No. 49.969/2008 (operating license) (opens in a new tab)

Yes, as a tolerated use (uso tolerado), if the activity was installed before the law, was allowed at the time, the building is legally regular, and the nuisance to the neighborhood is within the limits.

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

No. CETESB Resolution 017/2026/P stopped requiring the municipal land use and occupancy certificate; the license is issued with the condition that zoning be complied with.

Source: CETESB Resolution No. 017/2026/P (opens in a new tab)

It is now restricted: a request made only for environmental licensing is declared moot, unless the environmental agency specifically asks for it or an earlier certificate has a reservation.

Source: SMUL Ordinance No. 87/2026 (Land Use and Occupancy Certificate) (opens in a new tab)

Legal basis and sources

Informational content, reviewed on October 22, 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, not affiliated with government agencies.

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