Buying

Buying land in Villa Serrana: what you can build and what to check

INGAR9 min read
Buying land in Villa Serrana: what you can build and what to check

Short answer

You can build in Villa Serrana, but what each lot allows is set by the Plan Local in Decreto 3.701/2021, according to the padrón's subzone. In SU1 (Vilamajó), one home is allowed with a 14% FOS and a 28% FOT: on 1,000 m², up to 140 m² of footprint and 280 m² in total. In SU2, only lots of more than 2,000 m² allow two homes. Before you put down a deposit, confirm the subzone, access, water source and a spot for the sewage holding tank.

Do you have your eye on a lot in Villa Serrana? We tell you which subzone check to request and what to review before reserving, and we stay with you until the deed is signed. Message us on WhatsApp with the padrón number, the listing link and what you plan to build.

Villa Serrana in numbers

The key rule: Villa Serrana and Marco de los Reyes have a Plan Local (local land-use plan) approved by Decreto 3.701/2021. It separates suburban and rural areas, each with different uses and parameters. “Lot in Villa Serrana” does not, on its own, tell you what can be built on a given padrón (cadastral parcel number).

If you plan to live there year-round, drive from the padrón to Minas during an ordinary week. What living in the city involves is covered in the guide to buying a house in Minas.

Asking prices

InfoCasas listed:

These are offers for two padrones, not an appraisal of Villa Serrana. The second one has been on the market for almost two years: keep that in mind when comparing.

A checklist before you pay

  1. Ask for the padrón and its survey plan. If the listing offers a portion of a larger lot, check with an escribano (notary) and a surveyor which property is actually being transferred and whether the subdivision is approved and registered. The cadastral plan guide explains where to get it.
  2. Locate the padrón on the Plan Local maps. The Intendencia (departmental government) publishes the zoning and sub-zoning maps. Ask a professional to confirm the subzone and check your project's feasibility with the Intendencia.
  3. Walk the boundaries. Mark the access, where the house would go, the parking and where rainwater runs. Two lots of the same size can have very different usable space because of slope, rocks or setbacks.
  4. Budget the whole house. Design, foundations, access, connections, water and wastewater treatment, with quotes for that specific padrón. If you are going to build, add the construction's BPS (social security) contributions: the guide to BPS construction contributions explains what they are and how to check them.
  5. Have the title reviewed. The Dirección General de Registros reports recorded acts; your escribano examines ownership, liens and easements before you sign anything.

The subzone changes the project

The Plan Local distinguishes subzones: SU1 and SU2 are codes for areas with different building rules (Plan Local, arts. 66 to 114).

SU1 (Vilamajó)

  • One single-family home per parcel.
  • FOS of 14% (the share of the lot the building's footprint can cover) and FOT of 28% (total built area relative to the lot).
  • Maximum height of 7 m over two floors.
  • Setbacks of 4 m at the front and 3 m at the sides and rear.

On a 1,000 m² SU1 padrón, that gives theoretical caps of 140 m² of footprint and 280 m² built. Setbacks, terrain and any restrictions on the padrón can shrink the project.

In SU1, generally only reparcelamientos are allowed: adjusting boundaries between existing padrones without creating new lots, with 500 m² and 15 m of frontage as minimums for the resulting parcels. Horizontal property (condominium) regimes are not allowed.

SU2: the 2,000 m² threshold

In SU2, a lot of between 600 and 2,000 m² allows one home; only lots of more than 2,000 m² allow two dwelling units, subject to the other parameters and permits.

The Guazubirá lot in the listing above is exactly 2,000 m²: even if it were in SU2, it would allow only one house. And art. 29 of the Plan places part of Guazubirá (the Las Vistas neighborhood) in SU1, where one house is also the limit. The promise of “two cabins” is checked with the padrón, the subzone and the project, not with the round number in the listing.

Finishes and parking

Arts. 73 and 74 of the Plan Local:

  • rule out white or reflective roofs and plastics on façades;
  • require parking inside the lot: one space per home, or one per room for tourist lodging;
  • restrict landscaping with exotic species.

Draw those areas together with the house before comparing lots.

Permit and boundary markers

The fact that your neighbor built does not give you the same permit. The Intendencia requires authorization to build, extend or regularize in Lavalleja. In Villa Serrana the process requires a plano de amojonamiento: the padrón's boundaries marked on the ground by a surveyor.

If you buy a house that is already built, ask for the permit file, approved plans and certificate of completion, and compare them with what you are going to receive.

Water and wastewater: two costs that can decide the purchase

Setbacks from watercourses and the sewage tank

A pretty stream in the photo can shrink the area where you are allowed to build. The Plan Local, arts. 43 and 46 to 48, sets:

FeatureSetback or requirement
Main streams and creeks40 m
Secondary creeks10 m
Drainage channels4 m
Reservoirs30 m
Sealed sewage holding tankAt least 5,000 liters, 2 m from property lines and 10 m from watercourses or water intakes, with access for the pump-out truck
Septic tankOnly on parcels of 1,500 m² or more

Mark that layout on your sketch before making an offer on a small lot.

Drinking water

Water supply must be individual (art. 59), and each intake requires prior authorization and registration. The Plan calls for building rules to require rainwater harvesting with a collection area of at least 25% of the roof projection, and dual-flush toilets. On suburban land, water sources cannot be used for irrigation.

Before you buy, check whether the padrón's water works are registered and which water use right applies. Budget for the individual system and the sanitation solution.

Personal use or tourist lodging: separate math

Personal use

The value lies in how often you will go and whether the house will be comfortable in winter; that is what the guide to uninsulated houses is for. Visit the lot after rain and check access, signal and travel times.

The Intendencia reported in September 2026 that it had worked on streets, entrances and ditches. One resident said she could now reach the upper area near the observatory without a 4x4. Drive the access to your lot and add it to the budget.

Renting out

Ask for monthly bookings actually paid for a comparable house. Subtract cleaning, management, energy, replacements, taxes and the weeks you will use it yourself; the rental yield calculator organizes that math.

Check whether tourist lodging fits the subzone, how many parking spaces it needs and which permits are required. The Plan Local declares tourism a priority for the area in its article 7, but an income projection is built from real payments.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a lot in Villa Serrana cost?

On September 26, 2026, InfoCasas had a 957 m² lot in Marco de los Reyes at USD 26,000 and a 2,000 m² lot on Cerro Guazubirá at USD 63,000, listed since October 2024. These are asking prices, not closed sales. On top of the price, add ITP (transfer tax), the escribano and, above all, the cost of bringing water, power and access to that padrón; the purchase cost calculator helps with the first part.

How many houses can I build on a lot in Villa Serrana?

It depends on the subzone. In SU1 (Vilamajó), one home per parcel. In SU2, one home on lots of 600 to 2,000 m², and up to two only if the lot exceeds 2,000 m². In SU2, a tourism project is assessed separately, with an impact study. Request the subzone check by padrón before paying for a lot with two cabins in mind.

Can I put a prefab house or a shipping container on the lot?

A prefab house needs a permit and must meet the siting and finish rules. Article 73 c of the Plan Local states that containers are generally not allowed, unless they are clad with the permitted finishes from the moment they are installed. Take the design to a professional before you reserve the lot.

Can an existing small lot be sold?

Yes: an existing lot does not become unsellable because it is smaller than the minimum required to create new parcels. Selling an existing padrón and creating a new one are different processes; in SU1 the Plan allows reparcelamientos, not new subdivisions. Check the padrón's legal status, its subzone and what it allows you to build, with the cédula catastral (cadastral certificate), the survey plan and the title search.

Can I buy now and decide later what to build?

Yes, but if the future build is the reason for buying, find out first whether it is feasible. A lot suitable for one house is not necessarily suitable for several units or for tourist lodging. If you are torn between buying something built and building, the comparison of house, apartment and building your own has the general math.

Further reading:

Sources

General information reviewed against official sources available as of September 26, 2026. The prices cited are listings active on that date; the subzone and the feasibility of each project are confirmed by padrón with the Intendencia de Lavalleja. Cover photo: Marcelo Campi, license CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

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