Property Map

The Cadastral Map is the graphical component of the official cadastral register and shows the exact location, shape, and size of all parcels of land in a specific area-including building outlines, roads, water bodies, and land-use boundaries. It is the cartographic counterpart to the descriptive cadastral register and, together with it, forms the cadastral register. In Bavaria, the cadastral map is now maintained as digital geodata in the official Cadastral Information System (ALKIS).

Content and Structure of the Cadastral Map

The cadastral map contains parcel boundaries with coordinates, parcel numbers, building outlines (building perimeters), land use types such as residential, commercial, agricultural, or forested areas, as well as roads and water bodies. The official coordinate reference system (ETRS89/UTM) is used. For standard cases, a scale of 1:1,000 or 1:2,000 is sufficient; more precise extracts are required for boundary determinations and surveys. In Bavaria, the State Office for Digitalization, Broadband, and Surveying (LDBV) provides the cadastral map.

The building outlines on the cadastral map show the actual development and are updated following new construction or demolition. They are important for verifying whether an existing building has been fully approved and whether additions or outbuildings are registered in the cadastre. Missing entries may indicate unauthorized construction work.

Uses in Real Estate Practice

The cadastral map is required for nearly every real estate transaction:

• As an attachment to the purchase agreement at the notary’s office, to identify the parcels of land to be transferred
• During zoning plan reviews - land use plans and zoning plans refer to the cadastral map as their basis
• For building permit applications where an official site plan must be submitted
• For financing purposes when the financing bank establishes a land charge
• For market value appraisals by experts
• In boundary disputes between neighbors to clarify the exact parcel boundaries

Buyers should compare the cadastral map with the land register extract before purchasing to ensure that all parcels are correctly recorded and that there are no boundary encroachments. Particularly with older buildings in established settlement structures, the actual situation on the ground may differ from the mapping.

Site Plan vs. Cadastral Map

Cadastral maps and site plans are often confused. The difference is relevant for building permit applications:

• Cadastral Map: Official geodetic data without individual planning dimensions; shows the current state of the cadastre
• Official site plan (for building applications): A drawing prepared by a surveyor or architect based on the cadastral map, supplemented with planned buildings, dimensions, elevation data, and distances to the property line

For a building application in Bavaria, an official site plan is generally required, which must be commissioned from a publicly appointed surveyor. Simple property map printouts are not sufficient as application documents.

Practical Tip for Property Owners in Nuremberg and Franconia

In Nuremberg and the Franconia metropolitan region, the property map can be ordered through the Bavarian Surveying Office (via the LDBV online shop or the GeoPortal Bayern). The official cadastral map extract is subject to a fee; simple overview extracts are often available free of charge to property owners in the BayernAtlas. Before purchasing a property, we always recommend obtaining a current extract-older maps from real estate listings may be outdated and may not reflect restructuring, demolitions, or new construction.

In small Franconian towns and villages around Nuremberg (Lauf an der Pegnitz, Schwaig, Feucht, Wendelstein), historically developed parcel divisions with irregularly shaped parcels are common. Here, it is worth taking a close look at the cadastral map before purchasing: Boundary lines that are not visible in the natural landscape (e.g., boundaries between two parcels running beneath buildings that belong to the same property) may become relevant in the event of a later property division or development.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where do I request a cadastral map in Bavaria?

In Bavaria, you can obtain official extracts from the cadastral map from the State Office for Digitalization, Broadband, and Surveying (LDBV) via the BayernAtlas online shop or directly from the relevant surveying office. The Office for Geoinformation and Land Use Planning (AGB) is responsible for Nuremberg. Extracts can also be ordered via the LDBV’s online platform and delivered as a PDF.

How much does an extract from the cadastral map cost?

The cost varies depending on the scale, map sheet, and intended use. For a simple cadastral map extract at a scale of 1:1,000, the cost is generally between 10 and 30 euros. Higher fees apply for officially certified extracts, such as those required for notaries or building permit procedures. The site plan for a building application, prepared by a surveyor, costs between 300 and 1,500 euros, depending on its scope.

Is the cadastral map the same as a site plan?

No. The cadastral map is an official document and shows only the current state of the property. A site plan is a drawing prepared by an architect or surveyor for building permit procedures; it is based on the cadastral map but includes additional information such as contour lines, planned building outlines, and planning dimensions.

How can I tell from the cadastral map whether a plot of land may be developed?

The cadastral map shows only the current status and does not provide direct information about permitted building rights. Building rights are determined by the zoning plan or (in unzoned inner-city areas) by Section 34 of the German Building Code (BauGB). However, the cadastral map serves as the basis for verifying setback distances, the floor area ratio (FAR), and buildability, which the architect calculates in the building application.

How up-to-date is the cadastral map, and how often is it updated?

The timeliness of the cadastral map depends on how promptly changes-new constructions, demolitions, property divisions, or mergers-are recorded in the cadastre. In Bavaria, owners, builders, and notaries are required to report changes to the surveying office. After a new building is constructed, an application for building surveying must be submitted; in Bavaria, the deadline is generally six months after completion. Nevertheless, delays occur: In Nuremberg, cadastral maps from the BayernAtlas occasionally show building statuses that are one to two years old. For legally secure transactions-especially when purchasing property or during building permit procedures-we always recommend ordering an official, up-to-date extract directly from the Office for Geoinformation and Land Management in Nuremberg (AGB) or via the LDBV online shop. Only officially certified extracts are accepted as the basis for documents at the notary’s office or as building permit documentation.

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