Overnight stays in nature in the canton of Zurich

32 of 160 municipalities individually documented

In the canton of Zurich, the municipality decides: Of 32 municipalities looked up, 8 prohibit tent camping and 24 attach conditions to it.

Cantonal: no general rule

What the canton itself regulates
Tent	unclear
Bivouac	unclear
Car / camper	unclear

What this means

Zürich kennt keine allgemeine kantonale Regelung zum Campieren oder Biwakieren. Eine Volltextsuche im gesamten schweizerischen Kantonsrecht über lexfind.ch (Begriffe «campieren», «kampieren», «biwakieren», «camping sauvage», «bivouaquer») findet ausserhalb von Obwalden keinen Erlass, der das Übernachten im Freien allgemein regelt. Über das Übernachten im Freien entscheidet in diesem Kanton deshalb die Gemeinde — meist im Polizeireglement. Was die Karte dazu weiss, steht bei der Gemeindefläche.

Show machine translation

Zurich does not have a general cantonal regulation on camping or bivouaking. A full-text search of lexfind.ch (terms "camping", "camping", "bivouaking", "camping sauvage", "bivouaquer") in the entire Swiss cantonal law does not find any decree outside Obwalden that generally regulates overnight stays outdoors. In this canton, the municipality therefore decides on overnight stays outdoors – usually in the police regulations. What the map knows about this can be found in the municipal area.

Machine-translated, may be inaccurate — the original wording is authoritative.

Source & status
Volltextsuche im Kantonsrecht über lexfind.ch · Original document
Officially documented · last checked on 30/08/2026

Municipalities with their own information

Outside protected areas, the municipality decides. For these 32, their regulations have been looked up.

Tent camping in the 32 municipalities looked up
Only with a permit	24
Prohibited	8

Tent camping allowed or allowed under conditions:

Aeugst am Albis (only with permission) · Altikon (only with permission) · Bachenbülach (only with permission) · Bassersdorf (only with permission) · Benken (ZH) (only with permission) · Berg am Irchel (only with permission) · Dorf (only with permission) · Erlenbach (ZH) (only with permission) · Flurlingen (only with permission) · Freienstein-Teufen (only with permission) · Glattfelden (only with permission) · Grüningen (only with permission) · Hochfelden (only with permission) · Oberrieden (only with permission) · Oetwil am See (only with permission) · Ottenbach (only with permission) · Regensberg (only with permission) · Rheinau (only with permission) · Rorbas (only with permission) · Schlatt (ZH) (only with permission) · Trüllikon (only with permission) · Truttikon (only with permission) · Turbenthal (only with permission) · Uitikon (only with permission)

All municipalities looked up:

Aeugst am Albis · Altikon · Bachenbülach · Bassersdorf · Benken (ZH) · Berg am Irchel · Dielsdorf · Dorf · Erlenbach (ZH) · Flurlingen · Freienstein-Teufen · Glattfelden · Grüningen · Hochfelden · Kilchberg (ZH) · Maschwanden · Maur · Neerach · Oberembrach · Oberrieden · Oetwil am See · Oetwil an der Limmat · Ottenbach · Regensberg · Rheinau · Rorbas · Schlatt (ZH) · Trüllikon · Truttikon · Turbenthal · Uitikon · Volketswil

For the remaining 128 municipalities of the canton, nothing has been researched yet. The map therefore leaves them unfilled and shows the municipality's contact instead — no entry never means “allowed”.

Not yet looked up

These municipalities of the canton do not have their own entry yet. They are listed here anyway, because the answer “nothing is regulated at cantonal level for Zurich, and nothing has been looked up for your municipality yet” is an answer — and because the map holds the contact of each municipality.

Adliswil · Aesch (ZH) · Affoltern am Albis · Andelfingen · Bachs · Bäretswil · Bauma · Birmensdorf (ZH) · Bonstetten · Boppelsen · Brütten · Bubikon · Buch am Irchel · Buchs (ZH) · Bülach · Dachsen · Dägerlen · Dällikon · Dänikon · Dättlikon · Dietikon · Dietlikon · Dinhard · Dübendorf · Dürnten · Egg · Eglisau · Elgg · Ellikon an der Thur · Elsau · Embrach · Fällanden · Fehraltorf · Feuerthalen · Fischenthal · Flaach · Geroldswil · Gossau (ZH) · Greifensee · Hagenbuch · Hausen am Albis · Hedingen · Henggart · Herrliberg · Hettlingen · Hinwil · Hittnau · Hombrechtikon · Horgen · Höri · Hüntwangen · Hüttikon · Illnau-Effretikon · Kappel am Albis · Kleinandelfingen · Kloten · Knonau · Küsnacht (ZH) · Langnau am Albis · Laufen-Uhwiesen · Lindau · Lufingen · Männedorf · Marthalen · Meilen · Mettmenstetten · Mönchaltorf · Neftenbach · Niederglatt · Niederhasli · Niederweningen · Nürensdorf · Oberengstringen · Oberglatt · Oberweningen · Obfelden · Opfikon · Ossingen · Otelfingen · Pfäffikon · Pfungen · Rafz · Regensdorf · Richterswil · Rickenbach (ZH) · Rifferswil · Rümlang · Rüschlikon · Russikon · Rüti (ZH) · Schleinikon · Schlieren · Schöfflisdorf · Schwerzenbach · Seegräben · Seuzach · Stadel · Stäfa · Stallikon · Stammheim · Steinmaur · Thalheim an der Thur · Thalwil · Uetikon am See · Unterengstringen · Urdorf · Uster · Volken · Wädenswil · Wald (ZH) · Wallisellen · Wangen-Brüttisellen · Wasterkingen · Weiach · Weiningen (ZH) · Weisslingen · Wettswil am Albis · Wetzikon (ZH) · Wiesendangen · Wil (ZH) · Wila · Wildberg · Winkel · Winterthur · Zell (ZH) · Zollikon · Zumikon · Zürich

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How the federal government, canton and municipality interact: Wild camping in Switzerland — what applies where?

Orientation aid, no legal guarantee. Signs on site and the municipality's information take precedence over this page.