Styrian Odor Emissions Ordinance 2023.

The ordinance establishes rules for determining odor zones in spatial planning procedures and for assessing odor emissions from animal husbandry in building permit procedures. Its main goal is to minimize conflicts between agricultural activities and residential use while ensuring that livestock farms can continue to develop. To achieve this, the regulation prescribes a methodology for calculating odor zones using the Graz Lagrangian Model (GRAL) with official wind, terrain, and building data, as well as standardized emission factors provided by the provincial government. These odor zones must be represented in development and zoning plans with specific visual criteria. Odor emissions below certain thresholds are considered irrelevant, while legally established farms are treated as producing “customary” local odors that must be tolerated. If thresholds are exceeded, authorities must conduct a case-by-case assessment of whether the odor nuisance is reasonable. The text consists of 9 Articles and has 2 Appendixes.