[Objective] Taking Shaanxi Province as the study area, the spatial relationship between cultivated lands and construction projects were analyzed, and the method of defining of the upper thresholds of the cultivated land proportions in construction projects were determined, for the sake of formulating measures in controlling cultivated land loss. [Methods] Based on the land change survey data and construction project samples, the index of cultivated land density was constructed. With the integration of GIS spatial overlaying, geomorphic zoning and statistical analysis methods, intensity zoning of cultivated lands in Shaanxi Province was presented and the upper thresholds of cultivated land proportions in construction projects determined. [Results] Combined of geomorphic zoning with cultivated land density grading, and applied the 80% cumulative frequency values as the thresholds, three zones were divided in Shaanxi Province, including Loess Plateau-intensive cultivated land, Guanzhong Plain/Qinba Mountain-intensive cultivated land, and Other regions (non-intensive cultivated land). Furthermore, the upper thresholds of cultivated land proportions in linear projects and the planar project in the three zones are determined to be 26%, 42%, and 22%, 45%, 80%, and 27%, respectively. [Conclusion] By applied the upper thresholds, the effectiveness of preventing cultivated land loss for various projects ranged from 1.2% to 17.9%, which can control 13.9%-22.5% of construction projects against the excessive occupation of cultivated land, and effectively protect the cultivated land resources.