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GuidePermittingGraubünden

PV permits Graubünden: 15 working days notification

Graubünden regulates roof-mounted solar systems through a notification rather than a building application. Under Art. 40b para. 1 of the cantonal spatial planning ordinance (KRVO), roof-mounted solar systems are subject to the notification duty set out in Art. 40a KRVO. In practice this means the project must be reported in writing to the municipal building authority before implementation. The authority then has 15 working days to notify any building permit requirement by way of an appealable ruling, while also stating whether the project falls under the ordinary or simplified procedure and whether additional permits are required. If that notification does not arrive, Art. 40a para. 3 KRVO applies: without a response within 15 working days, the owner may start work. Whether a roof system is permit-free at all is decided by the municipal building authority under Art. 40b para. 2 KRVO on the basis of federal law, which sets the standard of sufficient integration. The municipal level is therefore decisive in practice: municipalities may specify that even insufficiently integrated systems are permit-free in aesthetically less sensitive zones such as commercial and industrial areas, and conversely they may provide in their building law that systems on buildings under a specific protection or conservation regime always require a permit.

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Contents

Short answerAt a glanceDecision pointsSequenceChecklistFAQSources

Short answer

Do I need a building application for a roof-mounted solar system in Graubünden?

Guidance for owners in Graubünden who want to know before installation whether a notification is sufficient, when the 15-working-day deadline starts running and which municipal special rules could derail their project.

Important

The 15-working-day period is not a permit but a silence deadline: it only means the municipality has not imposed a permit requirement. Substantive law, municipal design rules and further permits remain unaffected, and the building authority may still open a procedure ex officio if there are indications of a violation. Since Graubünden regulates much at municipal level, the information from your own municipality is decisive. This page provides technical orientation and replaces neither that information nor legal advice.

At a glance

Key figures: PV permitting Graubünden

Key figures for PV permitting Graubünden, updated 02 August 2026
MetricValue
Procedure for roof systemsNotification duty instead of application (Art. 40b para. 1 KRVO)
Deadline15 working days from notification (Art. 40a KRVO)
If the municipality does not respondWork may begin (Art. 40a para. 3 KRVO)
ResponsibleMunicipal building authority
Permit-free facade areaup to 6.0 m² per facade inside, 2.0 m² outside building zones
Legal basisKRVO (BR 801.110), Art. 40, 40a, 40b

Decision points

What determines the right path.

The municipality is the decisive body: under Art. 40b para. 2 KRVO the municipal building authority assesses on the basis of federal law whether the system is sufficiently integrated and therefore permit-free.

Protection and conservation rules can trigger a permit requirement: under Art. 40b para. 4 KRVO municipalities may provide in their building law that solar systems on protected buildings always require a permit.

Commercial and industrial zones can be simpler: under Art. 40b para. 3 KRVO municipalities may determine that even insufficiently integrated systems are permit-free in aesthetically less sensitive zones.

Facade systems follow their own threshold: low-reflection facade solar systems built to the state of the art are exempt from the permit requirement up to 6.0 m² of absorber area per facade inside building zones and up to 2.0 m² outside building zones (Art. 40 para. 1 no. 16 KRVO).

Permit-free does not mean rule-free: under Art. 40 para. 3 KRVO an exemption from the permit requirement releases neither from compliance with substantive law nor from obtaining other permits, and the building authority may open a permit procedure ex officio if there are indications of a violation.

Sequence

How the project stays cleanly managed.

  1. 1

    Before planning, check the municipal building law and zoning rules for special provisions under Art. 40b paras. 3 and 4 KRVO for the zone or the building.

  2. 2

    Design the system so that the federal requirements on sufficient integration are met, since this is exactly what the municipality assesses.

  3. 3

    Notify the municipal building authority in writing before implementation begins (Art. 40a para. 1 KRVO).

  4. 4

    Wait out the 15 working daysif an appealable ruling arrives, follow the procedure it specifies; if none arrives, work may begin.

  5. 5

    In parallel, start the grid operator registration and the Pronovo application for the one-time payment, as these run independently of the building-law process.

Checklist

Questions to settle before the quote.

  • Submit the written notification to the municipal building authority before work begins
  • Understand the 15-working-day deadline and what happens if the authority stays silent
  • Clarify municipal special rules for protected buildings and for commercial and industrial zones
  • Distinguish the permit-free facade areas of 6.0 m² inside and 2.0 m² outside building zones

FAQ

More questions: PV permitting Graubünden

Sources

Official sources & references.

The responsible authorities are decisive. Always verify binding details – amounts, deadlines and conditions – for your specific property against the current status of the respective authority.

Continue

Relevant pages for the next step.

For Graubünden, you'll find matching services, regional projects and related guides that take you forward in practical terms.

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