Salzburg court upholds ban on home carpentry workshop

Salzburg’s Provincial Administrative Court has upheld a ban on operating a carpentry workshop in the basement of a home in the Flachgau, ORF reported. The carpenter may continue to store the machines there but must not use them, and must pay a 300-euro fine.

The 78-square-metre workshop in the basement of a two-family house had been the subject of a dispute for some time. During an inspection about a year ago, the building authority objected to its use as a workshop. Equipment included a circular saw, a planer, a band saw, a drill press, several grinders, a compressor and a permanently installed dust-extraction system.

After the authority’s objection, the carpenter disconnected the machines from the power supply and extraction system and covered them with sheets. The Salzburg-Umgebung district authority said this did not meet its order, which required the machines to be stored in a way that made it impossible to put them back into operation at any time.

The carpenter appealed the fine to the court but was unsuccessful. The judge said the penalty was at the lower end of the statutory range and was appropriate and necessary to deter similar violations in future. The machines may remain in the basement, but cannot be operated without the required approval.