Katasteramt

Katasteramt is the government office responsible for the cadastral system in many German-speaking countries. It forms part of the land administration and is charged with maintaining the official record of land parcels, their boundaries, and related attributes. The office supports property transactions, planning, taxation, and environmental or development projects by providing accurate geospatial data about real estate.

The primary function of a Katasteramt is to manage the Liegenschaftskataster, which includes parcel boundaries, parcel numbers, area measurements, land use, and sometimes building footprints. It records changes such as subdivisions, mergers, or boundary adjustments and keeps cadastral maps (often called the cadastre) and linked data up to date. The Katasteramt issues official extracts (Katasterauszüge) that confirm parcel boundaries and characteristics for use in transactions and planning. In many jurisdictions, cadastral data are closely coordinated with the land register (Grundbuch), which records ownership and encumbrances; the two systems support property rights and legal certainty.

Organization and naming vary by country and region. The Katasteramt may be a department within a municipality, a state or cantonal agency, or a specialized Vermessungs- or Liegenschaftsamt. Public access to cadastral maps is common, with extracts often available for a fee. Some data are openly accessible as geospatial information, while ownership details may be restricted for privacy reasons. The Katasteramt thus serves as a foundational element of land administration, providing authoritative, up-to-date spatial data for public and private use.