BauGB

BauGB, short for Bundes-Baugesetzbuch, is the German Federal Building Code. It provides the central legal framework for spatial planning and building activity in Germany. The act governs how land is planned, developed, and regulated, and how planning decisions are prepared, amended, and reviewed by municipalities and higher authorities. It seeks to balance private development, public interest, and environmental protection within orderly urban growth.

Bauleitplanung comprises two main instruments: the Flächennutzungsplan (land-use plan), which sets the long-term use of land, and the Bebauungsplan (development plan), which translates the land-use plan into concrete building and land-use requirements for specific areas. Together they guide zoning, building density, green spaces, infrastructure, and public services. The actual building-permit procedure is carried out under state building codes, but the BauGB provides the framework for permit decisions and the implications of planning decisions.

Procedural rules in the BauGB cover participation: public involvement, hearings, and access to planning documents; requirements for consultations with neighboring authorities and the environment-related assessments. The law also addresses environmental protection, nature conservation, and historic preservation to ensure sustainable development.

History and status: The BauGB was enacted in 1960 in West Germany as part of postwar urban planning reforms and has since been amended repeatedly, including after reunification and in response to EU law. It remains the central reference for planning and development decisions in Germany, with its detailed application carried out through state-level building and planning regulations.

See also: Flächennutzungsplan, Bebauungsplan, Bauleitplanung, Bauordnung (state-level).