Guide · rules checked 30 September 2026
Building your own villa in Bali: permits, zoning and what to check (2026)
Short answer. Check four things before you pay for land: the land right you'll hold, the zone code for the exact plot (a KKPR check in OSS), the building limits in the regency's detailed plan, and water. Then comes the building approval (PBG), and the certificate of fitness (SLF) before anyone moves in. In Bali's tourism areas, buildings may cover at most 50% of the plot and stand at most 15 m high.
Published Updated Data: Rules checked 30 September 2026By Maya Santoso
1. The land right you'll build on
Only Indonesian citizens can hold Hak Milik, the freehold title (UUPA 5/1960 Art. 21). A foreigner building a villa does it on one of these:
| Route | What you hold | How long | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lease the land | A lease (Hak Sewa) for building: a private contract, not a registered title | Whatever the contract says; renewal is by agreement, not by right | Foreigners domiciled in Indonesia may hold one (UUPA Art. 45). Put the extension terms, with a price or formula, in the notarial deed |
| Hak Pakai on a house | A registered right of use, for a residence | On Hak Milik land up to 30 years, renewable by a new deed (PP 18/2021 Art. 52(3)) | In Bali the house must be worth at least Rp 5 billion, on at most 2,000 m² (Kepmen ATR/BPN 1241/2022) |
| A foreign-owned company (PT PMA) with HGB | A registered right to build, for business use | State land 30 + 20 + 30 years; on Hak Milik land up to 30, renewable by a new deed (PP 18/2021 Art. 37) | The holder must build or use the land within 2 years (Art. 42(a)). Company capital and reporting rules apply |
Leasehold villas for sale on Ask Dalam most often have 24 to 29 years left, depending on the area (Canggu: 25 years). A build takes a slice of whatever term you sign, so the years left when the villa is finished are the ones that count.
Nominee deals, where an Indonesian holds the land for you, are void under national law (UUPA Art. 26(2)) and banned in Bali by Perda 4/2026, with administrative sanctions up to demolition for anyone who brokers or facilitates one (Art. 14, 20).
2. The zone for the exact plot
The colour on a zoning map is a guide. The legal test is the zone code in the regency's detailed plan (RDTR) or spatial plan (RTRW), which sit under the provincial plan, Perda Bali 2/2023. Any licensed business starts with a spatial-use confirmation, the KKPR, applied for through OSS (PP 28/2025).
On official maps the colours usually follow the national standard (Permen ATR/BPN 14/2021):
| Colour | Zone | What it means for a villa |
|---|---|---|
| Pink | Tourism | Tourism use is usually allowed, with its own permits. Pink alone isn't a permit |
| Red | Trade and services | Shops, offices and services |
| Yellow | Housing | Homes. What else is allowed depends on the zoning rules for that code |
| Green | Farmland or protected land | Protected farmland (LP2B) can't be converted (UU 41/2009) |
| Orange | Mixed use | Ask what the plan allows |
Older regency maps and informal "zoning maps" use their own colours, so don't rely on a screenshot from the seller. Look the plot up on the official viewer, gistaru.atrbpn.go.id, and get the KKPR.
Farmland is where rules have tightened. Perda 4/2026 bars converting productive land designated in the regency plan (Art. 13(2)). In September 2025 the Governor also told regents to stop approving new hotels, villas and restaurants on productive farmland and water-catchment land.
3. How big you can build
Bali's provincial plan sets limits for tourism areas (Perda Bali 2/2023 Art. 95):
- buildings may cover at most 50% of the plot (KDB)
- height at most 15 m above ground
- parking for at least 20% of the floor area
- Balinese architectural style
The exact coverage, floor-area ratio, green space and setbacks for your plot are in the regency's RDTR. They vary by zone code, so get them for the specific plot before you design. A landholder's usable height also follows the coverage and floor-area limits in the spatial plan (PP 18/2021 Art. 74).
4. Building approval (PBG) and the certificate of fitness (SLF)
Since 2021 the building permit is the PBG (Persetujuan Bangunan Gedung), which replaced the old IMB. You need it before construction starts. When the building is finished, it needs an SLF (Sertifikat Laik Fungsi) before it's used (PP 16/2021). Applications run through SIMBG, simbg.pu.go.id.
A villa built before 2021 may still rely on its old IMB, as long as it hasn't been extended or changed since. Any change needs a PBG.
5. Water
If the villa will be run as a business, such as a rental, and draws water from its own well or borehole, it needs a groundwater business permit under Permen ESDM 4/2026 (Art. 4(1), 5(c)). The 100 m³ a month threshold in Art. 6 applies only to non-business household use. The regency also charges a groundwater tax. If you won't get a permit, plan for mains water (PDAM).
6. If you plan to rent it out
Renting to one tenant for months or years is ordinary residential use. Holiday guests are different:
- Holiday rental needs a business licence, an NIB with the right business code in OSS. The small-villa, homestay and guest-house codes are reserved for Indonesian co-ops and small businesses (Perpres 10/2021 jo. 49/2021).
- Since May 2026 Bali has closed OSS to new applications from foreign-owned companies (PMA) for small hotels and other accommodation.
- Guests pay 10% accommodation tax (PBJT) in Badung, Denpasar and Gianyar, collected by the operator.
- The Tourism Ministry has said unlicensed accommodation can be removed from booking platforms from 1 August 2026 (Permenpar 6/2025).
- A Hak Pakai home is granted for residence (PP 18/2021 Art. 72), and a foreign individual can't hold the holiday-rental licence.
Ask a notary what your structure allows before you design for guests. More: holiday rental licence.
What happens when permits are missing
In July 2025 Badung Regency and the provincial government demolished 48 villas, restaurants and homestays at Bingin Beach. They stood on state land without permits (Badung Regent order 600.1.15.2/14831/SETDA/SAT.POL.PP, 15 Jul 2025). A running business doesn't prove that the land title or the permits are valid.
Perda 4/2026 adds administrative sanctions for converting protected farmland or facilitating nominee deals, from written warnings and permit cancellation to demolition (Art. 20). Criminal penalties can only come from national law.
What it costs
We don't publish a construction cost per square metre, and we couldn't verify one from an official or dated source, so this guide gives none. The figures we've seen quoted mostly come from builders and developers. Get itemised quotes from more than one builder for the same drawings.
The legal costs are easier to pin down:
| Cost | Rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Land lease | The rent carries a final 10% income tax, paid by the landowner unless the tenant is a company that withholds it. No BPHTB on a lease | PP 34/2017 Art. 2 to 3; Badung Perda 7/2023 Art. 10(3) |
| Acquiring Hak Pakai or HGB | BPHTB of 5% in Bali regencies, on the price or the tax value, whichever is higher, minus an allowance (Rp 80 million in Badung) | UU 1/2022; Badung Perda 7/2023 Art. 12 to 13 |
| Land deed official (PPAT) | Fee at most 1% of the price in the deed | PP 37/1998 jo. PP 24/2016 Art. 32(1) |
| Notary, deals over Rp 1 billion | Fee at most 1% | UU 30/2004 Art. 36(3) |
| Yearly land and building tax (PBB) | At most 0.5% of the tax value; in Badung 0.1% up to Rp 1 billion and 0.2% above | UU 1/2022; Badung Perda 7/2023 Art. 8 |
Checklist before you pay for land
| Check | Ask for |
|---|---|
| Title | The land certificate, checked by your own PPAT at the land office |
| Zone | The zone code from the RDTR and a KKPR for the exact plot |
| Limits | Coverage, floor-area ratio, green space, setbacks and height for that zone code |
| Farmland | Confirmation the plot isn't protected farmland |
| Access and water | Road access, and whether water comes from mains or a well that will need a permit |
| Term | For a lease: years, extension terms, and signatures of every co-owner or heir |
| Use | Whether the zone and your structure allow what you plan: a home, a long let, or holiday guests |
Land listings by area, with the zone where the seller states it: land for sale in Bali.
FAQ
Can a foreigner build a villa in Bali?
Yes, but not on freehold in their own name. The usual routes are building on leased land, a house on Hak Pakai worth at least Rp 5 billion, or a foreign-owned company holding HGB for business use (UUPA 5/1960; PP 18/2021).
What permits do I need to build a villa in Bali?
A KKPR confirming the zone allows the use, a PBG before construction, and an SLF before the villa is used. A groundwater permit if a rental villa uses its own well, and an OSS business licence to take holiday guests.
How much does it cost per m² to build a villa in Bali?
We don't publish a figure, and we found no official or dated source we could verify. Compare itemised quotes from several builders on the same drawings.
General information, not legal advice. Checked 30 September 2026. Verify the land title, the zone and the permits for a specific plot with a licensed notary (PPAT) before any purchase, lease or build.
How we measured
Legal points come from the regulations named, checked 30 September 2026, and are general information only. The lease-years figure comes from the villas-for-sale pages for each area, checked 2 October 2026. We leave out construction costs because we couldn't verify an official or dated figure.