The PLR Cadastre Explained Simply
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The PLR cadastre (public-law restrictions on landownership, ÖREB) is the official record of the binding restrictions on a parcel — from the building zone and building lines to the noise-sensitivity level. It is free to consult for every affected parcel on cadastre.ch and shows you, when checking a property, what applies to the land and what does not.
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.
Why the PLR cadastre matters when checking a property
When you assess a property, you want to know what is allowed on the land. The PLR cadastre answers exactly that for the binding public-law restrictions — before you even book an appointment at the land registry.
What is the PLR cadastre?
The PLR cadastre (public-law restrictions on landownership) is the official record — binding on the authorities — of the restrictions that apply to a parcel. It brings together data from the Confederation, the canton, and the municipality in one place, and it is available for every recorded parcel on the federal portal cadastre.ch.
Source: PLR Cadastre (cadastre.ch) · Glossary: ÖREB · Checklist step 2: check the PLR cadastre · Guide: find the EGRID
Which restrictions does it show?
The cadastre is organised into themes — among them land-use zoning (building and use zones), building lines, noise-sensitivity levels, groundwater protection zones, contaminated sites, and forest and watercourse setbacks. Which themes apply to a parcel depends on its location; the underlying geodata is also viewable on geo.admin.ch.
Binding, but developed differently by canton
The PLR cadastre is run canton by canton. Not every canton has digitised every theme yet, and for a given theme or parcel a machine-readable extract can come back empty even though a restriction exists. alpflo reports such a case as “Could not resolve” rather than reading it as “no restriction”.
Source: PLR Cadastre (cadastre.ch)
What the PLR cadastre does not replace
The cadastre shows public-law restrictions — not private-law ownership. Easements such as rights of way, building rights, or usufruct are recorded in the land register, not the PLR cadastre. For the complete set of encumbrances on a parcel you need both sources.
Source: Zurich Cantonal Land Registry (zh.ch) · Glossary: Easement · Guide: PLR Extract or Land Register?
The four honesty states
Every fact in an alpflo register brief carries exactly one of these states.
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.
Frequently asked questions about the PLR cadastre
What does ÖREB / PLR mean?
ÖREB (public-law restrictions on landownership, in French RDPPF) are binding restrictions on real property — such as use zones, building lines, watercourse setbacks, or noise-sensitivity levels. The PLR cadastre records them officially.
Is the PLR cadastre free?
Yes. An extract from the PLR cadastre is free to consult for every recorded parcel on the federal portal cadastre.ch. A canton may charge a fee for an officially certified extract.
Is the PLR cadastre the same as the land register?
No. The PLR cadastre shows public-law restrictions (zones, lines, setbacks). Private-law encumbrances such as easements and mortgages are in the land register. For a complete picture you need both.
Does the PLR cadastre work the same across Switzerland?
The cadastre is regulated nationally but run by each canton. So not every theme is digitised to the same extent in every canton — for some parcels or themes a machine-readable extract can (still) come back empty.
Read next
What the public registers hold for an address — the parcel, the PLR cadastre, building data — alpflo compiles on request into a register brief for a specific property, every fact with its official source. Invoiced. A brief is written in German or French, for a German- or French-speaking commune — there is no English edition.
On request · invoiced · every fact with its source.