Standardisation: ARE presents model structure for cantonal building laws

The Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (DETEC) was commissioned by the Federal Council to draft a model structure for a building law and to make it available to the cantons and municipalities. The aim is to standardize the cantonal building laws. According to the Federal Office for Spatial Development (ARE), this could make a significant contribution to improving the efficiency of construction.

The advantage of standardization, he said, is that - if cantonal building laws are the same or similarly structured - it becomes easier to search for and understand important building regulations across cantonal borders. In addition, standardized or similar cantonal building laws can lay a foundation for the standardization of the corresponding administrative and judicial practice. This would also serve legal and planning security.

The model structure presented by the ARE at the end of 2017 is basically the detailed table of contents of a building law, and in some subsections it also contains formulated normative texts and explanations. The Federal Office emphasizes that this is a recommendation: the model structure is to be understood as a kind of construction kit, whereby cantons can adopt the entire legislative structure or just individual parts.