Do I need planning permission?

Many people can put up a hot tub or a smaller sauna without applying for permission. But the rules have limits, and the municipal plans may say otherwise. It is your own responsibility to find out what you are allowed to build on your property.

Here are the main rules, explained simply. They come from the Norwegian Directorate for Building Quality (DiBK). The rules can change, so always check the sources and ask the municipality if you are unsure.

Do I need to apply to put up a hot tub?

Usually not. You do not need to apply to put up a smaller hot tub outdoors on your own plot, as long as it is not connected to water and drainage. The same applies if you can connect it to water and drainage without laying a new service pipe to the mains network.

There are no general distance requirements for a hot tub that is not connected to water. But separate rules apply within the 100-metre belt along the shoreline, and the municipal land-use plans may have provisions of their own. Contact the municipality if you are unsure about the siting.

Source: DiBK — what you can often build without applying

Do I need to apply to put up a sauna?

A sauna is a detached building. You can put one up without applying if all of the following is true:

• The property is already built on, for example with your house or cabin.
• The sauna is not to be used for living or sleeping in.
• It is no larger than 50 m², in either usable floor area (BRA) or built-up area (BYA).
• The ridge height is no more than 4,0 metres and the eaves height no more than 3,0 metres, measured from the average finished ground level around the building.
• It has one storey and no cellar.
• It stands at least 1,0 metre from the neighbouring boundary and from other buildings on the property.
• It does not stand over pipes or cables in the ground, for example water and drainage pipes.
• It keeps a certain distance from, for example, the sea, roads and railway lines.
• It does not conflict with the land-use element of the municipal master plan, the zoning plan or other rules.

If all of that is not true, you will normally have to apply to the municipality.

Sources: The Building Application Regulations § 4-1 at DiBK and DiBK — build a shed, garage or other building without applying

What can the municipal plans require?

The municipal plans can restrict where you can build, what you can build and how large you can build. You must build in accordance with the municipal master plan and the zoning plan. They can be stricter than the main rules above.

One of our customers was told that the municipality required a particular roof pitch. So check the zoning plan for your property before you order. Talk to the municipality if you are unsure.

Do I have to tell the municipality once the sauna is up?

Yes. Even though you do not need to apply, you must notify the municipality of the building and where it stands, no later than four weeks after it is finished. The municipality needs the information to keep its maps up to date.

DiBK has a form for this: Notification of a building or extension exempt from the application requirement (PDF)

Do you need dimensions for the application?

If you are going to apply or send a notification, ask us for the dimensions of the model you are considering. Write to post@hallingdal-badestamp.no or call 406 02 349.