Planning: Residential Zoned Land Tax Draft Map 2025 (Rezoning)

Overview

The Government’s Housing For All – A New Housing Plan for Ireland proposed a new tax to activate vacant land for residential purposes as a part of the Pathway to Increasing New Housing Supply.  

The Residential Zoned Land Tax was introduced in the Finance Act 2021. The process to identify land to which the tax applies is now underway and the tax will be payable from 2025. 

The objective of the tax is to activate land that is serviced and zoned for residential use or mixed use, including residential use, in order to increase housing supply and to ensure regeneration of vacant and idle lands in urban locations. These locations have been identified within statutory land use plans as being appropriate locations for housing and they have benefitted from investment in the key services to support the delivery of housing.  

Please note that whilst residential properties are included on the Draft Map, they are not liable for the tax under Section 653O of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997, as amended. A ‘residential property’ means any building which is in use as, or is suitable for use as, a dwelling. Owners of such properties will not be liable for the tax. 

The RZLT process has two parts 

1) Identification and mapping of the land in scope for the tax. This is undertaken by local authorities through the publication of annual draft and annual final maps – see below.  

2) Administration of the tax, which is to be undertaken by the Revenue Commissioners from 2025 onwards.   

Identification of land liable to RZLT  

Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council has prepared an annual draft map of the land considered to be in scope for the RZLT as of 1st of February 2025.  

The annual draft map is available below and at the following locations: 

• Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council Offices, County Hall, Marine Road, Dún Laoghaire, A96 K6C9, 10:00am to 4:00pm, Monday to Friday.   

• Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, Dundrum Offices, Main St, Dundrum, Dublin 14, D14 YY00,9:30am to 12:30pm and 1:30pm to 4:30pm, Monday to Friday.    

Please note that although they are included on the map, residential properties are not subject to RZLT if they are subject to Local Property Tax. It is not necessary to make a submission to remove this type of residential property from the map.   

Land appearing on the annual final maps, as amended to take into account the outcome of submissions and rezoning requests made in respect of the land on these maps, will be included on the annual final map of land in scope for the tax in the administrative area of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council to be published on 31 January 2026. This land will be subject to the tax in 2026 unless it is exempt as a residential property, as outlined above, or qualifies for any other exemption, as provided for in the legislation. 

The RZLT map as prepared and published by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council includes lands that meet the relevant criteria for inclusion on the map as set out in the legislation. 

Submissions on the draft map for 2026 for the inclusion, exclusion of lands from the mapping or on what date the land first satisfied the criteria for inclusion, before the 1st of April 2025 can be made here.

The administration of the RZLT is a matter for the Revenue Commissioners.

The legislation underpinning the RZLT may be found at Part 22A of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997. Guidance in respect of the administration of the tax may be found here.

Guidance on the Residential Zoned Land Tax, as prepared and published by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, to assist planning authorities in publishing the maps can be viewed here

You can find answers to some frequently asked questions about the RZLT and how to make a submission below.

Why your views matter

Making a submission   

Making a rezoning request on a final map for 2025 (published 31 January)

An additional provision was made in the Finance Act 2024, facilitating a further round of rezoning requests to remove land from liability to the tax.  Rezoning requests can only be made for land identified on the final annual map for 2025, published on 31 January 2025.  Rezoning requests for other land will not be considered.

Submissions requesting a change of zoning are considered by the local authority.  The rezoning request must be made to the relevant local authority between 1 February and 1 April 2025.

• A rezoning request acknowledgement letter containing details of the recent planning history of the land will be issued by 30 April from the local authority to the landowner.
• The local authority will communicate in writing to the landowner its decision on whether to progress with an intended variation to the statutory land use plan by 30 June 2025. 
• Decisions on rezoning requests cannot be appealed to An Bord Pleanála.

The rezoning request acknowledgement letter can be used to support a claim for an exemption from the tax for 2025. This claim must be made in the 2025 annual return, which must be made to the Revenue Commissioners on or before 23 May 2025.

Please here to see the 2025 Final Map published 31 January. 

Landowner Rezoning Requests

If you are making a rezoning request in respect of land that you own, or on behalf of a landowner, please note the following:

• Your name and address must be included in the submission.
• Submissions must be accompanied by an Ordnance Survey map showing the property at an appropriate scale, 1:1000 (urban areas) or 1:2500 (rural areas) suitable to identify the land in question. Please note the local authority may request proof of site ownership.
• Please note that a submission requesting a change in zoning can only be made in relation to land that is already on the final map for 2025, published on 31 January 2025.
• Where a land use zoning change is sought, the submission must be received on or before 1 April.
• The landowner should set out why the change in zoning is in the interest of the proper planning and sustainable development of the area, as well as any other circumstances, such as their desire to continue with an ongoing economic activity they wish to bring to the local authority’s attention. Any information to support the claims of ongoing economic use should be submitted as part of the rezoning request.

Third Party submissions 

Third parties cannot make a submission in relation to zoning.

In what format should the submission be made?  

You can make a submission via the following options only:  

• A written submission can be made electronically through the dlr Public Consultation Hub via Citizen Space at the link below 'Make an Online Submission Now'.

• In writing to Senior Executive Officer, Planning Department, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, County Hall, Marine Road, Dún Laoghaire, Co. Dublin.  

In respect of making any submission, please note the following:    

• The personal information (data) collected during the consultation process is collected for the purpose of receiving and dealing with submissions. 

• Contact details provided may be used to contact a submitter who claims to be the landowner of a particular site. This will be to request evidence as is necessary to prove their ownership of the site, or request further information from the landowner. 

• Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council may, where it considers it necessary for the purposes of making the determination, request further information from Uisce Eireann, the National Roads Authority or from a person referred to in article 28 of the Planning and Development Regulations 2001. 

• For further information on how Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council processes Personal Data please see our Privacy Statement below.   

• Please identify any parts of your submission which contain personal or commercially sensitive data which you do not wish to be published.   

Further details can be found in the related documents attached below, or on our website here.  

Who can I contact if I have any further questions about the process? 

​Further information on the Draft Map, re-zoning request process or on making a submission can be found via the FAQ section below. If the answer is not contained in the FAQs, please contact the Planning Department at Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council on (01) 2054700 or via email at rzlt@dlrcoco.ie. Further information on the process is also available via ‘Residential Zoned Land Tax - Guidelines for Planning Authorities’, the Finance Act 2021,  Finance Act 2023 and the Finance Act 2024. Guidance in respect of the administration of the tax may be found on the Revenue.ie website.

What happens next

What Happens Next 

All written submissions will be evaluated. A written determination will be made by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council regarding submissions by landowners. Key steps that Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council will take prior to publishing an annual final map include, but are not limited to the following.  

Annual Draft Map 

• Submissions received in relation to the annual draft map will be published on the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council website by 11th April 2025 (note: personal data, i.e. name, address of submitter and contact details of the submitter, are redacted, but location of lands to which the submission relates are published along with the grounds of the submission).  

• Where a landowner requests the exclusion of their site from the annual draft map on the basis that it does not meet the criteria for being in scope, or challenges the date from which land on the map met this criteria, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council must notify the owner of its decision not later than 1 July 2025.  

• An appeal of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council's decision on a landowner’s submission on the annual draft map, must be lodged by the landowner with An Bord Pleanála by 1 August 2025.

• Rezoning submissions that are recived by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council will be acknowledged, in writing, not later than 30 April 2025. The awknowledgement will include particulars of any current or extant planning applications required to be entered by the local authority on the register under section 7 of the Palnning and Development Act of 2000.

• Rezoning submissions are considered by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council.  A decision on whether to progress with an intended variation to the statutory land use plan or not is to be communicated in writing to the relevant landowner by 30th June 2025. There is no appeal regarding rezoning requests to An Bord Pleanála.  

Where a person has requested the addition of a site to the draft map and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council considers that sites in respect of which submissions have been made or based on the information available to them, constitute lands satisfying the relevant criteria then these sites will be identified on the next annual draft map which will be published by the local authority on 1 February 2026. 

Can I appeal a decision of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council?  

There is no appeal regarding rezoning requests to An Bord Pleanála.  

How can I find out further information about the mapping and submissions process? 

​If further information is required on the annual draft map process or on making a submission please check ‘Your Questions Answered’ which can be found below. If your query relates to a particular area of land or if the answer is not contained in the FAQ’s, contact the Planning Department. 

Further information on the process is also available on the Gov.ie/RZLT website here.

As outlined above, the RZLT process has two parts. Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council are required to undertake the mapping which identifies the land which is subject to the tax, including an annual final map which will be first published on 31 January 2026, and revised annually. Thereafter, the administration of the tax will be undertaken by the Revenue Commissioners.

As Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council do not administer the tax we are unable to answer any queries regarding the administration of the tax. All queries regarding the administration of the tax should be directed to the Revenue Commissioners website here.

Having regard to the respective roles of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council and the Revenue Commissioners in the RZLT process, queries on the mapping should be made to Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council. This includes queries on; 

• Criteria for inclusion on annual draft map 

• Submissions on annual draft map 

• Determinations on annual draft map 

• Zoning submissions 

• Appeals (which must be submitted to An Bord Pleanála)  

• Annual final map 

The Revenue Commissioners website provides details on the general administration of the tax and links to a comprehensive guide to the tax. The Revenue website also provides details on 

• Liable persons 

• Amount of residential zoned land tax 

• Obligation to register 

• Obligation on liable person to prepare and deliver return  

• Deferral of, or exemptions from, Residential Zoned Land Tax 

• How to contact Revenue with queries on the administration of RZLT 

What do I do if I am a Homeowner 

My house and garden is contained on the map. What is the consequence?  

Your house and garden is identified on the map because it meets the criteria for the tax, which is based on residential led zonings and servicing by infrastructure suitable for provision of housing.  The house and garden are not liable for the tax, as long as the house is subject to Local Property Tax (LPT).  

Do I need to make a submission?  

It’s not necessary. Even if your house is identified on the maps, residences are not liable for the tax where they are subject to LPT.   

What if my garden is greater than 0.4047ha (1 acre)  

If your garden is greater than this size, then you need to register for the RZLT with the Revenue Commissioners, however your house and garden will not be liable for the tax. You will be able to register for RZLT from December 2024 onwards. No action needs to be taken to register at this time. Please see revenue.ie for details regarding the registration process closer to the time.  

Would you like to make a submission on the Draft Map?  

Make an Online Submission Now