New NRW state building regulations: Building will be easier and faster

Building in North Rhine-Westphalia is becoming easier and building permits are being granted more quickly. The new state building regulations passed by the state parliament come into force on Tuesday (September 1st). This means that many previous building regulations will no longer apply in the future. In particular, the conversion of existing buildings that are no longer in use should be made easier in order to create more living space. This is the new “BauCode NRW”:

Everything is just digital

The digital building application will become standard. The previously required written form has been gradually abolished since 2019 and is now being abandoned entirely.

No more DIN regulations

Until now, how many sockets there should be in a room had to be regulated down to the smallest detail. This is now over: 90 percent of the DIN regulations no longer have to be observed in the future. The consideration of the so-called recognized rules of technology is limited to the observance of safety regulations. This means that only ten percent of the approximately 4,000 building standards are still mandatory under building regulations.

End of the double measurement requirement

To date, builders have often been burdened with two measurements, even though the data from the building regulations already meet the requirements of the property cadastre. This double building measurement will be abolished. By using digitally collected building data and the nationwide “XBau” standard, information can be transferred automatically and, according to estimates, surveying costs can be reduced by around 20 percent.

Build faster with the approval fiction

There is a simple process behind the complicated term: the developer can get started in the future if the responsible authority has not granted approval quickly enough. If a decision on a building application is not made within the statutory deadline, approval is deemed to have been granted under certain conditions. The regulation applies to building applications submitted from September 1, 2026.

Reconstruction in existing buildings

The conversion of previously commercially used properties such as office buildings and empty shops is made easier, as is adding another floor to a building. This is intended to create more living space.

The new state building regulations reduce numerous requirements for existing components. The requirements for daylight, additions and the handling of approved existing buildings will be made more practical, and testing and verification requirements will be reduced. Building permits are no longer required for the conversion of attics for residential purposes, including the construction of dormer windows.

No building permit for e-charging stations

Building permits are no longer required for the construction of e-charging stations and ancillary technical systems such as transformers. This is also not necessary when building ground-mounted solar systems. The necessary facilities for setting up the hydrogen core and distribution network as well as for the transport and storage of carbon dioxide (CO2) are also exempt from approval. In agriculture, building permits for temporary protection of plants and animals up to four meters high as well as for composting facilities and silos will no longer be required in the future.

This applies to military installations

The building permit process is also no longer required for new buildings, renovations and expansions of military installations. Monument protection is being relaxed. This applies to state or federal properties that serve state or alliance defense, but also the federal police or civil defense or disaster control as well as accident relief. This also includes universities sponsored by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, university hospitals and student unions.