Master workshop · made in Völkermarkt, Carinthia +43 676 6330344 office@ihrcarport.eu

Guide / Building law Austria

Carport planning permission in Austria: when is a notification enough?

If you have moved to Austria and want a carport, the first surprise is that there is no national rule: building law is state law. This overview explains the rules for Carinthia, Styria, Salzburg and Upper Austria, translates the key terms and lists the documents the municipality will ask for.

ALC Metalltechnik GmbH — Master metalworking business · As at 08/2026 · Updated on

In brief: In Carinthia a carport of up to 25 m² and 3.5 m height needs only a written notification to the municipality; in Styria up to 40 m² or two parking spaces a building notice is enough; in Upper Austria a carport between 15 and 50 m² needs a building notification; in Salzburg a carport is treated like a garage and needs a building permit whatever its size. As at 08/2026, without guarantee — your municipality (Gemeinde) has the final say.

Why there is no “Austrian” carport rule

Building law (Baurecht) is the responsibility of the nine provinces (Bundesländer); each has its own building code and thresholds, and the municipality acts as the building authority (Baubehörde). What they share is a three-tier system: some projects need a formal building permit (Baubewilligung), some are permit-free but must be notified before work starts — Bauanzeige, Baumeldung or Mitteilung depending on the province — and very small structures are entirely free. Legally a carport is a roof over a parking space: open, without the walls of a garage. That openness earns it the easier treatment — and closing it in can change the rules.

The four provinces at a glance

The table summarises the rules as at 08/2026 — a simplification, not a substitute for the law. The authoritative answer always comes from your municipal building office (Bauamt).

Province Legal basis Free or notification Building permit
Carinthia (Kärnten) Kärntner Bauordnung 1996, § 7 up to 25 m² per residential building and 3.5 m height: written notification (Mitteilung, colloquially Bauanzeige) above 25 m² or 3.5 m
Styria (Steiermark) Steiermärkisches Baugesetz, § 21 up to 40 m² roofed area and two parking spaces per building plot: building notice (Baumeldung) above 40 m² or from three parking spaces
Salzburg Baupolizeigesetz 1997, § 2 no size exemption — a covered parking space counts as a garage, which the exemption for small ancillary structures excludes practically every carport
Upper Austria (Oberösterreich) Oö. Bauordnung 1994, §§ 24–26 up to 15 m² on building land: free; above 15 up to 50 m²: building notification (Bauanzeige) above 50 m²

One detail matters in practice: the areas are counted per residential building or building plot, not per carport — an existing covered parking space is added to the new one.

What this means for our three standard sizes

Applied to our three standard sizes, this is the procedure to expect; exact dimensions and roof areas are on the product pages.

Model Carinthia Styria Salzburg Upper Austria
Single carport (one car) notification building notice building permit notification
Double carport (two cars) building permit (above 25 m²) building notice building permit notification
Carport for three cars building permit building permit (three spaces) building permit at the 50 m² limit — permit if in doubt

Styria and Upper Austria are the generous ones: there both the single and the double carport get by with a notification. In Carinthia the double carport already needs a permit, in Salzburg every size does. A permit is not a rejection — it means more paperwork and a longer lead time.

Notification step by step

  1. Contact the municipality

    A short call or e-mail to the building office clarifies the zoning (Flächenwidmung), the development plan (Bebauungsplan) and the forms the municipality wants — many offer them online.

  2. Compile the documents

    Site plan with the carport and the distances to the boundaries, a dimensioned drawing, a short building description — our drawings and data sheets are made for this.

  3. Submit in writing and wait

    Hand in the notification before you start building. The authority checks the project and can prohibit it; build only once it has replied or the statutory period has expired.

  4. Build and document

    Foundations to plan, installation, photos for your own records.

The documents you will need

  • Site plan (Lageplan) — a cadastre extract with the carport drawn in and the distances to boundaries and buildings,
  • drawing with floor plan, elevations and dimensions — we provide one for every model,
  • building description (Baubeschreibung): hot-dip galvanised steel structure, trapezoidal sheet roof, point footings,
  • plot number and cadastral municipality (Katastralgemeinde).

For a permit procedure a submission plan (Einreichplan) by an authorised planner (befugter Planverfasser) is added. We supply the technical basis: dimensioned drawings, structural key data with the 250 kg/m² snow-load rating and the foundation plan — snow load is a question Alpine building authorities like to ask, as our snow load guide explains.

Distances, neighbours and side panels

All four provinces require minimum distances to neighbouring plots, with exceptions for single-storey ancillary structures that can allow building close to or on the boundary. Whether that works on your plot is decided by the development plan and the municipality — in Salzburg, building near the boundary generally needs the neighbours' consent. Our advice: talk to the neighbours early, even where the law does not require it.

A carport remains a carport as long as it stays predominantly open. If several sides are closed completely, it can legally turn into a garage, for which stricter limits apply — in Carinthia, for instance, a closed garage is permit-free only up to 16 m². State any planned side panels in the notification so the authority assesses them straight away.

Timing: permit, production and installation

A notification usually takes a few weeks, a permit procedure several weeks to a few months. Order the carport once the procedure is under way: our production time is approx. 4 weeks, so procedure and manufacturing run in parallel. Our own team installs within 350 km of our works in Völkermarkt — check your postcode on the installation page. The foundation is built on your side; the foundation guide explains what is involved.

Detailed guides in German

Each province has a detailed German-language guide with the full procedure and practical tips — useful for a German-speaking partner, planner or the building office:

Please note: This article presents the legal situation in simplified form (as at 08/2026, without guarantee) and is not legal advice. The binding information always comes from your municipality or building authority. The foundation and any notification or permit are on your side.

Frequently asked questions about carport planning permission in Austria

Do I need planning permission for a carport in Austria?

It depends on the province, because building law is state law. In Carinthia (up to 25 m²), Styria (up to 40 m² or two parking spaces) and Upper Austria (15 to 50 m²) a written notification to the municipality is enough for the usual sizes, while in Salzburg a carport is treated like a garage and needs a building permit regardless of size. As at 08/2026, without guarantee — your municipality has the final say.

What is the difference between a Bauanzeige and a Baubewilligung?

A Bauanzeige (or Baumeldung, Mitteilung) is a written notification: you tell the municipality what you intend to build, the authority checks it and may prohibit it within a set period, but you receive no permit. A Baubewilligung is a formal building permit granted by decision (Bescheid) after a full procedure, usually with a submission plan drawn up by an authorised planner. In both cases you wait for the outcome before building.

Which documents does the municipality usually ask for?

Typically a site plan (Lageplan) with the carport and the distances to the boundaries, a dimensioned drawing and a short building description. We supply drawings and a technical data sheet with the 250 kg/m² snow-load rating for every model, which you can attach as they are.

What happens if I build a carport without notifying the authority?

Building without the required notification or permit is an administrative offence (Verwaltungsübertretung) in every province, even if the carport itself would have been admissible. The authority can impose a fine and order retrospective legalisation or, in the worst case, removal. The notification costs little effort in advance; fixing it afterwards costs a great deal more.

How close to the neighbour’s boundary may a carport stand?

All four provinces have minimum distances to neighbouring plots, with exceptions for single-storey ancillary structures such as carports that can allow building close to or on the boundary. Whether that applies to your plot depends on the development plan (Bebauungsplan) and the municipality, which checks exactly this point during the procedure.

Does a carport with side panels still count as a carport?

Usually yes, as long as the structure remains predominantly open. If several sides are closed completely, it can legally become a garage, for which stricter limits apply — in Carinthia, for instance, a closed garage is permit-free only up to 16 m². State planned side panels in the notification or application so that the authority assesses them at the same time.

Sources & legal basis

External sources retrieved on 23 Aug 2026. Laws each in the consolidated version of the Austrian Legal Information System (RIS), standards via Austrian Standards. Information without guarantee.

Further reading

Related guides

The big decision

Carport or garage? The honest comparison

Cost, planning permission, ventilation, corrosion protection and value retention compared — and when each solution really pays off.

Reading time approx. 7 minutes

250 kg/m² snow load tested

Next step

A carport for your plot in Austria

Made in Völkermarkt, hot-dip galvanised in Carinthia, rated for 250 kg/m² snow load — with all the documents for your notification or permit. Installed by our own team.

See carports & prices

Ask a question — we reply personally