Switzerland has strict zoning and construction laws. Federal land use planning laws (LAT) were first proposed in 1979. Since becoming law they have been through a number of modifications. A successful vote in 2013 tightened zoning rules further. This week, SRF reported on two houses that ended up on the demolition list.
Despite municipal construction approval, certain homes are on the hit list. One in the canton of Ticino has already been demolished and another in Valais is headed for demolition.
The common thread in both of these cases is Switzerland’s strict Federal land use planning laws (LAT). These federal laws are applied by the cantons. But for decades, some municipalities, particularly in the cantons of Valais and Ticino, interpreted the federal zoning laws differently to the cantonal authorities. In some cases, the consequences are harsh.
20 years ago, Urs Trachsel bought an old farm house in Val Colla, above Lugano in Ticino. He then decided to renovate after obtaining approval from the municipality. After investing his savings and CHF 700,000 of mortgage money in the project, everything was going well. Then his municipality merged with Lugano, the municipality next door, and the canton intervened, deeming his property to be outside the allowable building zone. He was eventually forced to demolish his house after being told that he should have known that cantonal approval was required. To make matters worse, he recently received a CHF 280,000 bill for the cost of demolition. Now a pensioner, he is facing bankruptcy.
Bernard Dubosson, a chalet owner in Morgins, Valais is facing a similar nightmare. 30 years ago he built a family chalet on the edge of the forest. After obtaining building permission from the municipality he has now been told by the canton that his chalet is outside the allowable building zone. After years of legal challenges his chalet is set to be demolished. He says he did nothing wrong. If the municipality had not granted a permit his chalet would not exist, he said. Unlike Trachel, Dubosson continues to fight. He has filed a lawsuit against the municipality and proceedings continue.
Sara Martinez-Bravo, head of the Valais cantonal building commission told RTS that these cases are rare and take a long time to conclude. However, this will be of small comfort to those required to tear down their houses. The take-away is clear however. Municipal building approval isn’t enough. Always check with the cantonal authorities before considering any building project.
More on this:
SRF article (in German)
A history of LAT (in French) – Take a 5 minute French test now
For more stories like this on Switzerland follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
Full story here Are you the author?
You Might Also Like
The global brands artificially inflating their prices on Swiss versions of their websites
2025-03-14
It is well known that the Swiss are overcharged for nearly everything. However, when products are being sent from a warehouse outside Switzerland one would expect the pre-tax price to be the same. This is rarely the case. The Romande Consumer Federation (FRC) has looked at a number of brands and found unjustifiable price differences as high as 93%.
© Casimirokt | Dreamstime.com
The FRC found an average price difference of +35% on clothing, sportswear, white goods, video games, furniture and consumer electronics when comparing identical products on different geographic versions of the same website.
H&M was ranked highest on the FRC’s naughty step with a +93% pre-VAT price difference over prices charged for the same products in France. These companies are artificially and
Swiss rent cuts possible following fall in reference rate
2025-03-07
Every three months the Federal Housing Office (FHO) adjusts the reference rate used to set rents in many rental contracts. If it goes down some renters have the right to request a decrease in rent. This time it dropped 0.25% to 1.50%.
Swiss economic growth slowed in 2024
2025-02-17
Switzerland’s economic growth slowed last year
Keystone-SDA
Listen to the article
Listening the article
Toggle language selector
English (US)
Swiss to spend around CHF300 on Christmas gifts
2024-12-05
More
Swiss federal prosecutor files charges for intent to blow up ATMs
This content was published on
Dec 5, 2024
The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland has filed charges against five men for planning to blow up and rob ATMs.
Read more: Swiss federal prosecutor files charges for intent to blow up ATMs
More
Amnesty calls on Switzerland to exert pressure on Israel
Swiss to vote on healthcare funding rule changes
2024-11-23
The rising cost of Switzerland’s compulsory health insurance is a major political issue. The government has hatched a plan aimed at improving incentives in the hope it will reduce the seemingly never ending rise in health insurance premiums. However, a number of people sceptical of the plan’s ability to deliver the saving have organised a vote against it, which takes place this weekend.
Lausanne public transport to go all-electric by 2030
2024-10-07
The additional investment required to decarbonise the Lausanne fleet is around CHF130 million ($152 million).
Keystone-SDA
Listen to the article
Listening the article
Toggle language selector
English (US)
Tags: Featured,newsletter,Personal finance,Politics,Property
