Property & Building
How long does a Baugenehmigung take?
Estimated wait
2 months – 1 year
Typically ~4 months
Based on published sources
Timeline guide
- Faster cases~3 months
- Average cases~4 months
- Slower casesUp to 1 year
The deadline clock only starts when the building authority confirms your documents are COMPLETE — every follow-up request (Nachforderung) resets it, which is why real waits far exceed the headline months. A Genehmigungsfiktion (deemed approval) or a notification-only procedure applies only to specific project types, not to a normal full permit.
In practice a full building permit commonly takes about 2–3 months in the simplified procedure and 3–6 months in the standard procedure once complete documents are filed — but in busy metros such as Munich, real waits reach 8–18 months. The statutory decision deadlines (roughly 1–3 months depending on the Bundesland and procedure) are legal limits, not the normal duration.
More details
Every German state has its own building code, so both the deadline and the real wait differ sharply by region.
Sources
Last updated: 10 Jul 2026
Information is for general knowledge only.