Gerichtsbezirk

Gerichtsbezirk is a legal term used in German-speaking jurisdictions to denote the territorial area for which a particular court or court division holds authority. It defines the geographic scope within which a court can exercise its jurisdiction and perform official acts such as receiving filings, serving notices, and issuing decisions.

The boundaries of a Gerichtsbezirk are established by law and typically follow municipal borders or administrative units. They are set by the relevant national or state statutes governing the judiciary and can be changed through legislative reforms or administrative reorganization of districts. Each court, such as an Amtsgericht (local court) or a higher court, has one or more Gerichtsbezirke depending on its size and function.

Practically, the Gerichtsbezirk determines where a case must be filed and which court will hear it. Unless a different jurisdiction is legally provided (for example due to the defendant's domicile or the place of performance), proceedings generally belong to the court within whose Gerichtsbezirk the matter falls. The concept is related to, but distinct from, the broader notion of jurisdiction (Gerichtsstand), which also concerns applicable law and special grounds for hearing a case.

In Austria and parts of Switzerland, the term is used similarly to indicate cantonal or district court jurisdiction; while the specifics differ by country, the underlying idea remains the same: a defined geographic area under a particular court's competence.