Abstandsflächen in Thüringen
In Thüringen the depth of the setback area is 0.4 H, at least 3. m. The governing provision is § 6 ThürBO. 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 ThürBO requires
| Standard factor | 0.4 H |
|---|---|
| Minimum depth | 3. m |
| Commercial and industrial zones | 0.2 H – gilt auch für gewerbeähnliche Sondergebiete |
| Central area | no separate rule — the standard factor applies |
| Roof allowance | Das Land kennt keine anteilige Dachanrechnung. Die Wandhöhe H wird stattdessen unmittelbar an der Dachhaut bzw. abschnittsweise ermittelt. H wird lotrecht von jedem Punkt der Wandoberkante oder der Dachhaut ermittelt. |
| Special rule for residential buildings | 3 m genügen für ALLE Gebäude der Gebäudeklassen 1 und 2 mit höchstens drei oberirdischen Geschossen – nicht nur für Wohngebäude. |
Work it out yourself
Calculating Abstandsflächen in Thüringen
Set eaves height, roof pitch, building depth and distance to the boundary — the required depth is calculated under § 6 ThürBO as you go. The roof allowance is what stands out: the same building yields different values of H across the 16 states.
Under § 6 ThürBO
The setback area extends 0.80 m beyond the boundary. 3.80 m would be 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 Thüringen 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 Thüringen.
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 Thüringen 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 | die Grenzbebauung steht in § 6 Abs. 7, nicht wie sonst in Abs. 8. Die 18 m fassen die Nummern 1, 2 und 4 zusammen. Dächer bis 45° erzeugen im Grenzfall keine Abstandsfläche; Terrassen bis 1 m sind privilegiert. |
| Habitable rooms and fireplaces | Aufenthaltsräume und Feuerstätten ausgeschlossen |
In comparison
What is different in Thüringen
Die 3-Meter-Regel gilt für alle Gebäude, nicht nur für Wohngebäude – Thüringen ist damit bei Nebengebäuden großzügiger als jedes andere Land.
On the roof allowance: Das Land kennt keine anteilige Dachanrechnung. Die Wandhöhe H wird stattdessen unmittelbar an der Dachhaut bzw. abschnittsweise ermittelt. 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
Thüringer Bauordnung, § 6 ThürBO. Last amended: ThürBO vom 02.07.2024, GVBl. S. 298; Änderung vom 06.07.2026 (GVBl. S. 150), § 6 Abs. 7 unberührt.
GVBl. Thüringen Nr. 9/2024 (Gesetz- und Verordnungsblatt (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
- Schleswig-Holstein 0.4 H · 3. m