Abstandsflächen in Rheinland-Pfalz
In Rheinland-Pfalz the depth of the setback area is 0.4 H, at least 3. m. The governing provision is § 8 LBauO. 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 § 8 LBauO requires
| Standard factor | 0.4 H |
|---|---|
| Minimum depth | 3. m |
| Commercial and industrial zones | 0.25 H |
| Central area | in Kerngebieten steht es im Ermessen der Behörde, weniger als 0,4 H zuzulassen |
| 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. ein Giebeldreieck von 8 m × 4 m bleibt außer Betracht. |
Work it out yourself
Calculating Abstandsflächen in Rheinland-Pfalz
Set eaves height, roof pitch, building depth and distance to the boundary — the required depth is calculated under § 8 LBauO as you go. The roof allowance is what stands out: the same building yields different values of H across the 16 states.
Under § 8 LBauO
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 Rheinland-Pfalz 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 Rheinland-Pfalz.
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 Rheinland-Pfalz 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 | 3.2 m |
|---|---|
| Length per boundary | 12. m |
| Total length along all boundaries | 18. m |
| Additional conditions | 3,20 m mittlere Wandhöhe und 12 m je Grenze – beides großzügiger als in den meisten Ländern. Die 18 m gesamt sind nicht nachbarschützend. Dachneigung zur Grenze höchstens 45°, ein Giebel an der Grenze höchstens 4 m über Gelände; das Privileg reicht bis 3 m Grenzabstand (seit 01.11.2025 § 8 Abs. 8, vorher Abs. 9). |
| Habitable rooms and fireplaces | Aufenthaltsräume und Feuerstätten ausgeschlossen |
In comparison
What is different in Rheinland-Pfalz
Der Gewerbefaktor ist 0,25 H statt der sonst üblichen 0,2 H – und die Grenzbebauung ist mit 3,20 m Höhe und 12 m je Grenze die großzügigste im Bund.
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
Landesbauordnung Rheinland-Pfalz, § 8 LBauO. Last amended: Änderung vom 22.09.2025, GVBl. S. 549, in Kraft 01.11.2025; Änderung vom 19.11.2025 (GVBl. S. 672) betrifft § 8 nicht.
Synopse zur LBauO Rheinland-Pfalz (Synopse des Ministeriums (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
- Hessen 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
- 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