Where you cannot build in Bali: farmland, the 15-metre height limit and the 2025 moratorium
AB
Andrei Balinsky
Founder of Balinsky
The colour of the zone on the map is only the start. Even on suitable land, construction can be stopped. Here are the main restrictions as of October 2026.
Farmland
- Protected farmland (LP2B) cannot be built on. The penalty is up to 7 years in prison for company directors.
- In September 2025, the Governor of Bali banned building hotels, villas and restaurants on productive farmland.
- The earlier moratorium that the federal ministry was preparing in 2024 never took effect: the ministry was dissolved.
Height
No higher than 15 metres. The limit was kept in Bali's new spatial plan law No. 2/2023.
Permits
- The building permit (PBG) is obtained before work starts. Since 2021, it has replaced the old IMB.
- The certificate of fitness (SLF) - before the building is put into use. It is issued for 20 years for houses and for 5 years for other buildings.
- You can check both documents in the state SIMBG system. More details are in the article on PBG and SLF.
A zone is not forever
The district plan (RDTR) is reviewed every 5 years, and sometimes earlier. If a seller says the zone is "fixed until 2044", it only means the plan runs until that year.
5 more maps
Besides zoning, check farmland, future roads, monuments, sacred sites and natural hazard zones. More details are in the article 5 maps before buying land.
Editorial note
Balinsky editorial team · 12 October 2026. The text has been checked against Indonesian laws in force on this date.
Update: we replaced the reference to Bali's 2009 law on height with the current Law No. 2/2023. We added the Governor's 2025 moratorium instead of the federal one that never took effect. We corrected "zoning is fixed by law until 2044".
Materials the article is based on: https://t.me/BaliLawyer/31, https://t.me/BaliLawyer/74, https://t.me/BaliLawyer/104, https://t.me/BaliLawyer/108, https://t.me/BaliLawyer/114, https://t.me/BaliLawyer/118, https://t.me/BaliLawyer/131, https://t.me/BaliLawyer/142, https://t.me/BaliLawyer/154, https://t.me/BaliLawyer/160
Sources
- Bali Provincial Law No. 2/2023 on the spatial plan (PDF): https://peraturan.go.id/files/perda-provinsi-bali-no-2-tahun-2023.pdf
- Law No. 41/2009 on the protection of farmland: https://pasal.id/peraturan/uu/uu-no-41-tahun-2009/pasal-74
- TravelMole on the 2025 ban: https://www.travelmole.com/news/bali-no-new-hotel-villa-construction
- SIMBG permit system: https://simbg.pu.go.id