CBD planning area · DC Policy 2026
Central Area - Core CBD zoning
Central Area - Core CBD is a planning zone in the CBD area of Nairobi. Under the Development Control Policy 2026 it is for mixed use use. A building here can have up to 75 floors on the largest plots (fewer on smaller ones) and cover up to 80% of its plot. All its floors together can add up to 6,000% of the plot's area. The smallest plot allowed is 0.05 ha (500 m²).
Figures from the Nairobi City County Development Control Policy 2026, as mapped by Nairobi Maps. Updated 2026-10-24.
What the figures mean for a plot
The footprint is the plot's area times the ground coverage. The floor space is the plot's area times the plot ratio — unless the floors run out first, and here the policy allows fewer floors on smaller plots. For example:
| Plot size | Area | Most floors | Largest footprint | Most floor space | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.0365 ha | 365 m² | 5 | 292 m² | 1,460 m² | Under 0.05 ha: one home only |
| 0.05 ha | 500 m² | 20 | 400 m² | 8,000 m² | |
| 0.1 ha | 1,000 m² | 25 | 800 m² | 20,000 m² | |
| 0.25 ha | 2,500 m² | 30 | 2,000 m² | 60,000 m² |
Read the way the Nairobi Maps map reads the policy. Across Nairobi, a plot smaller than 0.05 ha (500 m²) can hold only one home. For your exact plot, open it on the map: Nairobi Maps works the figures out for that plot.
What the policy says about Central Area - Core CBD
75 floors on a min. plot size of 0.8ha, 35 floors on 0.4ha, 30 floors on 0.2ha, 25 floors on 0.1ha and plots measuring 0.05ha and above to maintain 20 floors, 0.04ha and below 8floors, 5 floors for plots on 0.02ha. Subject to provision of adequate parking, Infrastructure: To secure approvals for commensurate expansion of sewer, water, electricity, roads by utility providers prior to commencement of densification. Privately developed infrastructure are also encouraged upon approval.
Quoted from the policy. These rules can change the figures above for particular plots — for example by plot size or for plots facing a named road.
Plots in Central Area - Core CBD
We count 1,444 land parcels in this zone. Half of them are smaller than 0.0365 ha (365 m²); the middle half are between 0.0279 and 0.0548 ha. The typical plot here is already smaller than the zone’s smallest plot size, so most plots cannot be split further.
Where Central Area - Core CBD is
The zone covers about 2 km² across one ward.
Zones next to Central Area - Core CBD
- Kariokor, Ziwani, Gikomba and Majengo
- Ngara
- Railway City - Muthurwa
- Upper Hill and Community
- Valley Road and Milimani
Building or changing the use here?
Applications go to Nairobi City County on NPDMS. How planning approval works in Nairobi, which approval you need, and what to check on the plot first. Many projects also need NEMA’s environmental licence: NEMA licences in Nairobi.
Questions about Central Area - Core CBD
How many floors can I build in Central Area - Core CBD?
Up to 75 floors on the largest plots under the Nairobi Development Control Policy 2026, and fewer on smaller ones: 20 on a 0.05 ha plot, 25 on a 0.1 ha plot, 30 on a 0.2 ha plot and 35 on a 0.4 ha plot. Check your exact plot on the Nairobi Maps map.
What is the minimum plot size in Central Area - Core CBD?
0.05 hectares, which is 500 square metres. Land in this zone cannot be split into plots smaller than that. Across Nairobi, a plot under 0.05 ha can hold only one home.
What is the plot ratio in Central Area - Core CBD?
6,000%. All floors together can add up to 6,000% of the plot's area — for example 60,000 m² of floor space on a 1,000 m² plot. The ground coverage is 80%, so the building can stand on up to 800 m² of that plot.
Which wards does the Central Area - Core CBD zone cover?
Nairobi Central ward, by the boundaries on the Nairobi Maps map.
How do I get approval to build in Central Area - Core CBD?
Building plans are submitted to Nairobi City County through its online planning system, NPDMS, by a registered architect and engineer, and they must keep within this zone’s limits set out above. If the use you want is not one the zone allows, a change of use comes first. Check your plot on the Nairobi Maps map before the drawings are made.
This page describes the policy, not a decision. Nairobi City County decides every application. Check a plot's registered details with an official search — see how to do a land search in Nairobi.