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Austria · Shelter standards

What rules apply to shelters in Austria?

Austria has no national shelter standard. Upper Austria's building code still requires shelters in some new buildings; Burgenland's 1985 ordinance is still listed.

Updated 2026-10-28· 14 official sources· Auf Deutsch lesen

Short answer. Austria has no national shelter standard: shelters are a matter for the nine states' building codes, and the Interior Ministry gives no technical requirements 1. A few state rules remain. Upper Austria's building code still requires shelters in new buildings where people must stay during a war or disaster under alarm or deployment plans 2. Burgenland's 1985 shelter ordinance is still listed in the official legal database, but the law that kept it in force was repealed in 2013 510.

Who sets shelter rules in Austria?

The states. In February 2026 the Interior Ministry repeated that regulating the installation and design of shelters belongs to the states under Article 15(1) of the Federal Constitution, "im Rahmen ihrer jeweiligen Bauordnungen" (within their building codes), and declined to answer questions on technical minimum requirements 1. The old Austrian standard on shelter equipment, ÖNORM S 6070, is marked as withdrawn 14.

What does Upper Austria require?

Section 48 of the Upper Austrian Building Technology Act 2013 reads: when a new building is erected in which, under the relevant alarm or deployment plans, people must stay during a war or disaster, shelters must be built large enough to hold those people and the equipment they need 2. The same act defines a shelter as a room that gives sufficient protection against fragments, debris and explosions, and against radiation and airborne pollutants 3. It allows the state government to name by ordinance the buildings concerned and any exemptions 4; we found no such ordinance in force.

This is not a duty for ordinary homes. It applies only to buildings named in alarm or deployment plans 2.

Is Burgenland's 1985 ordinance still valid?

Unclear. The Burgenland Shelter Ordinance (LGBl. Nr. 27/1985) appears in the state's consolidated law with no end date. It required basic shelter measures when new buildings for longer stays were built, unless a community shelter was available within 300 m 5. It aimed at protection for up to two weeks without outside supply, with a protection factor of 0.004 (1/250 of outdoor radiation) 6. It set places per building type, for example 2 per one-room flat and 95% of pupils and teachers in a school 7. At final inspection, the builder had to prove compliance with attestations from licensed firms 8.

The 1997 Building Act kept this ordinance in force "als landesgesetzliche Regelung" 9. That section 6 was deleted by LGBl. Nr. 11/2013 10. Before relying on the ordinance, ask your municipal building authority whether it still applies.

What do other states say?

  • Vorarlberg: land may be expropriated to build public shelters when one is urgently needed and cannot otherwise be built 11.
  • Tyrol: emergency plans for schools, kindergartens, hospitals and care homes must state where any shelters are 1213.

Can I use these rules to build my own shelter?

No. They set legal duties, not a design method. A shelter project needs a structural engineer and your municipal building authority. Phaenyx gives no construction instructions. See building a shelter in Austria and our guide to the protection factor.

Frequently asked questions

Is there an Austrian shelter certification?

No national one. The Interior Ministry points to the states' building codes 1, and ÖNORM S 6070 is withdrawn 14.

Must a new house in Upper Austria have a shelter?

Only if it is a building where people must stay during a war or disaster under alarm or deployment plans 2.

Where can I read these texts?

In the Federal Legal Information System (RIS), under each state's consolidated law 2511.

Sources

  1. Bundesministerium für Inneres / Parlament Österreich — Anfragebeantwortung 3621/AB XXVIII. GP – Aktueller Stand der Schutzrauminfrastruktur in Österreich (4 Feb 2026) — https://www.parlament.gv.at/dokument/XXVIII/AB/3621/imfname_1737779.pdf (accessed 2026-10-28)
  2. RIS, Landesrecht Oberösterreich — Oö. Bautechnikgesetz 2013, § 48 Schutzräume — https://ogd.ris.bka.gv.at/Dokumente/Landesnormen/LOO40022298/LOO40022298.html (accessed 2026-10-28)
  3. RIS, Landesrecht Oberösterreich — Oö. Bautechnikgesetz 2013, § 2 Begriffsbestimmungen — https://ogd.ris.bka.gv.at/Dokumente/Landesnormen/LOO40026489/LOO40026489.html (accessed 2026-10-28)
  4. RIS, Landesrecht Oberösterreich — Oö. Bautechnikgesetz 2013, § 86 Verordnungsermächtigungen — https://ogd.ris.bka.gv.at/Dokumente/Landesnormen/LOO40022301/LOO40022301.html (accessed 2026-10-28)
  5. RIS, Landesrecht Burgenland — Bgld. Schutzraumverordnung, LGBl. Nr. 27/1985, § 1 — https://ogd.ris.bka.gv.at/Dokumente/Landesnormen/LBG12002922/LBG12002922.html (accessed 2026-10-28)
  6. RIS, Landesrecht Burgenland — Bgld. Schutzraumverordnung, LGBl. Nr. 27/1985, § 2 — https://ogd.ris.bka.gv.at/Dokumente/Landesnormen/LBG12002923/LBG12002923.html (accessed 2026-10-28)
  7. RIS, Landesrecht Burgenland — Bgld. Schutzraumverordnung, LGBl. Nr. 27/1985, § 3 — https://ogd.ris.bka.gv.at/Dokumente/Landesnormen/LBG12002924/LBG12002924.html (accessed 2026-10-28)
  8. RIS, Landesrecht Burgenland — Bgld. Schutzraumverordnung, LGBl. Nr. 27/1985, § 10 — https://ogd.ris.bka.gv.at/Dokumente/Landesnormen/LBG12002931/LBG12002931.html (accessed 2026-10-28)
  9. RIS, Landesrecht Burgenland — Burgenländisches Baugesetz 1997, § 6 Schutzräume (1998-2012) — https://ogd.ris.bka.gv.at/Dokumente/Landesnormen/LBG12006732/LBG12006732.html (accessed 2026-10-28)
  10. RIS, Landesrecht Burgenland — Burgenländisches Baugesetz 1997, § 6 (entfallen mit LGBl. Nr. 11/2013) — https://ogd.ris.bka.gv.at/Dokumente/Landesnormen/LBG40014179/LBG40014179.html (accessed 2026-10-28)
  11. RIS, Landesrecht Vorarlberg — Katastrophenhilfegesetz, § 30a Enteignung für Schutzräume — https://ogd.ris.bka.gv.at/Dokumente/Landesnormen/LVB40003761/LVB40003761.html (accessed 2026-10-28)
  12. RIS, Landesrecht Tirol — Notfallplanverordnung, § 2 — https://ogd.ris.bka.gv.at/Dokumente/Landesnormen/LTI40020215/LTI40020215.html (accessed 2026-10-28)
  13. RIS, Landesrecht Tirol — Notfallplanverordnung, § 7 — https://ogd.ris.bka.gv.at/Dokumente/Landesnormen/LTI40020220/LTI40020220.html (accessed 2026-10-28)
  14. Austrian Standards International — ÖNORM S 6070:1994-09-01 Outfit of shelters – Equipment, appliances and articles for use (withdrawn) — https://www.austrian-standards.at/en/shop/onorm-s-6070-1994-09-01~p1241779 (accessed 2026-10-28)

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Sources

  1. Bundesministerium für Inneres / Parlament Österreich · Anfragebeantwortung 3621/AB XXVIII. GP – Aktueller Stand der Schutzrauminfrastruktur in Österreich (4 Feb 2026) checked 2026-10-28
  2. Rechtsinformationssystem des Bundes (RIS), Landesrecht Oberösterreich · Oö. Bautechnikgesetz 2013, § 48 Schutzräume (LGBl. Nr. 35/2013 as amended by LGBl. Nr. 56/2021) checked 2026-10-28
  3. Rechtsinformationssystem des Bundes (RIS), Landesrecht Oberösterreich · Oö. Bautechnikgesetz 2013, § 2 Begriffsbestimmungen (as amended by LGBl. Nr. 84/2025) checked 2026-10-28
  4. Rechtsinformationssystem des Bundes (RIS), Landesrecht Oberösterreich · Oö. Bautechnikgesetz 2013, § 86 Verordnungsermächtigungen (as amended by LGBl. Nr. 56/2021) checked 2026-10-28
  5. Rechtsinformationssystem des Bundes (RIS), Landesrecht Burgenland · Bgld. Schutzraumverordnung, LGBl. Nr. 27/1985, § 1 Verpflichtung zur Errichtung von Schutzräumen checked 2026-10-28
  6. Rechtsinformationssystem des Bundes (RIS), Landesrecht Burgenland · Bgld. Schutzraumverordnung, LGBl. Nr. 27/1985, § 2 Allgemeines checked 2026-10-28
  7. Rechtsinformationssystem des Bundes (RIS), Landesrecht Burgenland · Bgld. Schutzraumverordnung, LGBl. Nr. 27/1985, § 3 Raumbedarf checked 2026-10-28
  8. Rechtsinformationssystem des Bundes (RIS), Landesrecht Burgenland · Bgld. Schutzraumverordnung, LGBl. Nr. 27/1985, § 10 Nachweis der vorschriftsmäßigen Ausführung checked 2026-10-28
  9. Rechtsinformationssystem des Bundes (RIS), Landesrecht Burgenland · Burgenländisches Baugesetz 1997, § 6 Schutzräume (version in force 1 Feb 1998 to 31 Dec 2012) checked 2026-10-28
  10. Rechtsinformationssystem des Bundes (RIS), Landesrecht Burgenland · Burgenländisches Baugesetz 1997, § 6 (entfallen mit LGBl. Nr. 11/2013) checked 2026-10-28
  11. Rechtsinformationssystem des Bundes (RIS), Landesrecht Vorarlberg · Vorarlberg Katastrophenhilfegesetz, § 30a Enteignung für Schutzräume (as amended by LGBl. Nr. 44/2013) checked 2026-10-28
  12. Rechtsinformationssystem des Bundes (RIS), Landesrecht Tirol · Tiroler Notfallplanverordnung, LGBl. Nr. 16/2007, § 2 (schools, kindergartens, after-school care) checked 2026-10-28
  13. Rechtsinformationssystem des Bundes (RIS), Landesrecht Tirol · Tiroler Notfallplanverordnung, LGBl. Nr. 16/2007, § 7 (hospitals and care homes) checked 2026-10-28
  14. Austrian Standards International · ÖNORM S 6070:1994-09-01 Outfit of shelters – Equipment, appliances and articles for use (withdrawn) checked 2026-10-28

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