Who is responsible for a shared boundary fence?

What the Law Says

German civil law presumes that boundary structures serving both properties — like walls, hedges, or fences — are jointly used and maintained by both landowners, unless clear evidence proves otherwise.

The key rule is found in BGB § 921, which establishes a legal presumption of joint use for boundary facilities. This applies to any dividing feature — including fences, walls, hedges, ditches, or rails — that benefits both adjacent plots.

The presumption means both owners have equal rights to use the structure and equal responsibility for its upkeep — unless physical features (e.g., posts set entirely on one side, ownership markers, or historical deeds) show it belongs solely to one neighbor.

However, BGB § 921 does not itself impose a duty to build a fence. That obligation comes from state-level neighbor laws (Landesnachbarrechtsgesetze), which vary across Germany’s 16 federal states.

Statutory Text

Werden zwei Grundstücke durch einen Zwischenraum, Rain, Winkel, einen Graben, eine Mauer, Hecke, Planke oder eine andere Einrichtung, die zum Vorteil beider Grundstücke dient, voneinander geschieden, so wird vermutet, dass die Eigentümer der Grundstücke zur Benutzung der Einrichtung gemeinschaftlich berechtigt seien, sofern nicht äußere Merkmale darauf hinweisen, dass die Einrichtung einem der Nachbarn allein gehört.

— BGB § 921 — German Civil Code

What Courts Have Said

Germany’s highest civil court has clarified that fencing duties arise primarily under state law — not the Civil Code alone — and that cost-sharing and design rules depend on local regulations.

What to Do

Sources

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