Myth Check: Shelters in Switzerland
We take common real estate and housing myths under the microscope and show you what’s actually true.
Myth: “In the event of a disaster or war, every person in Switzerland has access to a place in a shelter.”
✅ That’s true.
Switzerland has a shelter system that is unique worldwide. Since the 1960s, during the Cold War between the nuclear powers of the USA and the Soviet Union, shelters (also known as ‘air raid shelters’) were built in many residential buildings. As a result, Switzerland generally has enough shelter places in private and public shelters for the entire population.
However, there is no longer a general obligation to build a private shelter in every new building. Whether a shelter actually has to be built as part of a construction project depends, among other things, on whether there are enough shelter places available in the municipality and on the size of the project.
In principle, under federal law, the obligation to build a shelter applies to larger residential buildings with 38 rooms or more, which corresponds to 25 shelter places. The cantons may impose stricter requirements in areas where there is a shortage of shelter places. For smaller construction projects, a replacement contribution is often charged instead. This helps finance the shelter system, as well as the construction and renewal of public shelters.
Fun fact: the 5-day rule
In peacetime, the Swiss state explicitly allows owners to use their private shelter as a cellar, gym, music room or storage space. But as soon as the Federal Council or the cantonal authorities order it to be made available, for example if the security situation suddenly deteriorates, the clock starts ticking: within five days, the shelter must be fully operational as emergency accommodation. The necessary equipment, such as emergency beds and dry toilets, is usually stored compactly on site or delivered by the civil protection organisation within this period.
