What the numbers show
The cadastre snapshot holds 1,308,122 parcels in Crete, covering 3,869 km². On the public forest maps, 47.0% of that parcel area carries codes that fall under forest law, below the figure for Greece as a whole (61.6%). This is a measure of how often forest-map codes come up, not of how much of Crete is forest: the maps code all land, including grassland and land that was forest in older aerial photos.
17.8% of parcels touch a forest-law code somewhere inside their boundary (Greece: 26.0%), and 11.5% are mostly covered by one (Greece: 16.5%). So in Crete, forest-map codes come up less often than average, but a single coded strip can still matter for a sale.
Parcel size matters. Among parcels under 500 m², 10.3% touch a forest-law code; among parcels over 20,000 m², 78.0% do. The median parcel in Crete is 855 m² (Greece: 1,251 m²). If you are looking at a large rural plot, expect the forest map to be one of the first things your lawyer and engineer check.
Within Crete, the share of parcels touching forest-law codes runs from 8.7% in Heraklion to 31.5% in Lasithi. Parcel counts differ a lot too: 42,669 in Rethymno against 727,486 in Heraklion. A low count can mean that the cadastral survey there is not yet complete in the public data, so a parcel may not be found or may show a provisional outline.
Of the 13 regions, Crete ranks 10th by the share of parcels touching a forest-law code, where 1st is the highest. In neighbouring regions the figure is: South Aegean 21.9%, Peloponnese 28.2%. Differences between regions reflect landscape, settlement patterns and how much of each region the public cadastre already covers, so compare like with like: a village plot in one region with a village plot in the next.
2.1% of parcels touch an ΑΝ code, land declared for reforestation (Greece: 2.6%). Land is often declared for reforestation after a fire, so for any parcel ask whether part of it is covered, by which decision and when.
By parcel size
| Parcel size | Parcels | Area under codes | Touching | Mostly coded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 500 m² | 458,344 | 8.5% | 10.3% | 7.7% |
| 500–4,000 m² | 691,928 | 11.5% | 17.0% | 9.8% |
| 4,000–20,000 m² | 139,094 | 30.1% | 38.5% | 25.4% |
| Over 20,000 m² | 18,756 | 81.8% | 78.0% | 66.5% |
By prefecture
| Prefecture | Parcels | Area under codes | Touching | Mostly coded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lasithi | 489,511 | 64.7% | 31.5% | 21.2% |
| Rethymno | 42,669 | 39.5% | 21.1% | 12.0% |
| Chania | 48,456 | 45.1% | 13.2% | 9.1% |
| Heraklion | 727,486 | 31.1% | 8.7% | 5.1% |
Prefectures are the pre-2011 νομοί, read from the first two digits of each parcel's KAEK. Rows with fewer than 500 parcels are not reported.
What this does not show
- It cannot tell you about pending objections, reforms, fires not yet on the map, or who owns the land, and it is not the Forest Directorate certificate needed for a sale.
- Whether a particular map is ratified or still posted, or whether an objection is pending.
- Anything about ownership, permits or whether a plot can be built on.
- Parcels missing from the public cadastre snapshot. Areas where the cadastral survey is not complete are under-represented.
Questions for your lawyer or engineer
- 01Is the parcel on a ratified map or only a posted one, and which code applies to each part of it?
- 02Is there a characterisation act or an objection committee decision for this land?
- 03Can you obtain the Forest Directorate certificate, or issue the engineer's declaration, needed for the sale?
- 04Does the Cadastre list the State as owner of any part, and can that be corrected?
- 05Does the non-forest part alone meet the minimum plot rules for building?
- 06Is any part declared for reforestation, including after a fire?
Method and sources
- Parcels: Hellenic Cadastre snapshot dated 2 September 2026. Forest maps: the regional files published on data.gov.gr (version datagov-202604).
- Forest-law codes: ΔΔ, ΑΔ, ΔΑ, ΠΔ, ΑΝ, ΠΧ, ΧΧ, ΧΑ, ΑΧ, ΧΔ, Δ, Χ, as listed in the forest maps guide. A polygon counts when any of its code fields carries one of them.
- The forest files stack the original map with later amendments, so overlapping polygons are merged within each parcel before measuring. Areas are geodesic.
- A parcel "touches" a code when the coded area inside it is at least 1 m² and at least 1% of the parcel; smaller overlaps are treated as mapping slivers. "Mostly coded" means more than 50% of the parcel.
- Computed on 8 October 2026. Figures will change when either source is updated.