Bicycle parking in Salzburg: BauTG, dimensions and safe access

Section 38 para 1 BauTG requires suitable parking spaces for motor vehicles and bicycles in sufficient number and size, with the necessary approaches and exits, when a building is constructed. The duty also applies to a material change of use where the change increases the parking demand.

For bicycle spaces, the number is based on the expected needs of users. The minimum number is determined using the ratios in Annex 2. For residential buildings, Annex 2 provides for two bicycle spaces per dwelling. For offices, administrative premises, outpatient clinics and medical practices, it provides one bicycle space per commenced 20 m² of usable floor area. Other uses have their own ratios.

Annex 2 is not the entire assessment. Under Section 38 para 3 BauTG, municipalities may set higher or lower ratios by ordinance or development plan, taking local conditions and interests into account. Before calculating, the municipality, zoning, development plan, use and any change of use must therefore be identified.

Under Section 3 para 1 S.BTV 2025, a bicycle space must be at least 2 m long and 0.8 m wide. The width may be reduced to 0.6 m where double-sided stands or a fixture for height-offset storage is provided. The reduced width is therefore tied to the actual parking fixture.

For every 15 required bicycle spaces, an additional area of 2 m² must be provided for bicycle trailers and special bicycles. This additional area must not be treated as an ordinary space. Its position and access must suit the intended use.

Section 3 para 3 S.BTV requires suitable fixtures for stable parking, such as stands, frame holders or wall rails. A marked area on the floor alone does not answer this requirement without further assessment. In larger facilities, movement areas, door swings and use with cargo or child trailers should be visible in the plan.

Bicycle spaces must be at ground level or accessible by ramps or exterior stairs with ramps, in an easy and safe manner, and must be readily accessible. The facility must allow safe riding in and out. Under Section 3 para 2 S.BTV, ramps may not exceed a gradient of 18%. A motor vehicle ramp may also serve bicycles if these conditions are met.

For buildings with customer or visitor traffic, spaces should be located as close as possible to the main entrance. For retail businesses with at least 500 m² of sales area and level motor vehicle spaces in front, a specific distance rule applies: the bicycle spaces may not be farther from the main entrance than the nearest non-accessible motor vehicle space on the same level.

Location must therefore be assessed technically and functionally. A basement room may have enough floor area yet be unsuitable if the access is too steep, the route is unsafe or the connection to the entrance is impractical for visitors. In a change of use in Salzburg, the changed user and visitor traffic should be reflected in the parking assessment.

Section 3 para 5 S.BTV permits deviations from paragraphs 1 to 4 where the requirements are met in an at least equally sufficient and suitable manner. A different solution therefore needs a clear functional justification. Less space or a longer route to the entrance is not enough on its own.

The S.BTV 2025 enters into force on 1 September 2026. At the same time, the previous Salzburg Building Technology Regulation and the Bicycle Parking Regulation are repealed. Under Section 9 para 2, building proceedings pending on that date continue under the rules applicable until then.

For an ongoing building proceeding, the filing date or date on which the proceeding became pending must therefore be recorded. A new project is assessed under the new technical standard. An existing decision and a later plan amendment may require a separate assessment.