The task of spatial planning is to distinguish agriculturally used areas according to the different types of use and to allocate them to the corresponding types of agricultural zones. These are:

Agricultural zone I:   
Areas that are absolutely worth preserving and are suitable for agricultural use such as crop rotation areas, vineyards and mechanical cultivation.

Agricultural zone II:     
Areas that are to be used for agricultural purposes in the overall interest and are difficult to cultivate, e.g. due to steeper slopes, shallow soil depth, difficult climatic conditions or naturally limited fertility and productivity.

Protected agricultural zones:     
Areas that are to be used for agricultural purposes, but are worthy of protection due to their unique character or special beauty. These include in particular important traditional cultural landscapes such as terraced or saffron crops and hedgerow landscapes.

Special agricultural zones:     
Areas used for soil-independent agricultural activities such as hors-sol crops or greenhouses.

At the national level, a distinction is made between three zones: Building zones, agricultural zones and protection zones.

Cantonal law may provide for further use zones; for example, there are five types of zones in the Canton of Zurich. In addition to agricultural zones, building zones, clearance zones, recreation zones and reserve zones are also defined and regulated as such.