On Oct. 9, 2025, the German parliament (Bundestag) adopted the Act to Accelerate Residential Construction and Secure Housing (Gesetz zur Beschleunigung des Wohnungsbaus und zur Wohnraumsicherung, Act). The Act’s objective is to speed up planning and permitting procedures for the housing construction and to give municipalities and developers more flexibility. The Act entered into force on Oct. 30, 2025.
Construction Turbo
The cornerstone of the Act is the so-called construction turbo introduced in section 246e para. 1 of the Federal Building Code (Baugesetzbuch, BauGB). The new provision makes it possible for housing projects to deviate from existing planning law. However, any such deviation is subject to the respective municipality’s approval, safeguarding the municipalities’ planning sovereignty (Planungshoheit). The municipality may grant the approval if no significant impact on the environment or neighborhood is expected. Such approval cannot be replaced by an approval of the next-higher authority in lieu of the municipality.
If the municipality decides to apply the construction turbo, additional housing may be approved without the need to draw up or amend a zoning plan. This means that housing may be constructed without any zoning plan at all, making it possible to build new homes quickly and flexibly. As the construction turbo is mainly geared towards inner-city areas, it only has limited application in outer areas (Außenbereich). In outer areas, it can only be applied if the envisaged housing is immediately adjoining existing settlements.
Even with the construction turbo in place, developers still need to obtain a building permit according to the respective federal state’s building code (Bauordnung). However, federal states may introduce their own mechanisms to fast-track building permit procedures. For example, Berlin has already introduced such instruments through the Berlin Act for Faster Construction (Schneller-Bauen-Gesetz), which came into force on Dec. 22, 2024. The construction turbo may serve as a further accelerator for (indirectly) speeding up permit procedures because building authorities may be able to skip the review of whether there are interests that conflict with planning requirements. Instead, their review would be limited to matters of building law, particularly fire safety.
The construction turbo only applies until Dec. 31, 2030. The Federal Ministry for Housing, Urban Development, and Building (Bundesministerium für Wohnen, Stadtentwicklung und Bauwesen) plans to evaluate the impacts of the construction turbo by the end of 2029, particularly regarding its effect on creating additional housing.
Further Amendments
In addition to the construction turbo, the Act has amended also several related provisions to accelerate construction projects:
- Exemptions from existing zoning plans: Pursuant to the new section 31 para. 3 BauGB, additional housing projects may now be approved in areas already covered by a zoning plan even if such approval goes beyond what the zoning plan stipulates. This will particularly concern stipulations regarding size of use (Maß der baulichen Nutzung). This mechanism might make the need to draw up a new zoning plan superfluous, provided that the project fits in with the urban environment and does not conflict with public interests.
- More discretion on noise protection: The new section 9 para. 1, no. 23a BauGB facilitates establishing noise protection regulations. Municipalities can now set specific emission limits and deviate from the requirements laid down in the Technical Guidelines on Noise Control (Technische Anleitung zum Schutz gegen Lärm – TA Lärm) in “justified cases.” The aim is to find pragmatic solutions to noise conflicts that arise in connection with inner-city developments, thereby unlocking additional housing potential.
- Exemptions for building in unplanned inner areas: Pursuant to the new section 34 para. 3b BauGB, residential buildings may now be constructed in unplanned inner areas even if they do not fully fit in with the surrounding development. The purpose of this is to make better use of available space and facilitate new projects, especially in cities with limited building land.
- Extension of conversion ban: Not directly connected to the construction turbo, the Act also contains one additional regulatory tightening: The ban on converting residential apartments in condominiums (Umwandlungsverbot) in distressed housing markets pursuant to Sec. 250 BauGB was extended for another five years to 2030.
Conclusion
The construction turbo reflects the government’s determination to accelerate new housing construction. The temporary provisions aim to give municipalities and developers practical tools to respond swiftly to the tight housing market, without compromising municipal planning sovereignty. Municipalities are free to decide whether to make use of the construction turbo. Therefore, it remains to be seen whether the construction turbo and its accompanying measures will unlock the envisaged housing potential. Much will depend on how the municipalities will fill the new provisions “with life” and grant the required approvals. Unlike in usual planning procedures, there are no established processes in the municipalities for the new procedures.
In any case, the construction turbo should be regarded as a short-term measure rather than a substitute for fundamental reforms in construction and planning law. The Act only constitutes an initial step to facilitate construction. It would need to be followed up by cutting red tape in other regulatory fields (e.g. rent price law) and providing appropriate fundings schemes for housing development.