The catalyst is the implementation of RPG 2 at federal level. The Federal Parliament adopted the second stage of the partial revision of the Spatial Planning Act on 29 September 2023, and the Federal Council finalised the wording of the revised Spatial Planning Ordinance on 15 October 2025. From 2026, new requirements will come into force in stages, limiting the number of buildings and the amount of sealed land outside building zones to a maximum of 102 per cent of the reference level as at 29 September 2023.
For Thurgau, this primarily means more rules to enforce. The Cantonal Government is consolidating the cantonal regulations on building outside building zones into a new chapter of the Planning and Building Ordinance. The previous separate provision on building projects outside building zones is being removed. At the same time, an additional overarching zone is being created in the zoning catalogue for areas subject to specific odour regulations, in order to implement the federal legal priority given to agriculture in agricultural zones.
Demolition incentive becomes part of the system
New regulations will govern the responsibilities, calculation and payment of the demolition incentive for demolition works outside the building zone. The cantonal share is to be paid from the existing special fund for the added value levy. This creates a separate procedure for owners and local authorities alongside the usual planning permission process.
It is precisely this point that has practical implications. The new federal regulations prioritise demolition and land release when pressure outside building zones increases. Other cantons have already put similar measures into practice. Zurich stipulates that a decision on a demolition bonus is made at the same time as the demolition permit is granted, and that certain cost items are excluded.
Increased administrative burden in the procedure
The building permit procedure is particularly affected. The canton aims to integrate the new requirements into existing processes as far as possible, but must supplement the procedures. Added to this are tasks for the building control authority, reporting on stabilisation targets and enforcing the priority of agriculture. According to the cantonal proposal, this will entail additional staffing requirements and financial burdens for the canton, as well as, in some cases, for the political municipalities.
The revision was subject to external consultation from April until 28 August 2026. A total of 29 submissions containing 168 comments were received. According to the canton, these were incorporated into the now-approved version wherever possible. For developers outside the building zone, it is now clear that demolition, monitoring and verification will in future be more closely integrated into the planning permission process.
