A GIS-based eco-environmental zoning approach was developed for the management of land activities at the county scale. The zoning system categorized land uses of Tiantai County in southeast China, as prohibited land, restrictive land, preferential land, and regulative land based on spatial distribution of natural resources, ecological vulnerability, and socioeconomic conditions, as well as existing legally permitted and permissible mechanisms within the local environment. The present study also indicated that a GIS-based zonation approach and associated methods was necessary and provided a helpful tool to support the local government's effort in eco-environmental zoning and management.