São Paulo Court to Rule on Zoning Law Revision That Halted 168 City Blocks' Construction Permits in Brazil

São Paulo's Court of Justice is set to rule Wednesday on the constitutionality of the 2024 Zoning Law revision, a decision that will determine the future of dozens of new high-rise buildings across the city. The court's Special Body, composed of 25 members, will judge the merits of a lawsuit seeking the definitive annulment of the revision, which has sparked a real estate boom and legal battles. The case stems from a February injunction that temporarily suspended the issuance of new construction, demolition, and vegetation suppression permits, halting works in 168 city blocks.

The suspension, based on a Direct Action of Unconstitutionality (ADI) filed by the Public Prosecutor's Office, froze 4,459 urban licensing processes. In March, the City Council appealed to the Supreme Federal Court (STF), and the following month, Justice Edson Fachin lifted the injunction. The original lawsuit incorporates a request from the '30 Andares Não' (30 Floors No) movement, active in the Brooklin and Campo Belo neighborhoods in the city's south zone. The area was previously a Mixed Zone (ZM), where only buildings up to eight floors were permitted.