Across Germany, almost 130,000 building permit applications were filed electronically last year, covering not only housing but also schools, offices and shopping centres, according to the newspaper Handelsblatt.
Twelve federal states used a common digital permitting software that was developed by Mecklenburg‑Vorpommern based on the “Ein‑für‑alle‑Prinzip”. In 2025, that system processed 72,000 paper‑free requests, according to Mecklenburg‑Vorpommern’s Ministry of Construction. Bavaria, which has operated its own digital platform since 2021, logged more than 47,000 electronic applications in 2025 and at the beginning of the year joined the shared system.
Berlin, Brandenburg and Hessen continue to rely on their individual applications. Berlin’s Senate reported about 2,000 digital submissions in the past year. By contrast, the Hessian Ministry of Economics said 5,000 digital permits were submitted in 2025. Brandenburg was unable to provide numbers when asked.
Nationwide, 943 lower building supervisory authorities are responsible for permits, but only a few of them are already connected to digital permitting processes.