Building permit duration in Switzerland: 140 to 230 days
- Simon Käslin
- Aug 3, 2025
- 8 min read
Updated: 56 minutes ago
In brief:
In Switzerland it takes an average of 140 to 230 days for a building permit to be granted. In cities such as Zurich or Geneva it can take up to a year, while smaller municipalities are faster. What is decisive is not only the location but also the quality of the building application, the complexity of the project and the way the authorities and the neighbours are dealt with. This article explains the building permit duration in Switzerland canton by canton, which factors influence the procedure and how you can actively shorten it.
Would you like to avoid delays in the procedure?
A project that is reviewed before submission often saves months and therefore costs too.
1. What is the average building permit duration in Switzerland?
The time needed to obtain approval in Switzerland has risen noticeably over the past ten years. While it took an average of around 83 days in 2010, by 2023 various studies (among them UBS, Avenir Suisse and ZKB) already put the duration at 140 to 160 days, and the trend is still upwards.
For complex building projects such as apartment buildings, densification projects or special uses (commercial premises, for example), the procedure often extends beyond 200 days. Initial figures for 2024 even point to an average of up to 230 days, around 7.5 months.
The trend is clear: building permits take longer and longer, and that is so even though fewer building applications are being submitted across Switzerland. The reason therefore lies not in the volume but in the increased complexity of the procedures.
2. Why do approval times differ so much between the cantons?
Switzerland is organised as a federal state. Each of the 26 cantons has its own building acts, ordinances and procedures. In some cantons the procedure runs entirely at municipal level, in others cantonal offices are involved or even take the lead. Practice on objections, preliminary reviews and responsibilities is also regulated differently from canton to canton.
Smaller, rural cantons such as Glarus or Schwyz often work more efficiently because the administrative routes are shorter, fewer parties are involved and fewer objections are filed. In large cities such as Zurich or Geneva, by contrast, many specialist offices, legal services and external experts are usually involved. On top of that comes a higher objection rate, which can delay the process considerably.
An overview:
Glarus: historically one of the fastest cantons (under 100 days)
Schwyz: 2 to 4 months is realistic under good conditions
Zurich (city): up to 12 months for larger projects
Geneva: the slowest of them all (up to 500 days)
Aargau: in the lower half of the field, around 5 months on average
3. How long does a building permit take in Zurich?
In the canton of Zurich, and above all in the city, a building permit often takes considerably longer than elsewhere. While around 200 days pass on average in the rest of the canton, in the city of Zurich it is not unusual for it to take 8 to 12 months.
This is due to several factors:
The city is densely built up, which brings a high risk of conflict with neighbours
There are no objection hearings, so everything goes straight to the building appeals court
The administration is chronically overloaded
Complex procedures require preliminary reviews, expert opinions and technical reports
More than 1000 appeals are filed each year, and the trend is rising
The city of Zurich distinguishes three procedures in principle:
Notification procedure (smaller projects, a conservatory for example): around 2 months
Fast-track procedure (conversions without major impact): 3 to 4 months
Long procedure (apartment buildings, new builds): 6 to 12 months
Important: before the actual procedure there is a preliminary review of 21 days. If documents are missing, this deadline starts again. That can extend the procedure by weeks very quickly.
4. How long does a building permit take in the canton of St. Gallen?
St. Gallen was long regarded as an example of efficiency. As recently as 2013 to 2017 the median approval time was only 98 days, a top figure for Switzerland.
In recent years, however, the picture has changed. The duration of the procedure has risen sharply. Construction practitioners today report 5 to 7 months, above all for more complex projects. The causes include:
densification within the existing building stock, which brings more objections
additional review steps and requirements
growing coordination effort between municipality and canton
Individual municipalities still manage to deal with simple applications quickly, but in many cases the days of the three month permit are over.
5. How long does it take in the canton of Schwyz?
The canton of Schwyz is one of the faster regions in Switzerland. In small municipalities simple building projects are often approved within 2 to 3 months. For larger projects such as apartment buildings, 4 to 6 months is realistic, provided there are no objections and no complex conditions.
The following factors have a positive effect:
short objection period of 20 days
the digital eBau platform, which simplifies submission of the application
manageable municipal administrations with clear responsibilities
Delays occur above all with incomplete applications or when several specialist offices are involved (environment, transport or heritage conservation, for example).
6. Why does a building permit take so long in Aargau?
The canton of Aargau comes in for regular criticism: the permit procedures are said to be too long, too complicated and too poorly coordinated.
The duration averages about 5 to 6 months, and individual procedures take considerably longer. In extreme cases a building application can be blocked for over a year when objections, missing documents or conflicts of jurisdiction arise.
One basic problem is the large number of parties involved. Specialist offices at municipal, district and cantonal level have to be coordinated, which leads to long waiting times. A political initiative submitted in 2025 calls for the entire procedure to be shortened to 90 days. So far it has not been implemented.
7. Which factors influence the duration of a building permit procedure?
The most important influencing factors:
Completeness of the building application → incomplete documents lead to queries and corrections → delay: 2 to 6 weeks
Type and size of the building project → larger, complex projects need more review time, external expert opinions and clarifications → delay: 1 to 3 months
Objections from neighbours → objection = hearing or court proceedings → delay: 3 to 12 months
Regional differences and statutory procedures → depending on the canton, an objection hearing or immediate referral to the court (as in Zurich)
Workload of the authority → with too many applications or too little staff, processing times get longer, with no guaranteed deadline
8. What can clients do to speed up the procedure?
There are several levers you can influence yourself:
Preliminary discussion with the municipality: make contact early so that open questions can be clarified
Careful building application: submit plans and forms completely, cleanly and clearly
Involve the neighbours: communicating early massively reduces the risk of objections
Project optimisation before submission: a professional outside view can identify building law risks, loss of floor area or potential objections at an early stage
Strategic timing of submission: avoid holiday periods or times with a high volume of applications
9. What happens if the building permit is delayed?
Delays are not just annoying, they also have clear financial consequences:
Cost increases: building materials and interest rates often rise over the course of the year
Delayed income: letting or sale cannot start
Loss of contracts: options or rights of purchase can lapse
Planning uncertainty: architects, construction management and the general contractor lose their time frame
A delay of just 6 months can, depending on the project, cause damage running into five figures. It is therefore worth investing time in careful preparation.
10. How does project optimisation help before the building application?
Professional project optimisation of the kind raumwert plus offers helps on several levels:
Formal certainty: all documents complete and plausible
Building law review: use of the full potential (boundary setbacks, utilisation ratio or building lines, for example)
Floor area optimisation: more saleable area for the same volume
Reduction of construction costs: simplified structure, choice of materials, site access
Avoiding objections: analysis of potential conflicts with neighbours or authorities
The earlier this optimisation takes place, the more there is to gain, whether floor area, time or money.
11. Conclusion: building permits are complex but manageable
Anyone who is well prepared saves time, money and nerves. In many cases the quality of the building application decides whether a project can start within 3 months or only after a year.
Make use of the options you have:
Find out about the cantonal differences
Talk to the municipality
Prepare your application thoroughly
Get a second opinion from experienced professionals
Plan enough time, but do not lose any unnecessarily
12. Frequently asked questions about building permit duration
What building permit duration should clients expect today? On average in Switzerland it takes around 140 to 230 days for a building permit to be granted. In 2010 the average was still around 83 days, and by 2023 the duration was already 140 to 160 days. For complex building projects such as apartment buildings or densification projects, the procedure often extends beyond 200 days.
Why does the duration of the procedure differ so much from canton to canton? Switzerland is organised as a federal state and each of the 26 cantons has its own building acts, ordinances and procedures. In smaller, rural cantons such as Glarus or Schwyz the administrative routes are shorter, fewer parties are involved and fewer objections are filed. In large cities such as Zurich or Geneva, by contrast, many specialist offices, legal services and external experts are often involved.
Which types of procedure does the city of Zurich use and how long do they take? The city of Zurich distinguishes three procedures: the notification procedure for smaller projects at around 2 months, the fast-track procedure for conversions without major impact at 3 to 4 months, and the long procedure for apartment buildings and new builds at 6 to 12 months. Before that comes a preliminary review of 21 days. If documents are missing, this deadline starts again and the procedure quickly extends by weeks.
How does the canton of Schwyz compare? Schwyz is one of the faster regions in Switzerland. In small municipalities simple building projects are often approved within 2 to 3 months, and for larger projects such as apartment buildings 4 to 6 months is realistic. The short objection period of 20 days, the digital eBau platform and manageable municipal administrations with clear responsibilities all have a positive effect.
How much do objections and incomplete documents extend the procedure? Incomplete documents lead to queries and corrections and delay the procedure by 2 to 6 weeks. Larger, complex building projects need 1 to 3 months longer because of additional review time, expert opinions and clarifications. Objections from neighbours weigh heaviest: they lead to a hearing or to court proceedings and delay the project by 3 to 12 months.
What does a delayed building permit cost financially? A delay of just 6 months can, depending on the project, cause damage running into five figures. Building materials and interest rates often rise over the course of the year, letting or sale cannot start and options or rights of purchase can lapse. It is therefore worth investing time in careful preparation.
Would you like to avoid delays in the procedure?
A project that is reviewed before submission often saves months and therefore costs too.
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