Find undeveloped building land in Switzerland

Bauland-Scout analyses Switzerland’s official cadastral survey and land use planning and identifies building-zone plots that are undeveloped in these data. They are automatically cross-checked against the Federal Register of Buildings and Dwellings (GWR) and underground structures, and with available planning application data (per canton, where available; otherwise the dossier states ‘Planning application data not available’ and that cross-check has not been made). This produces 40'552 undeveloped plots in 18 cantons, automatically cross-checked against official registers, whether or not a plot is advertised for sale. Whether and how building is permitted is for the municipal building authority to say.

The page Building land by municipality shows, for every municipality covered, how many undeveloped plots in the building zone the official data show, broken down by zone and with the date of data retrieval. In the cantons covered at plot level, the search then shows each plot with its zone and approximate location; the dossier names the plot and gives all the details.

Land prices depend heavily on the municipality, location and zone, so we do not quote a single figure for an entire canton. Where official price statistics exist (currently in the cantons of ZH, TG and BL), the dossier contains an indicative price for the individual plot, with the source and the method used. It is a modelled value, not a valuation and not an offer. For the other cantons we have no current public statistics per municipality; you can enquire about a guide value at the municipality, the land registry office, a bank (for example your cantonal bank) or a valuation office.

The competent authority is the land registry office of the canton or of the municipality where the plot is located. You can find out there who owns a plot, in principle without proof of interest (Art. 970 para. 2 Swiss Civil Code), and in some cantons also online for individual plots. For further information, such as easements, the office requires proof of interest. Bauland-Scout does not provide owner data and makes no bulk enquiries; every dossier names the competent office and the route to an individual enquiry.

The plot number and plan are shown on your canton’s geoportal (GIS) or on the federal map viewer, map.geo.admin.ch. A purchased Bauland-Scout dossier contains the plot number, area, zone, site plan and aerial photo with the plot boundary from the official cadastral survey, plus a link to the official cadastral plan, for information only, not an extract. You can obtain a certified cadastral extract (land register plan) from the surveyor responsible for updating the survey or from the land registry office.

The canton’s GIS browser or geoportal shows all official maps for a place you look up yourself. Bauland-Scout combines official geodata from the cantons and the Confederation (official cadastral survey, zoning plan, buildings register, PLR cadastre, available planning applications) and filters out the plots in the building zone that are identified as undeveloped in these data, for entire municipalities and cantons, with a dossier for each plot. It replaces neither the cantonal geoportal nor the legally binding PLR cadastre.

Plot, zone and restriction data come exclusively from official sources: the official cadastral survey (geodienste.ch), cantonal land use planning (for GL, TI, as a substitute, the 2022 federal zoning status, harmonised and not legally binding; source: Federal Office for Spatial Development ARE, cantonal spatial planning offices), the Federal Register of Buildings and Dwellings (GWR), the PLR cadastre, the official gazette portal and swisstopo. Distances to local amenities come from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL); development potential, price and cost figures are our own modelled values based on official data and statistics. All information is for guidance only and not binding on landowners (an orientation, not legally binding information).

18 cantons at plot level (AG · AI · AR · BE · BL · BS · FR · GE · GL (2022 zoning status, federal) · GR (partial) · SH · SO · SZ · TG · TI (2022 zoning status, federal) · UR · ZG · ZH) with a full dossier per plot. 18 cantons with vacant lots (at plot level), plus individual dossiers per plot in NE, plus a zone overview in JU · LU · VS. Gaps are honestly declared; details on the Scope of services page.

A single plot dossier costs CHF 60. Any three dossiers, also from different municipalities, cost CHF 140 as a 3-pack, compared with CHF 180 for three single dossiers (you save CHF 40). A municipality package costs at most CHF 350, a district CHF 1'500, an entire canton CHF 3'500. All covered regions (currently 18 cantons): on request. The lower price always applies: if you choose three dossiers, you pay the 3-pack, never the flat rate. All prices are in CHF and are final prices. Bauland-Scout is not registered for VAT; no VAT is charged. Private buyers pay by TWINT or card without an account; companies with a business account can also order on invoice.

No. Bauland-Scout is not an estate agent and not a listings portal: it neither sells nor brokers land. It shows where undeveloped building land is located and provides a dossier for each plot. Whether a plot is sold is for the owners alone to decide; you make contact yourself, through the official route.

Listings portals such as ImmoScout24 or Homegate only show plots that are already for sale. The canton’s PLR portal provides, for a plot you already know, an official PDF extract of the public-law restrictions on landownership; map.geo.admin.ch shows the official maps. Bauland-Scout adds an area-wide search for candidate plots and its own analyses: it filters the official data for building-zone plots identified as undeveloped and provides a dossier for each plot. Valuation services and plot analysis tools assess a plot you already know: what it is worth or what may be built on it. Bauland-Scout starts one step earlier and helps you find undeveloped plots in the first place.

No. Bauland-Scout automatically cross-checks the plots against the buildings register, underground structures (underground car parks) and, per canton where available, published planning applications; where no planning application data exist, this cross-check has not been made. Critical cases are clearly marked ‘Status uncertain’. We only count plots as vacant lots if a building envelope of at least 200 m² remains after a boundary distance of 3.5 m; small gardens next to built-up plots and largely paved areas do not count. Even then a plot may turn out to be a garden or car park on site: check the aerial image in the dossier and ask the building authority. Whether a plot is sold is for the owners alone to decide.

The guarantee applies from a building with a footprint of 12 m². A small structure with a registered area of less than 20 m² that is shown in the preview before purchase as recorded in the buildings register and is mentioned in the dossier is excluded, because you know about it before buying. Conditions: Terms and Conditions, section 7a.

Bauland-Scout counts plots without a recorded building in the building zone. Every plot is also checked on the aerial image (swisstopo) and in the official cadastral survey. «Aerial image checked: nothing noticeable» means that no building and no installation was detected on the aerial image (except small structures under 12 m²) and that no building of 12 m² or more is recorded in the official cadastral survey; trees and shrubs are possible. «Aerial image checked: to be clarified on site» means that at least one circumstance calls for a check, for example a garden or a paved area; the dossier lists every reason. The mark is an indicative value and does not replace a site visit or information from the building authority. How the check works and what the samples showed is explained on the Method page.

The acquisition of real estate in Switzerland by persons abroad is in principle subject to restrictions and may require authorisation (Federal Act on the Acquisition of Real Estate by Persons Abroad, BewG, «Lex Koller»). Exceptions are decided by the cantonal authority. This is not legal advice.

Under the Federal Act on the Acquisition of Real Estate by Persons Abroad («Lex Koller»), the following may buy without authorisation: Swiss citizens; EU and EFTA nationals with lawful and actual residence in Switzerland; nationals of other countries holding a valid C settlement permit. Nationals of other countries holding a B residence permit with lawful and actual residence in Switzerland may acquire, without authorisation and at their place of residence, a dwelling or a plot for their own main residence (Art. 2 para. 2 let. b of the Act): in their own name, a single dwelling unit, lived in by themselves and not let; for building land, construction must start within about one year. The area must not exceed what is required for use as a main residence; for plots exceeding 3000 m², the land registry office generally refers you to the authorisation authority for assessment. Other acquisitions by persons abroad generally require authorisation. Status November 2026: a proposed revision would require authorisation for acquisitions of a main residence by persons abroad that are currently exempt; it is not in force. If in doubt, ask the cantonal authorisation authority before buying. Source: Federal Office of Justice. This note is not legal advice. General information: persons abroad.

No. Bauland-Scout does not sell land, it sells dossiers: reports on undeveloped plots in the building zone, with zone, area, restrictions and the official route to the owners. Whether a plot is for sale is an open question; that is for the owners alone to decide. You agree any purchase directly with them. In Switzerland, buying land requires a notarised deed (public certification) and entry in the land register.

The page Building land by municipality or the search shows you where undeveloped plots in the building zone lie in your municipality. The dossier for a plot sets out the zone, area, restrictions and the competent land registry. The land registry tells you who owns the plot, and you can then contact the owners personally. Whether they want to sell is an open question. What may be built, and how, is decided by the municipal building authority.

Yes. The page For property owners explains what Bauland-Scout shows (approximate location and zone, no names of owners) and where the data comes from. There you can ask that your plot no longer appears in the search, report an error or request information under the Data Protection Act. So that nobody can have someone else's plot removed, we check before removing it whether the plot belongs to you or whether you represent the owners.