Does a container need a building permit? Germany, Saxony
In Germany, Saxony the governing measure is gross volume. A container whose gross volume stays within 75 m3 falls into the simplified route and is handled as a no filing. Above that line the full building-permit procedure applies. The basis is Sächsische Bauordnung (SächsBO) in der Fassung der Bekanntmachung vom 11. Mai 2016 (SächsGVBl. S. 186), zuletzt geändert durch Artikel 1 des Gesetzes vom 1. März 2024 (SächsGVBl. S. 169), § 61 Abs. 1, in the version of 2016-05-11. The statute is quoted word for word further down this page, in the original language and in translation, so you can check the figure without leaving the site. The authority to contact is Untere Bauaufsichtsbehoerde.
What are the thresholds?
| Measure | Value | When this number applies | Provision |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross volume, outside the Aussenbereich | 75 m3 | Applies to a building outside the Aussenbereich. The provision attaches no condition about habitable rooms, toilets or fireplaces, so an office or sanitary container is verfahrensfrei below this line, as in Bavaria and unlike Brandenburg. The separate 80 m3 figure applies only to charging stations serving public transport. | § 61 Abs. 1 Nr. 1 Buchst. a |
| Minimum boundary setback | 3 m | The depth of the setback area is 0.4 H, at least 3 m; in commercial and industrial zones 0.2 H suffices, again at least 3 m. At container wall heights 0.4 H is well under three metres, so the floor governs. The same rule as Brandenburg. | § 6 Abs. 5 Satz 1 |
The statute, word for word
Gebäude mit einem Brutto-Rauminhalt von bis zu 75 m³ und von bis zu 80 m³ für Ladestationen, die der Elektromobilität des öffentlichen Nahverkehrs dienen, außer im Außenbereich
buildings with a gross volume of up to 75 m3, and of up to 80 m3 for charging stations serving the electric mobility of local public transport, except in the Aussenbereich
- Act
- Sächsische Bauordnung (SächsBO) in der Fassung der Bekanntmachung vom 11. Mai 2016 (SächsGVBl. S. 186), zuletzt geändert durch Artikel 1 des Gesetzes vom 1. März 2024 (SächsGVBl. S. 169)
- Provision
- § 61 Abs. 1 Nr. 1 Buchst. a
- Version of the act
- In force from
- Text retrieved
Die Tiefe der Abstandsflächen beträgt 0,4 H, mindestens 3 m.
The depth of the setback areas is 0.4 H, at least 3 m.
- Act
- Sächsische Bauordnung (SächsBO) in der Fassung der Bekanntmachung vom 11. Mai 2016 (SächsGVBl. S. 186), zuletzt geändert durch Artikel 1 des Gesetzes vom 1. März 2024 (SächsGVBl. S. 169)
- Provision
- § 6 Abs. 5 Satz 1
- Version of the act
- In force from
- Text retrieved
Do you need a permit or is a notification enough?
Saxony, like Bavaria and Brandenburg, has no notification step here: a project is either verfahrensfrei or it needs a building permit. A container up to 75 m3 outside the Aussenbereich is verfahrensfrei regardless of whether it has a habitable room.
Verfahrensfrei sind
The following are procedure-free
- Act
- Sächsische Bauordnung (SächsBO) in der Fassung der Bekanntmachung vom 11. Mai 2016 (SächsGVBl. S. 186), zuletzt geändert durch Artikel 1 des Gesetzes vom 1. März 2024 (SächsGVBl. S. 169)
- Provision
- § 61 Abs. 1
- Version of the act
- In force from
- Text retrieved
Who do you contact?
Untere Bauaufsichtsbehoerde. The lower building supervisory authority of the district or of a town with its own jurisdiction. The governing statute is the Sächsische Bauordnung, not a federal act.
What documents will you need?
- For a verfahrensfrei project nothing is filed. Responsibility for complying with the substantive rules stays with the developer.
- Evidence of conformity with the Bebauungsplan where one exists for the plot.
- A gross-volume calculation demonstrating the 75 m3 line.
- A site plan with the § 6 setback areas where the works sit near a boundary.
How do the neighbouring jurisdictions compare?
| Jurisdiction | Built-up area | Gross volume | Height | Boundary setback | Do you need a permit or is a notification enough? | Does the exemption cover an office container? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germany, Saxony | The statute states no fixed figure | 75 m3 | The statute states no fixed figure | 3 m | No filing | Yes |
| Slovakia | 50 m2 | The statute states no fixed figure | 5 m | 2 m | Notification | Yes |
| Czechia | 40 m2 | The statute states no fixed figure | 5 m | 2 m | Full permit | Yes |
| Poland | The statute states no fixed figure | The statute states no fixed figure | The statute states no fixed figure | Not yet verified | Notification | Yes |
What to watch out for
- Three German states, one number, two rules. Bavaria, Saxony and Brandenburg all say 75 m3, but Bavaria and Saxony attach no habitable-room condition while Brandenburg requires a building without habitable rooms, toilets or fireplaces. An office container is therefore verfahrensfrei below 75 m3 in Saxony and Bavaria and is not verfahrensfrei at any volume in Brandenburg. Comparing the numbers alone groups all three together and gets one of them wrong.
- The 80 m3 figure in the same sub-paragraph does not concern containers. It applies expressly only to charging stations serving the electric mobility of local public transport.
- The source is the full-text PDF of the current version from the REVOSax portal. The current-version page links to it directly and states the text is valid from 19 March 2024, with no repeal notice of any kind. The PDF breaks a page in the middle of the § 61 sentence, so whole header and footer lines were removed from the extraction by script. The raw text stays on disk beside the cleaned one, so any citation traces back to the PDF.
Please note
This is guidance, not legal advice. The thresholds are quoted verbatim from the statute in force on the date shown, but an individual plot can be subject to a zoning plan, a protection zone or heritage rules that are not reflected here. Confirm your case with the named authority before you order.