Construction exempt from permits

Measures exempt from a building permit include:

• A building with a floor area of less than 30 square metres that is not a residential or holiday home (or a building of less than 120 cubic metres when building rights are defined three-dimensionally)
• A separate canopy or shelter with a size of less than 50 square metres
• A temporary public structure to be kept in place for less than three months (the time limit includes the construction and dismantling of the structure)
• A small public structure to be kept in place for more than three months, which can be used by a maximum of four people simultaneously
• A mast or chimney, advertisement pylon, or something similar, less than 30 metres in height
• An illuminated advertisement device with a size of less than two square metres

In addition, under the conditions mentioned in the Building Ordinance (§ 72–§ 88, please familiarise yourself with the terms), the following items are exempt from permits:

• fences, noise barriers, and retaining walls
• Photovoltaic systems and solar collectors
• Air source heat pumps
• Changing the colour scheme of a facade or roof
• Equipment attached to the facade, such as antennas and signs
• Uncovered manure pits, decanting tanks, and horizontal silos
• Property-specific wastewater systems
• Polytunnels
• Jetties and piers
• Transformer stations and municipal engineering equipment
• Statues and monuments
• Garden furniture
• Yard structures
• Parking areas
• Chimneys and fireplaces
• Silos and warehouses
• Terraces
• Glazing of a terrace or balcony

Even in construction projects exempt from permits, the party undertaking the project is responsible for ensuring that the construction complies with laws, decrees, regulations, valid plans, and the municipal Building Ordinance. If the party undertaking the project does not have training in the construction industry or sufficient professional skill to design and implement the project in accordance with the aforementioned conditions, they are obliged, regardless of the need for a permit, to hire professionals for the design and implementation of the project.

Even if a project is exempt from a building permit, it still requires a planning deviation permit if the project cannot be implemented in accordance with the valid planning regulations or the Building Ordinance.

All drawings and documents concerning construction must be kept on the property. This also applies to construction projects exempt from permits.

The Tax Administration must be notified of all completed buildings or buildings taken into use that are larger than five square metres.