I really need someones help please, I'm desperately trying to work out the fence height allowed in Adliswil. I have called the Gemeneide 5x now but my German is so poor that I keep getting hung up on now. Google is not any help and I am new in town and don't know anyone to ask. Can someone please help with this.
Emma
Is the fence to be between two properties or facing a road?
If it is facing a road, is there a pavement or verge? i.e. How far back will the fence be from the road edge?
If the fence is at the side of a property, could it obstruct visibility for vehicles from any neigbouring properties?
It's not just a question of height, but also of zoning (residential, agricultural, etc) set back against the property border, type of fence (including permanent or not, materials used ), any rights-of-way written into the Grundbuch, neighborhood-specifics regulations (which might be different from those of the village in general), etc.
The best thing you can do is go in person to the Bauamt, bringing a German speaker with you. Bring your plans, showing where along the border the fence will be placed.
Whether you simply need agreement from your neighbors (and if so, which neighbors) or whether you need a building permit, whether you need nothing at all - the Bauamt will tell you what the process is.
There are several factors at play, so best to go directly to the source.
And... you might find that in person communication in English (or limited German) is much easier.
Good luck!
FYI, here's a Merkblatt from Adliswil that might be of (limited) help:
e.g. a 2m high fence would have to be 40cm in from the boundary.
Here you allowed to put a fence up to 1m high on the boundary line ( or wherever elseou want it) and anything taller than that requires planning permission wherever it is positioned and the neighbour's agreement too if it's on the boundary line.
I would suggest that you go to the main front desk and make an enquiry. They can probably set you up with the right person to speak to.
What is the purpose of the fence?
We are allowed to replace, without planning permission, the fence at the rear of the property, up to a height of 1.5m. This backs directly on to a public footpath. The fence can be a metal or wood construction. Concrete/stone is not allowed without planning permission.
Ideally we would like to put in a 1m high concrete wall - with a 1m high metal railing fence on top. As above this would require planning permission - and due to the location likely be refused.
We have now received a letter from the Bauamt saying our property has been rezoned into the red for flooding and that any building work which requires planning permission should now include how the extension would be protected from flooding.
When/if we do this we will include the wall that they would normally refused and say it is flood defence
We (SZ) are allowed a 120cm non-permanent (not set in concrete) non-solid fence on the property border. Generally the only fences that meet this are green wire or a wooden rail fence. A fence of 2m, again non-permanent, non-solid, may be allowed with a 1 meter set-back if the adjoining neighbors sign off on it.
Hedges must also be kept clipped to 120cm at the borderline, 2m if set 1 meter back. One might need to plant farther back than the setback to allow for natural plant growth.
Be aware that some hedge plants might not be allowed. For instance, Boxwood is under review in our village at present, due to the blight that took hold in recent years.
The property zone will also affect what you can do. If in the agricultural, forest, or water zones there will be additional bureaucracies to satisfy. Or, as in our property, if you border one of those you might find additional rules even though your property itself is Bauzone. (We border a farm, so the last 10 meters of our property running along the farm border are considered a green zone, special rules apply.)
Anything permanent or solid, while allowed without planning permission if under 120cm, must have written agreement from all residents in the Quartier, not just adjoining neighbotrs, and must fit the Quartier Gestaltungsplan. One neighbor's objection can scuttle the project; without all neighbors' agreement, one must go through the full planning permission process.
Fence height here is measured from the property borderline - an important difference if one lives on a hill.
Also one must understand access issues when building a fence, as well as when maintaining one. Will your neighbors allow you to step on their property? If not, you will need to set the fence back. If you need access to the neighbor's side while building the fence you likely will need to pay some kind of compensation.
Check the Grundbuch for official rights of access - usually these are granted to utility companies but also might be granted to others, and may mean that a fence is not possible even if general regs allow one. Sometimes a fence is allowed on a right of way if an unlocked gate is included.
If you are putting up a fence to keep animals in, check requirements for warning signs.
If permits are not needed, only neighborhood sign-off, we have to make up a dossier to give to each neighbor showing the placement of the fence along the Katasterplan with appropriate dimensions, including pictures of what the finished fence will look like.
We are also required to run a string at the proposed height, showing neighbors where the fence will be built, and leave it up for a specific objection period.
If anyone questions the placement of the fence, it might be necessary to get the Gemeinde engineer out to do a property survey. This usually happens when the the property is not a straight line from one border marker to the next. Or when the border markers cannot be found.
Be aware of what the previous owner might or might not have done with the property. Any exchange of property rights should be entered into the Grundbuch, but if a previous owner had allowed a neighbor to plant (i.e., use) on his side of the property border for some years without objection this could be construed as adverse possession... and unleash the mother of all Nachbarkriege.
Oh - and you might find that none of the rules matter if one is well connected in the Gemeinde. In a small village those with sufficient Vitamin B generally do whatever they want.
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Ya'd think that building a simple fence would be a simple project... aber...
So Emily - you can see that there is a wide variation of what is and is not allowed, and even then rules are generally subject to local interpretation. The only people who can answer your question are the folks at the Gemeinde Bauamt. So go and speak to them in person. Make sure the person you speak to actually has the authority to give an answer, and before building get the rules as they apply to your project in writing.
Good luck!
In fact 1 of them doesn't do it justice
24m of wooden "security" fence - basically half log for the full length (inkl gate) - 1.5m high. 15,800chf inkl mwst
I could take a week off work - pay for my dad to come over - and hire an additional pairs of hands for half the cost!
We, too, had a quote in the 15K range - for a simple green wire fence. After fainting from the shock, OH installed it himself over a few weekends for well under 1K for the materials.
And - Hornbach carries American-style post hole diggers, under 100 Chuffs. Cuts the work in half.
http://www2.zhlex.zh.ch/appl/zhlex_r..._2.4.11_83.pdf
Thus it should not exceed 150cm. If it exceeds 150cm your neighbour can request that it is moved half the distance exceeding 150cm from the boundary (i.e. if the fence is 190cm high, it would then need to be 20cm from the boundary - as I read the law).
However, there may be additional requirements according the building code (PBG), the street code, etc. (cf. §180), which may envisage lower heights or require additional distance from the boundary...
I was looking at ZaunMüller for fencing. Surely not 15,000CHF that's ridiculous. Was hoping to not do it myself but if that's honestly the quote then I just may have to.
I was trying to avoid going in as I have two little children that visits to the Gemeneide really aren't very fun with long waits.
Again thanks everyone for the help
You don't want to spend 15K to put up a fence only to have to pull it down again, including concrete supports, when you move out. Likely spending several thousands again.
Often when renting the more hassle-free way to get a fence built is to pay the landlord to do it. That way, he/she will deal with the Gemeinde and other legalities.
However, they are List 1 dogs - meaning that, assuming she is new to the canton and depending on the ages of the dogs (and possibly the whim of the ZH Veterinäramt officer she contacts) Emma will have to take additional courses beyond the federal SKN.
So Emma - hop on over to the Pets corner if you haven't come across the ZH restrictions yet...
Wishing you and your doglets all the best as you settle in.