Construction and Planning Law

The municipalities issue a building code (building regulations and zoning plan) for their territory which allocates all land of the municipality to a specific zone and regulates the type and extent of permitted use. If you wish to construct or modify a building or a facility, you need a building permit. The owner of the building or affected neighbors as well as the municipality may appeal against the decision of the licensing authority (refusal or granting of the building permit).

If you own a plot of land and would like to grant another person a temporary right to build on or under the ground, you can encumber your land with a building lease and usually obtain a building lease interest. The advantage for the landowner is that he or she remains the owner of the land, although he or she waives the right to use it for the duration of the building lease. The building lease is transferable and inheritable. It may also be registered in the land register and thus sold, given away or encumbered with other easements or a mortgage. The provisions on construction law can be found in the Swiss Civil Code (ZGB).

We offer comprehensive legal advice in matters of construction and planning law and provide efficient support in the areas of construction and planning law, environmental law, expropriation and tendering. In addition, we advise you in the negotiation and drafting of contracts in construction law and in the enforcement of your claim.