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Legal reserve and APP: area to preserve

See how much of the property goes to legal reserve and APP under the general rule, and how much is left to produce.

Pre-sizing and estimating tool: the results do not replace a design, calculation, or report signed by a qualified professional, nor verification against the applicable standards.

VerificationRevision 12/11/2026

Technical responsibility. This calculator is under verification. The reference values and examples are hypothetical, to illustrate the calculation, and are not technical references. The user is responsible for the data entered, the choice of parameters, and the use of the results, and must validate them with a qualified professional before any decision, purchase, application, or construction work.

Property and biome
River and springs

The percentages and ranges come from the general rule of Law 12,651/2012. State rules may be stricter. Use as a planning estimate.

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—Reserve and APP area
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Property division

Legal reserve, APP and area available for production, in hectares.

Tap the chart to see the values.

APP range by river width

Protection strip by river bank, by width; the highlighted bar is the one for your river.

Tap the chart to see the values.

What if the data changes?

Drag the controls to simulate data different from what you entered (from 30% less to 30% more) and watch the result change instantly.

Tap the chart to see the values.

Legal reserve and APP by biome or region

Legal reserve, APP and available area for each legal reserve percentage under Law 12,651/2012, with the river and spring data you entered.

Step by step with your numbers

The calculation done in steps, with the values you entered.

    The calculation memo gathers this page's inputs, results, equations, assumptions, and references, with fields for project, responsible person, and review. The full report also includes the charts and interpretations, in color. In the print window, choose Save as PDF.

    How to use

    Enter the property area, the biome or region, the average river width, the length of the watercourse within the property, and the number of springs. The calculator shows the legal reserve, the APP, and the remaining area.

    Worked example

    500 ha property in other regions, 8 m wide river with 2,000 m course and 3 springs.

    Legal reserve = 500 × 20% = 100 ha. River APP = 2,000 × 2 × 30 ÷ 10,000 = 12 ha. Spring APP = 3 × π × 50² ÷ 10,000 = 2.4 ha. Total APP = 14.4 ha. Available = 500 − 100 − 14.4 = 385.6 ha.

    Precautions

    • This is an estimate: the actual situation depends on the property survey and its CAR.
    • APP and legal reserve overlap in some cases; the result here is conservative.
    • For productive area, also see the gross margin between crops.

    Method, assumptions, and references

    Equations used

    Legal reserve (ha) = property area × biome or region percentage (art. 12 of Law 12,651/2012)
    River APP (ha) = Length of the watercourse × 2 banks × strip width (m) ÷ 10,000, with the strip width according to the river width (art. 4)
    Spring APP (ha) = Number of springs × π × 50² ÷ 10,000 (minimum radius of 50 m)
    Available area (ha) = Property area − Legal reserve − APP, without overlap

    Assumptions and limits

    • General rule: does not consider consolidated areas, offsetting, easements or state rules, which may change the percentages and ranges.
    • Overlap between the APP (permanent preservation area) and the legal reserve is not deducted, so the result is conservative.
    • Does not consider other APPs (hilltops, veredas wet valleys, lakes, slopes) or the alternative use of exception areas.

    Standards and technical documents

    • BRAZIL. Law No. 12,651, of 25 May 2012 (Forest Code), arts. 4 and 12. See also the relevant state laws and decrees.

    Legislation and regulations in Brazil

    • Legal reserve and APP depend on the CAR and on the environmental agency's review; this calculation is only a planning estimate
    • For decisions on land use, consult a lawyer or the state environmental agency

    Frequently asked questions

    Why does the percentage change with the biome?

    Because Law 12,651/2012 sets different percentages for each region: 80% for forests in the Legal Amazon, 35% for cerrado in the Legal Amazon, 20% for campos gerais in the Legal Amazon, and 20% in the other regions.

    Why does the APP depend on the river width?

    Because the law sets the protection strip based on the width of the watercourse. Wider rivers have larger strips, from 30 m up to 500 m.

    Does this calculation help decide how to use the area?

    No. It is an estimate for planning. Regularization depends on the CAR, a technical survey, and the environmental agency's review, which may change the result.

    Can I produce in the APP?

    Generally, no. There are exceptions set out in law and state rules, which require a specific analysis. Check with the environmental agency before deciding.