Abstandsflächen in Schleswig-Holstein
In Schleswig-Holstein the depth of the setback area is 0.4 H, at least 3. m. The governing provision is § 6 LBO. 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 LBO requires
| Standard factor | 0.4 H |
|---|---|
| Minimum depth | 3. m |
| Commercial and industrial zones | 0.2 H – gilt nicht an den Grenzen zu Gebieten anderer Nutzung |
| Central area | no separate rule — the standard factor applies |
| Roof allowance | Dachflächen über 70° Neigung werden voll angerechnet, über 45° nur zu einem Viertel – günstiger als die verbreitete Drittel-Regel. |
| 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 Schleswig-Holstein
Set eaves height, roof pitch, building depth and distance to the boundary — the required depth is calculated under § 6 LBO as you go. The roof allowance is what stands out: the same building yields different values of H across the 16 states.
Under § 6 LBO
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 Schleswig-Holstein 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 Schleswig-Holstein.
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 Schleswig-Holstein 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 | mittlere Wandhöhe über der festgelegten Geländeoberfläche; die 18 m fassen die Nummern 1, 2 und 4 zusammen. Nach der Vollzugsbekanntmachung sind bei giebelständiger Grenzgarage die Giebelflächen einzubeziehen. Eine abknickende Grenze zählt als zwei Grenzen. |
| Habitable rooms and fireplaces | Aufenthaltsräume und Feuerstätten ausgeschlossen |
In comparison
What is different in Schleswig-Holstein
Eine abknickende Grundstücksgrenze zählt als zwei Grenzen – wer an einer Ecke baut, bekommt dadurch zweimal 9 m statt einmal.
On the roof allowance: Dachflächen über 70° Neigung werden voll angerechnet, über 45° nur zu einem Viertel – günstiger als die verbreitete Drittel-Regel. This system is shared by 2 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 Schleswig-Holstein, § 6 LBO. Last amended: Änderung vom 20.03.2024, GVOBl. S. 445, in Kraft 05.07.2024; Neubekanntmachung GVOBl. S. 504.
Vollzugsbekanntmachung zur LBO Schleswig-Holstein (Vollzugsbekanntmachung (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
- 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
- Thüringen 0.4 H · 3. m