Friggebod
Friggebod is the established term for a small building that needs no bygglov (building permit) on the plot of a detached or semi-detached house in Sweden, for example a tool shed, a guest cabin or a woodshed. From 01/12/2025, friggebod no longer exists as a separate legal term, but the word lives on in everyday speech about older buildings and as a search term.
The name comes from Birgit Friggebo, who as Swedish housing minister in 1979 introduced the exemption from the building permit requirement for a building of up to 10 m². The limit was raised to 15 m² in 2008, and it stayed there right up to the reform: a friggebod could be up to 15 m² per plot, with a ridge height of no more than 3.0 m, and had to be placed at least 4.5 m from the neighbouring boundary unless the affected neighbour gave written consent to a shorter distance. A friggebod required neither bygglov nor anmälan (notification), unlike an attefallshus, which has always required an anmälan and a startbesked even though it too needed no bygglov.
The rules for friggebod, attefallshus and a number of adjacent exemptions were set out in the old chapter 9 of plan- och bygglagen (2010:900). Lag 2025:974 rebuilt the whole of chapter 9 with effect from 01/12/2025 and removed the terms friggebod, attefallshus, attefallstillbyggnad, attefallsbyggnad and attefallskupa from the act. In their place there are now two collective categories: komplementbyggnad (a free-standing building that is not fitted out as a separate dwelling) and komplementbostadshus (a free-standing, self-contained dwelling that supplements a one- or two-dwelling house). Both can be built without bygglov on a plot with a en- eller tvåbostadshus (one- or two-dwelling house).
After the reform, the floor area is pooled per plot: within a detaljplan (detailed development plan), each individual building can be up to 30.0 m², with a combined built area for all komplement buildings on the plot of up to 45.0 m² and a ridge height of no more than 4.0 m. Outside a detaljplan the limits are more generous: each building up to 50.0 m², up to 65.0 m² combined, and a ridge height of no more than 4.5 m. The 4.5 metre rule for the neighbouring boundary remains: a komplementbyggnad must stand at least 4.5 m from the boundary, unless all the owners of the neighbouring property consent in writing to a shorter distance. The previous notification duty for both komplementbyggnad and komplementbostadshus has also been removed, so a komplementbostadshus no longer requires an anmälan or a startbesked either, even though it can be used as a permanent home.
The closest Norwegian parallel is byggesaksforskriften (SAK10) § 4-1 letter a, issued under plan- og bygningsloven: a free-standing building on a developed property is exempt from the application requirement if it has a usable floor area or built-up area of up to 50 m², a ridge height of no more than 4.0 m, an eaves height of no more than 3.0 m, stands in one storey without a cellar, and is at least 1.0 m from the neighbouring boundary and from other buildings on the property. Norway therefore allows a larger exempt area than the old friggebod ever had, but with an absolute ban on using the building for living in. The Swedish komplementbostadshus, by contrast, can be a proper dwelling, which the Norwegian exemption never allows regardless of size.
From Placepoint's dictionary: Friggebod
More information: Boverket: Komplementbyggnad, plan- och bygglagen 9 kap., Direktoratet for byggkvalitet: SAK10 § 4-1
English: A permit-free garden shed or outbuilding under the pre-2025 Swedish rules (Swedish-specific historical term, now replaced by "komplementbyggnad").
Frequently asked questions
What is a friggebod?
Friggebod was the established term for a small building of up to 15 m², needing no bygglov, on the plot of a Swedish detached or semi-detached house. The term disappeared as a legal concept on 01/12/2025, but it is still used in everyday speech.
Does friggebod still exist as a separate legal term?
No. From 01/12/2025, friggebod and attefallshus have been replaced by two collective categories in plan- och bygglagen: komplementbyggnad and komplementbostadshus.
How large can a komplement building be today?
Within a detaljplan, up to 30.0 m² per building and 45.0 m² combined per plot. Outside a detaljplan, up to 50.0 m² per building and 65.0 m² combined per plot.
Does a komplement building have to stand a certain distance from the neighbouring boundary?
Yes, at least 4.5 m, unless all the owners of the neighbouring property give written consent to a shorter distance. This rule is unchanged by the 2025 reform.
What is the difference between a friggebod and an attefallshus?
A friggebod required neither bygglov nor anmälan. An attefallshus always required an anmälan and a startbesked, because it could be used as a permanent home. After the reform the distinction is gone: neither komplementbyggnad nor komplementbostadshus requires an anmälan any longer.
Does this match the Norwegian exemption for a free-standing building?
Partly. SAK10 § 4-1 letter a allows a free-standing building of up to 50 m² without an application, more than the old friggebod, but the building can never be used for living in. The Swedish komplementbostadshus, by contrast, can be a proper dwelling.