Is it illegal to flush the toilet at night in Switzerland?

It shows up in lists of “the world’s weirdest laws” and in posts that go viral every so often: in Switzerland, it’s supposedly illegal to flush the toilet after 10 p.m. so you don’t wake the neighbors. The British tabloid Daily Mail repeated the claim in 2023. It isn’t true. There’s no Swiss law against flushing at night, and the US fact-checker PolitiFact rated the claim false after searching, and failing, to find any record of such a law.

Like many legends, though, this one has a real root. Switzerland takes nighttime quiet seriously, and apartment buildings tend to have long, detailed house rules. That’s the soil the myth grew in. And some noise rules that really do exist are more surprising than the flushing one.

What’s real: quiet hours

In Switzerland, rest periods are set by local authorities. In Zurich, for example, the city sets the Nachtruhe, or night rest, from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. During summer time, on Fridays and Saturdays, it starts an hour later, at 11 p.m. During those hours, disruptive behavior outdoors is banned. According to The Local, people are also expected to avoid unnecessary noise from 8 p.m. and on Sundays.

So the 10 p.m. rule does exist, but it’s about noise that disturbs others, not a list of banned household activities.

Zurich’s nightlife has rules too

The concern for peace and quiet reaches nightlife. Under the canton of Zurich’s law, bars and restaurants must close between midnight and 5 a.m. To stay open later, they need a permit. In the city of Zurich, such permits usually allow opening until 4 a.m. from Sunday to Thursday and until 5 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

There are other limits. Outdoor seating, the terraces and gardens of restaurants, can stay open until midnight at the latest, and many close earlier. Outdoor loudspeakers need a police permit. So-called free nights, when a venue open to the public can run all night, are capped at twelve a year per venue, not counting special dates such as August 1, the national holiday, and New Year’s Eve.

If a bar, restaurant or club disturbs the neighbors’ night rest, the police can close it for the night.

The noise that really is banned: glass

If one Swiss time rule catches visitors out, it’s the glass one. In Zurich, empty bottles go into recycling containers spread around the city, at about 160 collection points, according to the city. And they have opening hours: Monday to Saturday, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

At night, on Sundays and on public holidays, dropping bottles into the containers isn’t allowed. The city asks this on behalf of the neighbors, and it’s easy to see why: bottles smashing inside a metal container are far louder than a toilet flush. The city also asks people to rinse bottles and remove caps, to put blue and red glass in the green-glass container, and to throw drinking glasses in the household trash rather than the recycling.

The building rules

The other ingredient is the Hausordnung, a building’s house rules, known as the “règlement de maison” in the French-speaking part of the country. According to The Local, these rules are usually pinned up somewhere prominent and can cover almost anything, from whether you can keep a pet to an obligation on tenants to clear snow in winter. They’re part of the rental contract and legally binding.

There’s no single set of rules for all tenants. A lawyer for the homeowners’ association HEV told The Local that Swiss rental law isn’t very specific, which leaves each landlord free to write their own. But there are limits. The Swiss Tenants’ Association, MV, says house rules only bind tenants when they’re practical and proportionate, and a night-time flushing ban wouldn’t stand up in court. The site I Am Expat, as quoted by PolitiFact, made the same point: a general ban would intrude too far on tenants’ personal rights.

What some leases do restrict is the night-time use of noisy appliances, such as washing machines, dishwashers and dryers.

Why the myth stuck

The story fits Switzerland’s reputation as a country of rules. The Daily Mail claimed it was common for landlords to ban flushing from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., but according to PolitiFact it offered no evidence. As early as 2013, experts speaking to The Local were already calling the ban an urban myth, and it kept circulating anyway.

Part of the confusion may come from the real rules. If you’ve heard about set hours for throwing out bottles, terraces that close at midnight and house rules that ban laundry at night, it’s easy to believe flushing has a curfew too.

If you’re staying in Switzerland

• Go ahead and flush at night. No law forbids it.
• Respect the local quiet hours, which in Zurich run from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. Noise is what the rule targets, not the toilet.
• Save your bottles for a weekday. In Zurich, glass containers can only be used Monday to Saturday, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Renting an apartment? Read the Hausordnung. That’s where the rules for that particular building live.
• Run the washing machine during the day. Some leases ban noisy appliances at night.
• Keep Sundays quiet. According to The Local, peace and quiet is expected all day.

FAQ

Is it illegal to flush the toilet after 10 p.m. in Switzerland?

No. There’s no Swiss law against flushing at night. PolitiFact checked the story and rated it false.

What are the quiet hours in Switzerland?

It depends on the city. In Zurich, night rest runs from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., starting at 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays during summer time.

Can you recycle glass at night in Switzerland?

Not in Zurich. Glass containers can only be used Monday to Saturday, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and never on Sundays or public holidays.

What is a Hausordnung?

It’s the set of house rules for rental buildings in Switzerland. It’s part of the lease and can cover noise, laundry, pets and cleaning.

Switzerland isn’t the only country where a local custom can trip visitors up. In Bulgaria, the problem is a simple movement of the head that means the opposite of what you’d expect.

Sources

• Don’t believe this flushing falsehood. People in Switzerland may flush toilets after 10 p.m., PolitiFact, 2023: the fact-check, the Daily Mail’s claim, The Local’s 2013 report and what I Am Expat said about tenants’ rights and noisy appliances.
• Regeln zu Lärm und Öffnungszeiten in Zürich, City of Zurich: night-rest hours, closing times for bars and restaurants, late-opening permits, terraces, loudspeakers and free nights.
• Wertstoff-Sammelstellen, City of Zurich: the roughly 160 collection points, the glass container hours and the sorting rules.
• Swiss daily dilemmas: Can I flush my toilet at night?, The Local Switzerland, 2019: the Hausordnung, what it covers and its legal force, the 8 p.m. and Sunday expectations, the HEV lawyer’s view and the MV tenants’ association’s position.