Abstandsflächen in Hessen
In Hessen the depth of the setback area is 0.4 H, at least 2.5 m. The governing provision is § 6 HBO. H is the wall height from ground level to the point where the wall meets the roof surface.
As of 08/2026
The dimensions
What § 6 HBO requires
| Standard factor | 0.4 H |
|---|---|
| Minimum depth | 2.5 m – die errechnete Tiefe wird auf volle 0,10 m abgerundet |
| Commercial and industrial zones | 0.2 H – § 6 Abs. 7 lässt bei Wänden ohne Öffnungen 1,50 m bzw. 2,50 m zu |
| Central area | no separate rule — the standard factor applies |
| Roof allowance | Dachflächen über 70° Neigung werden voll auf H angerechnet, Dachflächen über 45° zu einem Drittel. Das ist die Formel, die Ratgeber meist für ganz Deutschland behaupten – sie gilt in vier Ländern. Über 70° gilt die Dachfläche als Wand, zwischen 45° und 70° zählt ein Drittel, bis 45° gar nichts. |
Work it out yourself
Calculating Abstandsflächen in Hessen
Set eaves height, roof pitch, building depth and distance to the boundary — the required depth is calculated under § 6 HBO as you go. The roof allowance is what stands out: the same building yields different values of H across the 16 states.
Under § 6 HBO
The setback area lies entirely on the plot. 2.50 m are required, 3.00 m are kept.
A symmetrical gable roof and level ground are assumed. The figure is geometric, not a statement about permissibility: a local by-law, a development plan or a building encumbrance can set different dimensions.
On your own plot
Plan your project right on the cadastral map
Click a parcel in Hessen and, under “What can I build here?”, draw an extension, garage, carport, garden shed or pool. Move, rotate, change the dimensions – the setback areas are checked live against the real parcel boundaries.
Then
Calculated is not drawn
The figure above is half the job. The setback area is drawn into the Site plan for a building application – true to scale, with parcel boundaries and the neighbouring buildings. You will find the boundaries free of charge in the Cadastral map; the true-to-scale surroundings as a vector file are in the catalogue for Hessen.
Worked through
Worked examples at a glance
Depth = 0.4 × H, but never less than 2.5 m. These values apply to a wall in the standard case; commercial zones, core zones and privileged boundary structures follow the figures above and below.
| Wall height H | Calculation | Depth of the setback area |
|---|---|---|
| 3. m | 0.4 × 3. = 1.2 m → minimum applies | 2.5 m |
| 4.5 m | 0.4 × 4.5 = 1.8 m → minimum applies | 2.5 m |
| 6.5 m | 0.4 × 6.5 = 2.6 m | 2.6 m |
| 9. m | 0.4 × 9. = 3.6 m | 3.6 m |
| 12. m | 0.4 × 12. = 4.8 m | 4.8 m |
Building on the boundary
What may stand on the boundary in Hessen without a setback area
Garages, carports and garden sheds may stand directly on the property boundary under narrow conditions. The dimensions differ in every state.
| Height | 3. m |
|---|---|
| Length per boundary | no length limit — see additional conditions |
| Total length along all boundaries | 15. m |
| Additional conditions | Statt einer Längengrenze gilt eine Wandfläche von 25 m² je Nachbargrenze; der Dachüberstand zählt in die 15 m hinein. Gebaut werden darf an der Grenze oder mit mindestens 1 m Abstand. |
| Habitable rooms and fireplaces | Aufenthaltsräume und Feuerstätten sind nicht ausdrücklich geregelt; das Gesetz spricht von untergeordneten Gebäuden für Abstellzwecke |
In comparison
What is different in Hessen
Einziges Land, das die Grenzbebauung je Grenze über eine Wandfläche (25 m²) statt über eine Länge begrenzt – und einziges, das die Abstandsfläche auf volle 10 cm abrundet.
On the roof allowance: Dachflächen über 70° Neigung werden voll auf H angerechnet, Dachflächen über 45° zu einem Drittel. Das ist die Formel, die Ratgeber meist für ganz Deutschland behaupten – sie gilt in vier Ländern. This system is shared by 4 of the 16 states. The formula that guides usually claim applies across Germany — "over 70° in full, over 45° one third" — applies in only four.
All 16 states compared →Limits of this information
What this page does not answer
These figures reproduce the state building code. A local by-law, a development plan or a registered building encumbrance can set different dimensions — and there is no nationwide register of such by-laws. Only the building authority's own information is binding.
Also not covered: provisions in the development plan, registered building encumbrances, the duty of mutual consideration between neighbours, fire-safety distances, and whether a project is exempt from a permit.
And the most common error: exempt from a permit does not mean exempt from setbacks. A carport that needs no building application must still keep the setback areas.
Legal reference
Read the original
Hessische Bauordnung, § 6 HBO. Last amended: Änderung vom 14.10.2025, GVBl. 2025 Nr. 66.
HBO Stand Oktober 2025 (Broschüre des Wirtschaftsministeriums (PDF))
Other states
Setback areas and boundary building elsewhere
- Baden-Württemberg 0.4 H · 2.5 m
- Bayern 0.4 H · 3. m
- Berlin 0.4 H · 3. m
- Brandenburg 0.4 H · 3. m
- Bremen 0.4 H · 3. m
- Hamburg 0.4 H · 2.5 m
- Mecklenburg-Vorpommern 0.4 H · 3. m
- Niedersachsen 0.4 H · 3. m
- Nordrhein-Westfalen 0.4 H · 3. m
- Rheinland-Pfalz 0.4 H · 3. m
- Saarland 0.4 H · 3. m
- Sachsen 0.4 H · 3. m
- Sachsen-Anhalt 0.4 H · 3. m
- Schleswig-Holstein 0.4 H · 3. m
- Thüringen 0.4 H · 3. m