Comparison
Baulast: German states compared
Where is there a Baulastenverzeichnis, where does a Grunddienstbarkeit replace a Baulast, and what must buyers check?
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A Baulast (public-law building obligation) is not a land-register entry
A Baulast is an obligation imposed by an owner towards the Bauaufsichtsbehörde, the building control authority. It can secure an act, tolerance or omission, such as an access route, parking space or the preservation of a setback area. Under the relevant building code, it becomes effective through entry in the Baulastenverzeichnis, the register of public-law building obligations.
The legal effect follows the plot. A later owner generally has to accept the obligation even if they did not make the declaration. This distinguishes a Baulast from an agreement with a neighbour and explains why an official enquiry before the notary appointment is more useful than an oral promise.
- Why Bavaria takes a different route
- Which Baulasten matter most when buying
- What to request before notarisation
- Price, risk and contract wording
- Sources and review status
Source: Building codes and Baulasten registers of the 16 states plus BGB/GBO; checked August 2026
Why Bavaria takes a different route
In fifteen states, the Baulastenverzeichnis is the usual public point of reference. Bavaria is the known exception: the Bayerische Bauordnung does not provide for a state-law Baulast institution. A comparable form of security can mainly be created there through a Grunddienstbarkeit, an easement in the land register, under § 1018 BGB.
The two instruments are not interchangeable. A Grunddienstbarkeit gives another plot or its owner a private-law right. A Baulast operates towards the building control authority and can secure a public-law condition for approval. A land-register extract therefore answers a different question in Bavaria from an enquiry to the Bauaufsichtsbehörde.
What the sixteen entries really compare
The table places the state-law mechanism, legal basis and relevant source side by side. It mainly shows whether a register exists and how a declaration becomes effective. The details of access, the responsible office and fees remain local.
State law sets the framework, the state building code names the register and its effect, and the municipality or county handles the specific request. Even a local Bauaufsichtsbehörde may therefore require different forms, evidence and processing times. The register's name alone does not say how quickly an extract will arrive.
| State | Value | Legal basis | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baden-Württemberg | Baulasten: Baulastenverzeichnis Baden-Württemberg runs a public Baulastenverzeichnis; the competent authority is usually the municipal or city administration. | § 72 LBO | Source Baden-Württemberg |
| Bavaria | Bavaria: no Baulast institution Bavaria is the only state without a Baulastenverzeichnis under a state building-code Baulast rule. Replacement mechanism: physical security, in particular Grunddienstbarkeit in Grundbuch A private law Grunddienstbarkeit can create legal security, but is not identical to a Baulast: it works in favor of a property or the entitled person and not as a public law obligation towards the building inspectorate. | Art. 6 Abs. 2 BayBO; §§ 1018 ff. BGB | Source Bavaria |
| Berlin | Baulastenverzeichnis: Baulastenverzeichnis Berlin, managed by the district building authorities Baulasten are obligations under public law and affect legal successors. | § 84 BauO Bln | Source Berlin |
| Brandenburg | Baulastenverzeichnis: Baulasten are managed in Brandenburg Baulasten are adopted by declaration to Bauaufsichtsbehörde, become effective upon registration and managed by Baulastenverzeichnis; Viewing is possible if there is a legitimate interest. | § 84 BbgBO | Source Brandenburg |
| Bremen | § 82 Abs. 1 BremLBO – Justification: Baulast owners can assume public law obligations towards Bauaufsichtsbehörde to do, tolerate or refrain from doing something; the Baulast becomes effective upon entry in the Baulastenverzeichnis and acts against legal successors. § 82 Abs. 2 BremLBO – Form: Written form with public certification The declaration must be in writing; the electronic form is excluded, the signature must be certified or given in front of the authority. | § 82 BremLBO | Source Bremen |
| Hamburg | Baulastenverzeichnis: exists, managed by Bauaufsichtsbehörde § 83 HBauO: Baulasten is created by declaration to Bauaufsichtsbehörde and becomes effective upon entry in Baulastenverzeichnis; Access if there is a legitimate interest (§ 83 Abs. 5 HBauO). | § 83 Abs. 1 Satz 3 HBauO | Source Hamburg |
| Hesse | Baulastenverzeichnis: Baulasten become effective through entry in the Baulastenverzeichnis The directory is maintained by Bauaufsichtsbehörde or the body designated by law; Information and transcripts are subject to a fee. | § 85 HBO | Source Hesse |
| Lower Saxony | Register: Baulastenverzeichnis Baulasten become effective upon entry; the directory is maintained by Bauaufsichtsbehörde. Access: legitimate interest Anyone who demonstrates a legitimate interest can receive access and extracts. | § 81 NBauO | Source Lower Saxony |
| Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania | Baulastenverzeichnis: Baulasten are accepted by declaration to Bauaufsichtsbehörde and become effective upon entry in the Baulastenverzeichnis § 83 LBauO M-V; Anyone who demonstrates a legitimate interest can inspect it or obtain copies. § 83 was not changed by the amending law of May 26, 2026 (GVOBl. M-V p. 522). | § 83 LBauO M-V | Source Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania |
| North Rhine-Westphalia | Baulast: public law obligation towards the Bauaufsichtsbehörde Baulasten become effective upon entry in the Baulastenverzeichnis and are effective towards legal successors. Information: Access if there is a legitimate interest The Baulastenverzeichnis is managed by the Bauaufsichtsbehörde; Authorized persons can request inspection and extract. | § 85 BauO NRW 2018 | Source North Rhine-Westphalia |
| Rhineland-Palatinate | Baulastenverzeichnis: Rhineland-Palatinate keeps Baulasten in the Liegenschaftskataster rather than a separate register. A Baulast is a public-law charge; § 86 LBauO and the implementing regulations govern how it is recorded and proved. | § 86 LBauO Rheinland-Pfalz | Source Rhineland-Palatinate |
| Saarland | Baulastenverzeichnis: exists Bavaria is the only one of the 16 countries without the institution of Baulast; Saarland therefore runs a Baulastenverzeichnis. The exact paragraph number and the information modalities could not be confirmed from the LBO wording itself due to the systemic access failure (see verkehrsflaeche.note_de). | § 83 LBO | Source Saarland |
| Saxony | Baulastenverzeichnis: Baulasten are managed in Saxony Baulasten are adopted by written declaration to Bauaufsichtsbehörde and entered into Baulastenverzeichnis. | § 83 SächsBO | Source Saxony |
| Saxony-Anhalt | Baulastenverzeichnis: Baulasten become effective upon registration; the directory contains the Bauaufsichtsbehörde. § 82 BauO LSA: The Baulast also works against legal successors; Inspection or copies are possible if there is a legitimate interest. | § 82 BauO LSA | Source Saxony-Anhalt |
| Schleswig-Holstein | Register: Baulastenverzeichnis Baulasten are kept in Baulastenverzeichnis. Access: legitimate interest Anyone who demonstrates a legitimate interest can receive access and copies. | § 83 LBO | Source Schleswig-Holstein |
| Thuringia | Baulastenverzeichnis: Baulastenverzeichnis Baulasten are adopted by written declaration to Bauaufsichtsbehörde and entered into Baulastenverzeichnis; the Bauaufsichtsbehörde maintains the directory. Information: Information from the Baulastenverzeichnis Property-related information can be requested via the responsible Thuringian administrative portal; the local Bauaufsichtsbehörde remains relevant. | § 82 ThürBO | Source Thuringia |
The table is a legal overview, not a result for a particular parcel. It does not answer whether a registered Baulast actually prevents a planned garage, subdivision or access route. The wording, site plan, affected parcels and current project must be read together.
Which Baulasten matter most when buying
A Vereinigungsbaulast, a parcel-combination building obligation, can join several parcels for building-law purposes. An Abstandsflächenbaulast can include an area belonging to a neighbour. An Erschließungs- or Zufahrtsbaulast can secure access without automatically creating ownership of the road or a private utility right.
For buyers, the direction of the obligation matters. The purchased parcel may be burdened, or an area on a neighbouring plot may be secured for the buyer's project. In the second case, check whether the underlying declaration still fits, whether the area remains available and whether a private right of way is also needed.
Read the register and land-register extracts together
The Grundbuch extract contains private-law rights such as easements, usufruct and land charges. The Baulastenverzeichnis adds public-law obligations. The comparison of the Grundbuch and ALKIS helps confirm the parcel identity, but it replaces neither the register extract nor a review of the building file.
An empty land-register extract is therefore not a clean bill of health. An empty Baulastenverzeichnis extract likewise does not prove that the planned use can be approved. The development plan, built-up or outer area under § 34 BauGB and § 35 BauGB set their own limits.
- State with a Baulasten registerObtain the extract from building control or registry
- BavariaUsually secure through land register and permit file
- Unclear historic caseCheck land register, building file and authority together
Source: Building codes and Baulasten registers of the 16 states plus BGB/GBO; checked August 2026
What to request before notarisation
Order the information using the Gemarkung, Flur and Flurstück (official cadastral parcel). If several partial areas are being bought, every affected number must be included. Request a complete extract, not merely a telephone statement that no issue is known.
Ask whether deletion, amendment or assumption procedures are pending. For a Baulast benefiting the parcel, also obtain the documents for the original approval and a current site plan. The land purchase checklist and the notarial purchase process place these documents in the contract review.
Baulast, building permit and by-law
A Baulast does not replace a building permit. It can secure one public-law requirement, but it cannot turn an unauthorised use into a building right. Conversely, a project may fail despite a Baulast if the development plan, nature protection or servicing stands in the way.
The municipality can add requirements through a development plan and by-law. Check the buildability under the development plan, access and servicing and, for boundary questions, the neighbour-law and boundary review. A Baulast is only one part of this chain.
Price, risk and contract wording
A burdened area may be worth less if parking, access or the building envelope is restricted. A Baulast benefiting the buyer may increase value if it is the only workable solution for servicing or a setback. The price cannot be inferred from the register label alone.
If the content is unclear, the draft contract should include a clear condition or right of withdrawal. Useful provisions cover a deadline for the authority's information, delivery of all attachments and responsibility for deletion or amendment costs. The costs and taxes when buying land do not automatically include these special costs.
A practical order for the review
First compare the parcel designation in the cadastre, contract and register. Second read the Baulast wording for obligation, benefit, affected area and legal succession. Third compare its content with the proposed building, access and utilities on a site plan.
Only then can you assess whether an amendment, deletion or additional Grunddienstbarkeit is needed. For planning-law classification, the land register and cadastral data, approvals in a land purchase and written contact with the responsible building authority remain relevant.
Review the Baulast in context before buying. A GrundCheck report places the parcel, its location and visible public-law risks in context for the next review. Check a plot.
Further state comparisons: building setbacks, land transfer tax, road contributions and heritage protection. Other comparison topics include permit-free projects and state geoportals.
Sources and review status
For the federal-law comparison of the Grunddienstbarkeit, § 1018 BGB is material. The state provisions and administrative information for the sixteen registers are in the table's source links. For planning-law classification, § 30 BauGB, § 34 BauGB and § 35 BauGB are relevant.
The distinction from servicing contributions follows § 127 BauGB; the local building authority decides the specific information and procedure. Stand: August 2026. This information is general and does not replace review of the individual parcel.
Read next: building obligations and restrictions, Grundbuch and ALKIS, access and servicing, building setbacks across the states, land transfer tax across the states, road development and expansion, heritage protection, permit-free projects and state geoportals.