Buying in Marrakech after the Al Haouz earthquake: RPS 2000 rules and structural surveys in 2026

More than three years after the earthquake of 8 September 2023, the question is no longer only price: it is how sound the property is. Here is what public sources say about seismic rules, warning signs and the survey to plan before signing, without promising what no source guarantees.

What the earthquake changed in building rules

The reference text for buildings remains the RPS 2000 seismic regulation, 2011 version, according to Médias24 (April 2026). After the earthquake, two draft decrees were adopted by the Government Council on 19 September 2024, per Le360: no. 2.24.766, which amends the 2002 decree approving RPS 2000 and creates a National Seismic Engineering Committee, and no. 2.24.767 on earth construction.

The reason: new seismic data showed higher hazard in most affected regions, previously classed as moderately seismic (Médias24, Le360). Reference seismic velocities and accelerations are therefore adjusted commune by commune, which changes structural calculations.

Counts differ: Médias24 announced 80 communes in the draft (8 in the Marrakech prefecture), while Le360 lists 29 communes in Chichaoua, 21 in Taroudant, 21 in Al Haouz, 10 in the Marrakech prefecture and 1 in Ouarzazate. The key point is that the Marrakech prefecture is concerned.

We could not verify the publication date in the Official Bulletin or the exact entry into force: ask the architect or engineering office which zoning applies to the property’s commune.

A full revision of the RPS is being prepared, with a national survey of professionals open until 5 May 2026 (Médias24). Its priorities: integrate 2023 earthquake data, adapt standards to local materials (concrete, steel, raw earth, stone) and strengthen engineers’ role on site. No adoption date has been announced.

What this means for a purchase

These rules apply to new construction and projects, not to an existing older building. For an off-plan apartment or a new villa, ask who designed the structure, whether an engineering office and a technical control office were involved (see our article on building a villa) and which standard was applied. For older property, no zoning replaces an examination of the building.

Cracks and warning signs: what to look at during a visit

According to the architects quoted by Médias24 (September 2023), cracks wider than 5 mm are often considered more worrying. Other criteria matter too:

• Length: long, continuous cracks across several surfaces.
• Location: near corners, doors, windows, beams or columns.
• Orientation: diagonal or stepped cracks worry more than vertical ones.
• Offsets between two surfaces, or doors and windows that no longer close properly.
• Damp, deformation, noises or falling material.

These criteria cannot reliably tell a superficial crack from a structural one: only an engineer or architect can.

Riads and the medina: a special case

In the medina the picture is mixed. Le360 reported in February 2024 collapses of dilapidated houses in the Mellah, Ben Salah, Bab Doukkala, Riad Zitoune and Sidi Ayoub, some dwellings already classed as uninhabitable, and temporary shoring with wooden or iron props.

Reaconsult notes that medina houses rest on thick earth and masonry walls, timber or steel floors and lime renders, which behave differently from concrete. Its red flags: damp that returns after repainting, failed terrace waterproofing, party walls, and “renovated” riads where the budget went into finishes rather than drainage or structure. Many properties are also unregistered melk (see land title or moulkiya).

The building survey: cost and content

Reaconsult advertises pre-purchase surveys from MAD 3,500 excluding tax, with riads quoted case by case and a signed report usually within two weeks. This is one firm’s fee: compare. An inspection records the observable condition and flags what needs an architect’s or engineer’s opinion; according to this source, building condition often weighs more in negotiation than market comparables.

Make the survey a condition precedent in the agreement (see sale agreement and conditions precedent) and keep the report for any later claim (see hidden defects).

Checklist before signing

• Identify the property’s commune and ask which seismic zoning applies.
• For new builds: demand the names of the architect, engineering office and technical control office, and the standard applied.
• For older property: have the structure surveyed by an independent engineer or architect.
• Photograph and measure cracks; note damp, deformation and sticking openings.
• Make the survey a condition precedent in the agreement.
• Check the land title and absence of mortgage before paying a deposit.
• Estimate any repairs and deduct them from your offer.

This information comes from press and firms: it does not replace the opinion of a structural engineer or a notary.