Key Benefits:
21 May 2008 (State on 1 July 2008)
The Swiss Federal Council,
See art. 20 of the law of 23 June 2006 on the harmonization of registers 1 ,
Having regard to art. 5, para. 2 and 3, 7, 22, para. 3, and 29, para. 3, of the Law of 5 October 2007 on geoinformation 2 ,
See art. 6, para. 2, of the Act of 4 October 1985 on public transport 3 ,
Stops:
Geographical names must be used consistently in official relations, as well as in all official media.
This Order sets out the jurisdiction, procedure and management of costs relating to the identification, determination, maintenance and management of geographical names.
In this order, the following means:
1 [ RO 1999 698 . RO 2009 6055 Art. 15]. See currently art. 1 para. 1de l' O du 11 nov. 2009 on schedules (RS 745.13 ).
1 Geographical names are easy to read and write and enjoy wide acceptance.
2 They are based on the written language model of the language region concerned, as far as possible and judicious.
3 Geographical names and their spelling can only be changed if the public interest so requires.
The Federal Office of Topography enacts and publishes general gazetteers, prepared on the basis of recommendations issued by the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names.
1 The Federal Office of Topography shall lay down the rules applicable to the geographical names of national measurements and official measurements. They include in particular the rules specific to the linguistic regions of the country.
2 It makes recommendations on spelling:
3 The Federal Transportation Agency provides guidelines for the spelling of station names.
1 The Federal Office of Topography performs the following tasks in the field of national measurements:
2 It makes available to the public research carried out in toponymy and the publications on the subject, as well as other background information in the field of geographical names.
1 Geographical names are identified, updated and managed by the official measurement department.
2 The cantons designate the competent service in their legislation to determine the geographical names of the official body of measurements.
1 The canton establishes a Nomenclature Committee.
2 The Nomenclature Committee is the specialised body of the canton for the geographical names of official measurements.
3 It verifies the linguistic conformity of these names during their reading and updating, ensures compliance with the implementing rules referred to in Art. 6 and forwards its findings and recommendations to the appropriate service for the determination of names.
4 If the competent department does not intend to follow the recommendations of the Nomenclature Committee, it requests the opinion of the Federal Directorate for Cadastral Measurements.
1 The name of a commune must be unequivocal throughout the territory of Switzerland and must not be confused with the name of another municipality.
2 It must be provided with a complement in the following cases:
The Federal Office of Topography is responsible for:
The screening and approval are intended to verify:
1 The competent authority under the cantonal law shall submit the following amendments to the name of the communes to the Federal Office of Topography:
2 The request can contain multiple options. They are examined separately.
3 The preliminary exhibits are attached to the screening application. They shall contain all the particulars and documents necessary for the assessment provided for in Art. 12.
4 The procedure shall be conducted in accordance with Art. 62 A At 62 C The Act of 21 March 1997 on the organisation of government and administration 1 (concentration of decision-making procedures). The deadline for federal services to take a position is 30 days.
1 The decision taken after the screening indicates:
2 The decision shall be communicated no later than two months after the filing of the application.
1 The competent service according to the cantonal law shall file the application for approval with the Federal Office of Topography:
2 The preliminary exhibits are attached to the application. They shall contain all the particulars and documents necessary for the assessment referred to in Art. 12.
3 The service that files the application is party to the proceedings.
4 If the name of the municipality is in conformity with the decision adopted at the end of the screening, the Federal Office of Topography shall give its approval at the outset. In any other case, it shall conduct a full approval procedure.
5 The procedure shall be conducted in accordance with Art. 62 A At 62 C The Act of 21 March 1997 on the organisation of government and administration 1 (concentration of decision-making procedures).
1 The approval decision shall be notified to the parties and published in the Federal Worksheet.
2 It shall be communicated to the services managing an official directory upon its entry into force.
1 The approval decision may be appealed to the Federal Council. The latter takes a final decision.
2 Federal Offices participating in the approval procedure shall be heard in the appeal proceedings.
The competent cantonal service shall inform the Federal Office of Topography of the following changes no later than 30 days before the date of their entry into force:
1 The Federal Statistical Office:
2 The official directory of the communes shall be subdivided by canton and by district or any other comparable administrative entity in the canton.
3 The names and numbers of the communes in the official directory are binding on the authorities.
1 The urbanised areas of a single, geographically delimitable and national significance, which may also include secondary agglomerations, must be equipped with a common name and postal code.
2 Any locality is assigned a unique postal code, or even several unified postal codes in certain cases.
3 The spelling of the names of localities and the geographical delimitation of the localities (perimeter) of official measurements are binding on the authorities.
1 The competent service according to the cantonal law defines the locality after having heard the communes concerned and La Poste Suisse (Poste), and then fixes the delimitation, the name and its spelling.
2 The service responsible for official measurement coordinates the changes of the perimeter with the communes concerned and the post office. The competent service according to the cantonal law shall fix these territorial amendments and communicate them to the Federal Office of Topography.
3 The Post Office fixed the postal code after having heard the canton and the municipalities, and then communicated it to the Federal Office of Topography.
The requirements for the screening and approval of common names also govern the identification or modification of the name of a locality.
1 The cost of determining or modifying a locality name shall be borne by the applicant.
2 No charges shall be charged if the determination or modification is the consequence of the development of the agglomeration or of organisational constraints in the context of the universal service within the meaning of Art. 2 to 4 of the Federal Act of April 30, 1997 1 .
3 The Federal Office of Topography shall draw up a consolidated estimate as part of the preliminary examination, in cooperation with the services of the Confederation concerned and the post office, and shall communicate it with the decision taken at the conclusion of the screening.
4 It sets the fees in the approval decision.
1 [RO 1997 2452, 2000 2355 Annex, c. 23, 2003 4297, 2006 2197 Annex c. 85, 2007 5645. RO 2012 4993 Annex c. I]. Presently within the meaning of s. 14 of the L of 17 Dec. 2010 on the post (SR 783.0 ).
The Federal Office of Topography establishes, manages and publishes the official directory of localities with the postal code and the perimeter associated with each of them.
1 All the streets of the settlements and other populated areas are given a name.
2 The spelling of street names containing elements of the geographical names of official measurements is harmonized at the regional level.
3 The spelling of street names in official measurements is binding on the authorities.
1 The cantons guarantee the full name of the streets.
2 They regulate the jurisdiction and procedure for determining and harmonizing street names.
3 The fixed street names shall be communicated to the cantonal office of the cadastre and to the Federal Statistics Office, as well as to universal service providers within the meaning of art. 2 to 4 of the Federal Act of April 30, 1997 1 .
1 The names of stations must be univoques over the entire Swiss territory.
2 The station is given the name of the locality it serves.
3 If a station serves several localities or serves none, the name most relevant to the transportation network (s) considered is associated with it. As a general rule, it has only one name.
4 If several stations serve the same locality, they are distinguished from each other by supplements on behalf of the locality. The supplement must not be taken over the name of a company, unless it is identical to a geographical name.
5 To the extent possible, the spelling must coincide with that of other geographical names.
1 The Federal Office of Transport fixes the names of the stations on request.
2 Can file an application:
The purpose of the determination is to verify:
1 The preliminary exhibits are attached to the request for the determination or modification of a station name. They shall contain all the particulars and documents necessary for the assessment referred to in Art. 29.
2 The procedure shall be conducted in accordance with Art. 62 A At 62 C The Act of 21 March 1997 on the organisation of government and administration 1 (concentration of decision-making procedures).
The decision of determination shall be notified to the parties concerned, namely the transport undertakings, the municipality and the canton.
1 The determination of determination may be appealed to the Federal Council. The latter takes a final decision.
2 Federal Offices participating in the determination procedure shall be heard in the appeal proceedings.
1 The costs of determining or modifying a station name shall be borne by the applicant.
2 No fee is charged if the determination or modification is the consequence of:
3 The Federal Transportation Agency shall prepare a consolidated estimate at the request of the applicant, in cooperation with the relevant Confederation departments and the transport undertakings.
4 It fixes the costs in the decision.
The directory of station names is published as part of the official publication of schedules within the meaning of s. 10, para. 1, of the order of 25 November 1998 on timetables 1 .
1 [ RO 1999 698 . RO 2009 6055 Art. 15]. See currently O of 11 Nov 2009 on schedules (RS 745.13 ).
The Federal Office of Topography is responsible for international coordination in the field of geographical names.
1 The Federal Office of Topography coordinates the activities of the Confederation in the field of geographical names.
2 It may involve other services of the Confederation, companies of the Confederation and specialised bodies of the cantons.
The competent Federal Office shall ensure appropriate participation of the cantons and appropriate consultation of the partner organisations in the development of implementing rules.
The Order of 30 December 1970 concerning the names of places, municipalities and stations 1 Is repealed.
1 [RO 1970 1651, 1991 370 Annex c. 3, 1997 2779 ch. II 28, 1999 704 ch. II 14]
This order shall enter into force on 1 Er July 2008.
1 RS 431.02
2 RS 510.62
3 [RO 1986 1974, 1994 2290 ch. V, 1995 3517 ch. I 10 4093 annex, c. 13, 1998 2856. RO 2009 5597 hp. III]. See the current PMQ of 20 March 2009 on passenger transport (RS 745.1 )