Which municipality in canton Appenzell Ausserrhoden has the highest second-home share?

Rehetobel: 20 % of all dwellings are second homes (2026) — the highest share of any municipality in canton Appenzell Ausserrhoden. Source: ARE.

What does the 20 % Second Homes Act limit mean?

If a municipality’s second-home share is 20 % or more, no new second homes may in principle be built there. Whether the freeze applies is determined officially by the ARE. Around 326 municipalities are currently subject to it.

Ranking · Data 2026 · Source: BFS

The highest second-home share in canton Appenzell Ausserrhoden

National ranking →

Rehetobel has the highest second-home share in canton Appenzell Ausserrhoden: 20 % of all dwellings are second homes. Next come Reute (18.9 %) and Wald (18.4 %). At 20 % or above, the Second Homes Act bars any new second-home permits. Source: ARE.

Ranking

ARE · 2026

Rank	Municipality	Second-home share	Residents
1	Rehetobel	20%	1'710
2	Reute	18.9%	717
3	Wald	18.4%	916
4	Gais	17.8%	3'150
5	Walzenhausen	17.5%	2'111
6	Wolfhalden	17.4%	1'913
7	Schwellbrunn	16.7%	1'543
8	Grub	16.3%	986
9	Trogen	16%	1'905
10	Herisau	15.9%	16'100
11	Urnäsch	15.6%	2'382
12	Waldstatt	15.4%	1'906
13	Schönengrund	14.8%	561
14	Heiden	14.6%	4'413
15	Lutzenberg	14.6%	1'340
16	Bühler	14.3%	1'958
17	Hundwil	14.1%	967
18	Teufen	13.7%	6'646
19	Speicher	13.2%	4'505
20	Stein	13.1%	1'492

Dwelling inventory and second-home share 2026 · ARE, retrieved 11.09.2026

How we measure this

ARE

Share of second homes in a municipality’s total dwelling stock, in percent, from the dwelling inventory of the Federal Office for Spatial Development (ARE), as of 2026. The Second Homes Act (ZWG) bars new second-home permits in municipalities whose share is 20 % or more. Whether a municipality is subject to that freeze is an official ARE determination and does not in every case coincide exactly with the 20 % line; it is shown separately on the municipality page.

Frequently asked questions

Which municipality in canton Appenzell Ausserrhoden has the highest second-home share?: Rehetobel: 20 % of all dwellings are second homes (2026) — the highest share of any municipality in canton Appenzell Ausserrhoden. Source: ARE.
What does the 20 % Second Homes Act limit mean?: If a municipality’s second-home share is 20 % or more, no new second homes may in principle be built there. Whether the freeze applies is determined officially by the ARE. Around 326 municipalities are currently subject to it.