Apply for planning permission for structures near the freeway

Are you planning a construction project near the highway, for example laying cables, radio towers or advertising structures? Even if you do not require a building permit for this project, you must apply for a road permit.

In the vicinity of federal trunk roads under federal administration, you always require a road permit for your construction projects, which can be issued following a road law assessment by the Federal Highway Authority (FBA). This applies to all freeways as well as selected sections of federal highways in city states outside of the local thoroughfare. This ensures that road users are not distracted from the traffic situation or that there are no other safety risks to the flow of traffic.

Your construction project can be, for example

• Laying cables for telecommunications systems
• Erection of radio towers
• advertising installations

You require approval under road law for the construction restriction zone, which extends

• 40 to 100 meters from the asphalt edge for freeways
• 20 to 40 meters from the asphalt edge for federal roads

If your construction project does not require approval under the applicable state building regulations, apply to the FBA for approval under road law.

There is a no-build zone directly adjacent to trunk roads, in which you are generally not permitted to erect any buildings or carry out large-scale excavations and fills. The FBA can only issue an exceptional building permit for this.

• Construction and operational description of the respective project with details of:
  • Construction method
  • Emissions and immissions, for example
    • Smoke development
    • vapors
    • noise
    • Light effects on traffic and glare
    • vibrations
• Site plan at a scale of 1:500 or 1:1,000 with
  • marked edge of carriageway and name and number of the federal trunk road
  • marked cultivation prohibition and cultivation restriction zone
  • marked outer edges of the structure
  • specific dimensions
    • Distance of the project from the edge of the carriageway
    • Size of the structure
• Geodata
• if available: Copy of the building application
• if you are carrying out the building project on behalf of the client, you must provide a power of attorney

Depending on the individual case, you may be asked to submit further documents, for example

• Proof of visibility relationships
• visualizations
• cadastral extracts
• expert opinions

The following documents are also required for line relocations:

• Construction and operating description and data sheet:
  • Type of pipes and installation method
  • Construction and construction processes
  • Specification of the operating kilometers of the highway
  • Details of the parcel and parcel number
  • Elevation and position of the pipeline in the terrain
  • if lines cross the federal highway or main road: Cross-section

The following documents are also required for radio towers:

• Construction and operating description:
  • Floor plan and cross-section as well as view of the radio mast or radio tower including foundation, including height information
  • Structure of the installation
  • Construction and operating procedures
  • Description of ancillary facilities such as fences or transformer stations
  • Access to the project, for example for maintenance purposes or transportation
  • If the transformer stations are located in the immediate vicinity of the freeway facilities, details of fire prevention and firefighting in the event of a fire without increased risks for road law issues, if applicable

The following documents are also required for advertising facilities:

• Details of the advertised business
• Proof, for example with a photomontage or other visualization, that the advertising installation
  • is designed to be glare-free
  • is not oversized
  • does not interfere with official signage
  • has an unobtrusive color scheme
  • only contains the company name or logo
• Information on other advertising installations in the immediate vicinity

• You are planning a construction project in the cultivation restriction zone, which is between 40 and 100 meters from the main road. You must apply for a special permit for closer areas.
• You have checked whether you need planning permission.
• You have checked whether you need the approval of Autobahn GmbH as the road construction authority.

• Objection
• Complaint

• You can apply for approval online or in writing.
• If you submit the application in writing, send an informal application with all the necessary documents by post to the Federal Roads Authority (FBA).
• If you submit the application online, you can:
  • as a private individual via your BundID account
  • register as a company with your "My company account"
  • as a guest without registration
• You complete the online application and upload the required documents directly into the input mask:
  • in PDF, JPG or PNG format
  • with a maximum file size of 10 MB
• Communication with the FBA takes place online via a secure mailbox.
• If you have registered as a guest, complete the application online. Further communication with the authority usually takes place by post.
• If there are any objections to your application, you will be given the opportunity to submit a statement. Here you can state in writing the reasons why you believe your project should be approved.
• Once your application has been assessed by the FBA, you will receive a notice of approval or a notice of rejection.
• In addition, it may be necessary to involve the road construction authority, i.e. the federal highway authority, for example for the laying of cables.

There are no costs.

In some cases, your project will require prior approval, for example

• Building permit
• Permit in accordance with the Federal Immission Control Act
• permit under mining or water law

In this case, you apply for this permit from the competent authority, which then obtains the approval of the FBA. You no longer need to contact the FBA yourself.