The City of Johannesburg's Corporate Geo-Informatics department (CGIS) runs a free, public map service called Online Maps. It is the city's own authoritative source for erf-level information: you can look up a property's current zoning designation, its erf or stand number, its street address and its general property boundaries without paying anything and without creating an account.
Open the viewer, choose "Free Access", and search by address, by erf or stand number, or by suburb. This page walks through both search routes, translates the zoning designations the viewer returns into plain language, and explains what to do when the zoning that comes back is not the zoning you expected.
Official viewer
City of Johannesburg Online Maps (CGIS)
Scheme: City of Johannesburg Land Use Scheme, 2018 · City of Johannesburg Municipal Planning By-Law, 2016
What the free tier shows - and what it doesn't
Free, no account required
- Current zoning designation for the selected property
- Erf / stand number
- Street address
- Proposed township status
- General property boundaries
Subscriber only
- Full-resolution aerial photography
- Pre-2005 zoning detail
- Custom map exports
How to read a Johannesburg zoning result
6 steps- Step 01
Open Online Maps and choose Free Access
Go to eservices.joburg.org.za/onlinemaps and select the "Free Access" option. The free tier opens straight into the map - no registration, no municipal account, no payment. The subscriber option on the same landing screen is only needed for high-resolution aerial imagery, historic zoning detail and custom map exports.
- Step 02
Search route A - by street address
Type the full street address into the search box, including the suburb (for example "12 Fourth Avenue, Parkhurst"). Addresses in Johannesburg repeat across suburbs constantly - there is a Fourth Avenue in Parkhurst, in Melville and in Linden - so always include the suburb or you will land on the wrong erf. Pick the matching result and the map zooms to that parcel.
- Step 03
Search route B - by erf or stand number
If you have the erf or stand number from your municipal account or title deed, search it together with the township name (for example "Erf 234 Parkhurst"). Erf numbers are only unique inside a township, so a bare number with no township will either return nothing or return the wrong property. This route is the more reliable of the two when you already have the number.
- Step 04
Click the parcel to read the zoning
Clicking the highlighted parcel opens an information panel showing the current zoning designation, the erf / stand number, the street address and the property boundary. Note the designation exactly as written - "Residential 1" and "Residential 2" carry very different rights.
- Step 05
Check whether the property is in a proposed township
The free tier also flags proposed township status. If the property forms part of a township still being established, the zoning shown may be the intended zoning rather than a registered right - worth confirming before you rely on it for a purchase or a building plan.
- Step 06
Order a zoning certificate before you lodge anything
Online Maps is an information service, not a legal instrument. Any SPLUMA application in Johannesburg needs a current zoning certificate (commonly called a zoning extract) issued by the City. The registered owner or their authorised representative requests it from the City directly - Landlodz does not generate or issue certificates. Your assigned SACPLAN-registered planner shows you exactly how to request one and builds it into the application pack.
Need the title deed or SG diagram for this property?
Title deed copy R399 · SG diagram R250 · both R600. Emailed as a PDF, usually within 1–3 working days.
Title deed copyJohannesburg zoning codes in plain language
12 codes- Residential 1
One dwelling unit per erf - most of suburban Johannesburg. A home enterprise needs consent.
- Residential 2
Up to two dwelling units per erf - the usual zoning behind second dwellings and granny flats.
- Residential 3
Group housing, townhouses and low-rise flats at moderate density.
- Residential 4
Higher-density flats and apartment buildings.
- Business 1
Intensive CBD-type commercial - shops, offices, mixed use at high bulk.
- Business 2
Service industry, motor showrooms and larger-format retail.
- Business 3
Suburban shopping streets, corner shops and local-scale business.
- Business 4
Office parks and corporate campuses.
- Industrial 1–3
Light through to heavy industry, with buffer requirements increasing with intensity.
- Educational
Schools, crèches and tertiary institutions.
- Institutional
Hospitals, clinics, places of worship and government buildings.
- Public Open Space
Parks, public squares and sports fields - effectively undevelopable.
The zoning isn't what you expected?
That is the normal outcome, not the unusual one. A Residential 1 erf will not carry a guesthouse, a salon with walk-in clients or a second rentable dwelling on its existing rights. Depending on what you want to do, the route is either a consent use (a permission granted inside your existing zoning) or a full rezoning (a change of the zoning itself). A planner can tell the difference in a few minutes; getting it wrong costs months.
- Rezoning in Johannesburg
- Consent use in Johannesburg
- Residential zoning explained
- All zoning categories explained
Frequently asked questions
4 answersIs the Johannesburg zoning viewer free?+
Yes. The City of Johannesburg's Online Maps viewer has a Free Access tier that requires no account and no payment. It shows the current zoning designation, erf / stand number, street address, proposed township status and general property boundaries. A paid subscription is only needed for full-resolution aerial photography, pre-2005 zoning detail and custom map exports. A signed zoning certificate is a separate paid request to the City.
How do I find my erf number in Johannesburg?+
Your erf or stand number appears on your municipal rates account and on your title deed. If you have neither to hand, open Online Maps on Free Access, search your street address with the suburb included, and click the parcel - the information panel returns the erf number alongside the zoning. Remember that erf numbers are only unique within a township, so always quote the township name with the number.
What does R1 / R2 / Business 1 mean in Johannesburg zoning?+
Residential 1 allows one dwelling unit per erf and is the zoning of most suburban Johannesburg houses. Residential 2 allows up to two dwelling units, which is what usually sits behind a legal second dwelling or granny flat. Business 1 is the most intensive commercial category - CBD-style shops, offices and mixed use at high bulk - as distinct from Business 3, which covers suburban corner shops and local-scale trade.
Where is the Johannesburg GIS map viewer?+
It is the Online Maps service run by the City's Corporate Geo-Informatics department at eservices.joburg.org.za/onlinemaps. Searches for a "Joburg map viewer", a "Johannesburg GIS viewer" or a "Johannesburg zoning map" all point at this same free City tool.
City of Johannesburg CGIS help desk
Source: City of Johannesburg, Corporate Geo-Informatics (CGIS) - Online Maps service, eservices.joburg.org.za/onlinemaps. Zoning designations per the City of Johannesburg Land Use Scheme, 2018.
Zoning blocking your plans?
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We confirm whether you need a rezoning, consent use, departure or nothing at all - and lodge the application if you do.
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