Reading and Ordering a Land Register Extract
The land register extract shows a property's legal situation — ownership, easements such as rights of way, mortgages, and annotations. This page explains what the extract contains, how to read it, and how to order it in the cantons of Zurich, Aargau, and Solothurn.
This page explains publicly accessible registers and does not constitute tax, legal, construction, or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional for legal or tax questions.
The land register extract is the authoritative source for a parcel's private-law encumbrances — precisely what the PLR cadastre does not show. Before you buy, it shows who owns the property and which third-party rights burden it.
The extract is organised into ownership (who owns the property and in what form), easements and land charges (rights of way, pipeline, or building rights), mortgages, and annotations and priority notices. Some of this data is public; for a full extract you must show a legitimate interest.
Source: Land register (Federal Office of Justice, bj.admin.ch) · Glossary: easement
In the Canton of Zurich you order the extract from the responsible municipal land registry or online via the cantonal portal. Public base data is available without proof; the detailed extract requires a legitimate interest. A fee applies.
In the Canton of Aargau the regional land registries keep the register. You order the extract from the responsible office; here too the full extract requires a legitimate interest and is subject to a fee.
In the Canton of Solothurn the land register sits with the cantonal geoinformation office. You order the extract there or from the responsible land-registry district; scope and fee depend on the interest shown.
Every fact in an alpflo report carries exactly one of these states — so you can see at a glance what's documented and what isn't.
Confirmed in an official Swiss register. Direct source.
Register queried; nothing on this parcel. The absence is documented.
Derived from a model or an API: real, but not directly from the register. Please verify.
Hit an edge case. Stated honestly at the boundary, never silently discarded.
What is the difference between the land register and the PLR cadastre?
The land register records private-law relationships — ownership, easements, mortgages. The PLR cadastre shows public-law restrictions such as zones and building lines. For a complete picture you need both.
Can I view any land register extract?
Only partly. Base data — owner, area, parcel number — is public. For the full extract with all encumbrances, you must show a legitimate interest.
How much does a land register extract cost?
The fee is set by canton and depends on scope and certification. A simple extract usually costs a few to a few dozen francs; the exact amount is stated by the responsible land registry.
What is an easement in the extract?
An easement is a third-party right recorded in the land register over the property — such as a right of way, pipeline right, or building right. It can restrict your use of the property and survives a change of owner.
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