In Switzerland there are more than 150 different public law restrictions on landownership. In the initial phase of its development, at the federal level the 17 most important restrictions from eight sectors will be incorporated into the PLR-cadastre.

Spatial planning | Motorways | Railways | Airports | Contaminated sites | Groundwater protection | Noise | Forests

Spatial planning

Land use plans (which are often also referred to as zoning plans) specify the type and use of the land. They divide an area into various zones (building, agricultural conservation). Decisions relating to each zone are normally taken at the municipal level, and have to be subsequently approved by a cantonal authority. After they have been officially approved, land use plans become legally binding.

Motorways

The roads declared by Parliament to be of national importance form the Swiss motorway and national roads network.

• Reserved zones
  Reserved zones can be defined in order to ensure that the land required for the construction of the motorway and national roads network remains available. In these zones, it is prohibited to construct new buildings and carry out alterations that result in increased value.
• Building lines
  Once the plans for a route have been finalised, building lines are defined along both sides of that route. These lines make it possible to take certain requirements into account, including road safety and public health, as well as the demands associated with the potential future widening of the stretch of road. Without a special permit, the construction of new buildings is prohibited between these lines, as is the renovation of existing structures, even if they only partially protrude into the building lines. 

Railways

The railway network provides services that can be used by everyone for the transport of passengers and goods, as well as vehicles.

• Reserved zones
  Reserved zones may be specified for precisely defined areas in order to ensure that the necessary land for the future construction of railway stretches and installations is kept in reserve. In these zones, no structural alterations may be carried out that do not correspond to the specified purpose of the railway operator.
• Building lines
  The relevant authorities may designate building lines in order to ensure that the necessary land for the future construction of railway stretches and installations remains at their disposal. No structural alterations or other measures that do not correspond to the specified purpose of the railway operator may be carried out either between the building lines or between a building line and a railway installation.  

Airports

An airport or airfield is a designated zone on land or water, incorporating buildings and installations for the arrival and departure of aircraft, as well as their parking and maintenance, and for the handling and transport of passengers and goods.

• Reserved zones
  In order to ensure that the necessary land is kept in reserve for airport facilities, reserved zones may be defined, together with their precise perimeters. No structural alterations may be carried out in these zones that do not correspond to the specified purpose.
• Building lines
  Building lines may be defined in order to ensure that the necessary land remains available for existing or new airport installations. Within these building lines, no structural alterations or other measures may be carried out that do not correspond to the specified purpose.
• Security zone plans
  A security zone has to be installed in every airport. The relevant authority decides on a case-by-case basis whether a security zone is necessary for air traffic control installations and flight paths. No one may own a plot of land that has been included in a security zone plan without the permission of the applicant. 

Contaminated sites

The cantons are responsible for ensuring that landfills and other sites that have been contaminated by waste are properly cleaned up if they give rise to harmful effects or pollution, or if there is a specific risk of their doing so. The relevant authorities identify contaminated sites by evaluating existing maps, directories and reports. Those sites that are found to be (or are very probably) contaminated are listed in the corresponding cadastre:

• Cadastre of contaminated sites
• Cadastre of contaminated military sites
• Cadastre of contaminated civil aviation sites
• Cadastre of contaminated public transport sites

Groundwater protection

The objective of federal legislation governing the protection of bodies of water is to ensure that they are protected against pollution and other undesirable effects. Its main purposes are to safeguard the health of human beings, to protect flora and fauna, to secure the economical use of drinking and process water, and to preserve the natural function of the water cycle.

• Groundwater protection zones
  The cantons define groundwater protection zones for the supply and treatment facilities that are in the public interest, and specify the necessary landownership restrictions.
• Groundwater protection sites
  The cantons define sites that are of significance in terms of the future use and treatment of groundwater reserves. At these sites, no buildings or installations may be constructed, and no work may be carried out, that could interfere with the future construction of groundwater utilisation and treatment facilities.

Noise

In land use plans, sensitivity levels may be specified in order to define certain zones, namely those in which increased noise abatement measures are required, those in which no activities are permitted that result in disturbance due to noise, and those in which activities are permitted that give rise to medium to high levels of noise.

Forests

In accordance with the Federal Spatial Planning Act, for the issue and revision of land use plans the definition of forested areas has to be included wherever building zones border on forest, or will do so in the future, as well as outside of building zones in which the canton concerned wants to prevent an increase in the forested area.

• Static forest perimeters
  Static forest perimeters have to be defined on the basis of legally binding declarations of forested areas. Newly planted trees outside the defined forest perimeter are not regarded as forest.
• Forest distance lines
  Buildings and installations are only permitted near a forested area if they do not interfere with the preservation, management and use of the forest. The cantons define an appropriate minimum distance in the form of legally binding lines between buildings and facilities and the forest perimeter. The minimum distance is defined while taking the location and the anticipated height of the trees into account.

The cantons may add their own legally binding landownership restrictions with the following characteristics:

• They must be clearly defined (on site or on a map).
• They must apply to a certain number of plots of land.