- Every subsequent alteration needs its own comparison with the relevant documents.
- The digital building file does not contain every ongoing procedure or inspection record.
- A missing document is initially an unresolved question of evidence; it does not yet establish a final conclusion on permissibility.
Which documents you can obtain in Vienna
First search your own records for approved plans, decisions, alteration documents and completion documents for individual construction projects. Sort them by date and building component. A drawing without a recognisable connection to an official procedure may be a draft. Nor does a new sales floor plan or measured survey automatically document building-law status.
Owners, property managers and appropriately authorised persons can inspect approved plans at the MA 37 plan archive. The city requires an appointment and documents proving entitlement. For ongoing procedures, appointments with the responsible case officers are required. The archive also contains no electrical or water service plans; these must be obtained from other building records.
Foundations: Stadt Wien [1]
What a digital building file may leave unresolved
The City of Vienna offers a digital building file. According to the service description, it contains completed and approved construction projects with plans and decisions. Ongoing procedures, records of authorised construction status and monitoring records are not supplied. A digital folder is therefore not blanket proof of completeness for every building-law question concerning the house.
Keep a document index with date, file reference, affected floors and what each document establishes. Explicitly note any missing sheet or illegible plan. For a gap, ask about the specific project, such as a roof alteration from the suspected conversion period. This permits more targeted research than a general request for all house documents.
Foundations: Stadt Wien [2]
The comparison proceeds component by component
Take the plan to the inspection and assign fixed room or component numbers. Photograph discrepancies with reference to these numbers. Check external dimensions, floors, openings and use descriptions. Initially, this is a documented observation. Whether the discrepancy concerns a project requiring approval, a different procedure or an immaterial plan inaccuracy is assessed afterwards.
| Building component | Compare plan and reality | Next clarification |
|---|---|---|
| Extension or conservatory | Footprint, external walls, access, use | Find the corresponding approval or alteration documents |
| Attic floor | Room descriptions, roof shape, windows, stairs | Have residential use and completed alterations checked |
| Cellar | Storage or living rooms, natural light, room height | Check use against documents and technical prerequisites |
| Garage or outbuilding | Location, size, use | Clarify the separate construction project and any change of use |
| Terrace or ground levels | Height, retaining wall, canopy | Describe the discrepancy and ask the specific procedural question |
Foundations: RIS [3]
A discrepancy is a question with several possible answers
Taking account of other prescribed procedures, § 60 of the Vienna Building Code identifies, in particular, new buildings, extensions and conversions as projects requiring approval. This does not permit a complete remote classification of every garden house or internal alteration. Construction, timing and the applicable rules are decisive. Have an authorised professional examine the documented individual case.
Under § 129, the owner is responsible for use in accordance with approval. The provision also addresses rectifying non-compliant conditions. Long-standing use therefore cannot replace checking. Conversely, a plan that cannot immediately be found does not, by itself, prove that the existing construction is unlawful. Further files and historical documents may be needed to assess an old house.
How the valuation should deal with an unresolved existing position
Separate the evidenced existing property, observed discrepancy and conditional future solution. A professional preliminary review may find that missing evidence can be obtained, alterations are required or a desired use cannot be adopted. The valuation should state which assumption applies and which information could later change the result.
Avoid a blanket risk deduction unrelated to the unresolved question. Is the issue additional planning services, possible alteration costs, delay or loss of a use? These consequences differ. A cost estimate alone does not resolve permissibility. If a sale is approaching, bring the documented uncertainty into discussions with the valuer and contract adviser early so that the sales particulars and contract documents describe the same starting position.
Fictional case: attic space used as guest accommodation
For an invented house, an older approved plan shows an attic. On site, there are two furnished rooms and a small bathroom. No later project can be found in the owner's records.
- The rooms receive individual numbers, photographs and an area figure. The difference between the plan description and use is recorded in writing.
- The owner researches later construction projects and has the planning documents and actual construction checked. Furniture is not used as evidence of permissible residential use.
- Until clarification, the valuation dossier describes the attic rooms separately and identifies the unresolved assumption. A possible scenario for permissible residential use is calculated only after its prerequisites have been checked.
The result of the first review is a precise question of evidence. A value for established additional living area cannot yet be derived from it.
Your next assessment steps
Record what you have already clarified and which documents you still need.
Create a chronology of construction projects
Which plan belongs to which alteration?
Where can I obtain the supporting information?
Organise your own decisions and plan documents by date.
Clarify inspection entitlement and the archive route
Which documents can be obtained?
Where can I obtain the supporting information?
Check MA 37's current requirements for plan inspection or a digital building file.
Create a discrepancy list with photographs
How specifically does the inspected property differ from the plan?
Where can I obtain the supporting information?
Number building components and link them to references.
Have the unresolved procedural question checked professionally
Which use and existing construction can be substantiated?
Where can I obtain the supporting information?
Involve an authorised design professional and, if necessary, the responsible building authority.
Reading and checking are possible without signing in. Your saved checklists are private under My area. The selection does not confirm a professional assessment of your property.
Sources and date
The following sources support this main article. For your specific property, current documents and the applicable conditions matter.
- Stadt WienInspecting approved building plans in the building authority archive
- Stadt WienDigital building file: contents and application
- RISVienna Building Code § 60: applications for building permission
- RISVienna Building Code § 129: use, maintenance and non-compliant buildings, since 12 February 2026
Editorial date: 11/09/2026. Examples explain relationships and do not contain an individually prepared property valuation. Editorial work and sources.
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