Building permit, notification or exempt in Salzburg

Every building project begins with a classification that determines the timetable: does it need a permit, is notification enough, or is the project exempt?

The three categories

Salzburg building law distinguishes between projects requiring a permit, projects requiring notification, and projects requiring neither. What matters is the type, size, location and use. New buildings, extensions and material changes to external appearance or use generally require a permit. Smaller structures – such as certain outbuildings – are often only subject to notification, and the authority may respond within a set time limit.

The question that comes first

Ahead of all three categories stands the zoning. What the zoning plan and the development plan do not cover will not be permitted, even with complete documentation. Anyone buying a property in order to build on it should therefore check the zoning first, and only then whether the project is fit to be submitted.

If building went ahead without a permit

Unauthorised structures can lead to a building-police order – in extreme cases to removal. A subsequent permit is possible if the project is capable of being permitted; if it is not, the mere passage of time does not help either. When buying a property it therefore pays to check the building file: what actually stands and what has been permitted are two different things.