Abstandsflächen in Nordrhein-Westfalen
In Nordrhein-Westfalen the depth of the setback area is 0.4 H, at least 3. m. The governing provision is § 6 BauO NRW 2018. 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 BauO NRW 2018 requires
| Standard factor | 0.4 H |
|---|---|
| Minimum depth | 3. m |
| Commercial and industrial zones | 0.2 H |
| Central area | 0.25 H – zu öffentlichen Verkehrs-, Grün- und Wasserflächen gilt in Kerngebieten und urbanen Gebieten 0,2 H |
| 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. |
| Special rule for residential buildings | 3 m genügen für Wohngebäude der Gebäudeklassen 1 und 2 mit höchstens drei oberirdischen Geschossen. |
Work it out yourself
Calculating Abstandsflächen in Nordrhein-Westfalen
Set eaves height, roof pitch, building depth and distance to the boundary — the required depth is calculated under § 6 BauO NRW 2018 as you go. The roof allowance is what stands out: the same building yields different values of H across the 16 states.
Under § 6 BauO NRW 2018
The setback area lies entirely on the plot. 3.00 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 Nordrhein-Westfalen 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 Nordrhein-Westfalen.
Worked through
Worked examples at a glance
Depth = 0.4 × H, but never less than 3. 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 | 3. m |
| 4.5 m | 0.4 × 4.5 = 1.8 m → minimum applies | 3. m |
| 6.5 m | 0.4 × 6.5 = 2.6 m → minimum applies | 3. 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 Nordrhein-Westfalen 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 | 9. m |
| Total length along all boundaries | 18. m |
| Additional conditions | seit 01.01.2024 18 m statt 15 m gesamt. Für Gebäude ohne Aufenthaltsräume gilt zusätzlich eine Grenze von 30 m³ Brutto-Rauminhalt – für Garagen gilt sie nicht. |
| Habitable rooms and fireplaces | Aufenthaltsräume ausgeschlossen; Feuerstätten bis 28 kW und Wärmepumpen sind ausdrücklich zulässig |
In comparison
What is different in Nordrhein-Westfalen
Das einzige Land mit einem festen Kerngebietsfaktor von 0,25 H. Wer diesen Wert der Musterbauordnung zuschreibt, zitiert falsch – die MBO kennt keine Kerngebietsregel. Und als einziges Land nennt NRW Wärmepumpen an der Grenze ausdrücklich zulässig.
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
Bauordnung für das Land Nordrhein-Westfalen, § 6 BauO NRW 2018. Last amended: Änderung vom 21.07.2026, GV. NRW. S. 537, in Kraft 01.09.2026 (Absätze 5 und 8 unverändert).
BauO NRW bei recht.nrw.de (Gesetzestext)
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
- Hessen 0.4 H · 2.5 m
- Mecklenburg-Vorpommern 0.4 H · 3. m
- Niedersachsen 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