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What can be built on farmland? Vineyard houses, storage, greenhouses and barns
In short: Only buildings for farming purposes can be put up on agricultural land, within set sizes and with a permit. A vineyard house (bağ evi) needs at least 2 hectares (20 dönüm) of land on a field, or 1 hectare on perennial (planted) land; the house can have a footprint of at most 30 m² and 2 storeys. Since 2026, unauthorised buildings have been fined 2,500 TL per square metre; they are demolished and cannot be connected to electricity or water.
Land recorded on the title deed (tapu) as a field (tarla), vineyard (bağ), garden (bahçe) or olive grove (zeytinlik) is subject to Law No. 5403 on Soil Conservation and Land Use. The Regulation on the Protection and Use of Agricultural Land, which came into force in 2026, sets out which buildings can be put on this land and how big they can be.
First, check the type of land
- Absolute agricultural land: flat plains with deep, fertile soil.
- Special crop land: land where not every crop grows, but certain crops grow well.
- Perennial (planted) agricultural land: land with perennial plants, such as vineyards, olive groves, hazelnut orchards and fruit orchards.
- Greenhouse (protected cultivation) land: greenhouses.
- Marginal agricultural land: sloping land, or land with shallow or poor soil.
The official class is set only by a soil survey report. ParselX shows a rough preliminary estimate based on slope, rainfall and soil data; this estimate is not a substitute for an official decision.
Vineyard house
- The land must be at least 2 hectares (field), 1 hectare (perennial land) or 0.3 hectares (greenhouse land).
- The house can have a footprint of at most 30 m² and 2 storeys.
- One vineyard house is allowed per family in the district and one per parcel; tenants cannot apply; on a jointly owned parcel, the other co-owners' consent is needed.
- Applications made before 4 April 2026 are assessed under the old rules.
Storage, sheds and workshops
- If the family's total land in the same district exceeds 2 hectares of field, 1 hectare of perennial land or 0.3 hectares of greenhouse land, a farm storage building of up to 1% of that total can be built. Leased and contracted land does not count.
- A shed for farm tools and machinery can be at most 50 m².
Greenhouses
- A greenhouse is a building for farming purposes; there is no need to look for an alternative site for it.
- An administrative and technical building of up to 5% of the greenhouse area (at least 20 m²) can be built.
- Solar panels cannot be installed on greenhouse roofs. On marginal land, solar panels can be installed on the ground over up to 1.5% of the greenhouse area.
- Greenhouses of 100 m² or more are recorded in the Registration System for Plant Production in Enclosed Environments (KOBÜKS); this registration is not a building permit.
Barns, sheepfolds, poultry houses and apiary buildings
- Minimum area per animal in the animal housing: 7 m² for cattle over 12 months old and 2 m² for sheep and goats (including the manure passage).
- A caretaker's house can be built once the enclosed area of the animal housing reaches a certain size. For cattle, if the enclosed area is 550–1,500 m², the caretaker's house can have a 75 m² footprint and 150 m² in total; if it is larger, 150 / 300 m² (for sheep and goats 450–900 m², for poultry 750–1,500 m²).
- A manure store must be large enough to hold at least 6 months' manure; a freeboard of 0.2 m is left in a covered store and 0.3 m in an open one.
- An apiary building requires at least 50 hives with bees: 50 m², plus 10 m² for every 50 hives.
Non-agricultural use and solar power plants (GES)
- As a rule, absolute, special crop, perennial and greenhouse agricultural land cannot be used for non-agricultural purposes; exceptions are limited and require Ministry approval.
- A ground-mounted solar power plant (GES) can only be built on dry marginal agricultural land. For irrigation, a ground-mounted solar installation covering at most 1.5% of the irrigated area can be built; roofs must be used first.
Consequences of unauthorised building (2026)
- Under Law No. 7584, unauthorised non-agricultural use is subject to an administrative fine of 2,500 TL per square metre (at least 1,000 TL; double in a large plain), and the building is demolished.
- Unauthorised buildings cannot get electricity, water or natural gas connections.
- Selling land as a "hobby garden" through informal shares, or through a company or cooperative, without subdividing it at the land registry is punishable by imprisonment; cooperatives cannot acquire agricultural land.
How to check on ParselX
Look up your agricultural parcel by block (ada) / parcel on the map. The "Building on agricultural land" card in the results panel shows a preliminary assessment for a vineyard house, storage, a greenhouse, subdivision and solar power (GES). The "What can I do?" window contains calculators for a vineyard house, storage, a greenhouse, a manure store and support payments, the district's economically viable holding size and the agricultural provisions of the environmental plan covering the parcel.
Sources
- Law No. 5403 on Soil Conservation and Land Use
- Regulation on the Protection and Use of Agricultural Land (Official Gazette 04.04.2026/33214; amendment 04.08.2026/33330)
- Law No. 7584 (Official Gazette 20.06.2026)
- Implementing Communiqué of the Regulation on the Protection of Waters against Nitrate Pollution from Agricultural Sources (2025/17)
Related guides: Can farmland be subdivided? · What can be grown on the land? · Buying an olive grove
This guide is for information only. Agricultural legislation changes often; some of the sizes set in the annex to the regulation can also be updated by the Ministry without publication in the Official Gazette. Before you apply, consult the Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry; the final decision rests with the relevant authority.
Last updated: 29 September 2026