May I install home CCTV, and where may I point the cameras?
You may install cameras around your own house for household use without special formalities, but once a camera captures a public area or a neighbour's parcel this is no longer exempt and full data-protection law applies. Under ZVOP-2, in force since 26 January 2023, video surveillance carried out purely for personal or household activity (filming your own property) is outside the scope of ZVOP-2 and the GDPR — you do not have to post a notice. That exemption falls away the moment a camera films the street, the pavement, common areas or a neighbour's land; then you become a data controller and need a legal basis, proportionality, a notice and respect for individuals' rights. Supervision is carried out by the Information Commissioner (IP). The myth that "on my own house I can point a camera anywhere" does not hold — filming a neighbour or a public area is unlawful and can mean a fine and damages.
📋 The rules
- Video surveillance purely for personal or household activity (filming your own house and yard) is exempt from ZVOP-2 and the GDPR; no notice is required.
- The exemption falls away once a camera captures a public area, common parts or a neighbour's parcel — then full data-protection law applies.
- As a controller you must have a legal basis, show proportionality, post a video-surveillance notice and respect individuals' rights of access and erasure.
- Cameras that do not allow identification (panoramic, weather cameras), door intercoms and filming inside your own flat generally fall outside these requirements.
- The lawfulness of video surveillance is supervised by the Information Commissioner, who can order it to stop and impose a fine; for an individual the fine is EUR 100 to 1,000.
🔓 Exceptions
- Filming purely your own property (house, yard, the inside of your flat) for personal use is exempt and needs no notice or legal basis under ZVOP-2.
- Devices that do not allow identification of individuals (panoramic or weather cameras) and ordinary door intercoms are generally not video surveillance within the meaning of the law.
- Capturing a strictly necessary narrow strip of public area right at the entrance may be permissible only exceptionally, where it is necessary, proportionate and kept to the minimum — wider filming of the street is not allowed.
⚠️ Penalties & fines
Once video surveillance is no longer merely a household activity, you become a data controller with all the obligations. If a camera unlawfully films a neighbour's parcel or a public area, the Information Commissioner can order the filming to stop and the footage to be erased and impose a fine; for an individual not carrying out a business the fine is EUR 100 to 1,000, and much higher for businesses (in practice several or tens of thousands of euros). Besides the administrative fine, you risk civil damages for the intrusion into the neighbour's privacy and an order to remove the camera. If you film in a way that substantially intrudes into another person's privacy, it can even amount to the criminal offence of unauthorised image recording under the Criminal Code. Unlawful surveillance often also triggers a lasting neighbour dispute, and footage obtained unlawfully may be useless as evidence. Hiding cameras and disproportionate surveillance only make things worse.
📎 Official sources
- Information Commissioner · video surveillance (guidelines and opinions) →
- PISRS · register of legislation (Personal Data Protection Act, ZVOP-2) →
- Information Commissioner · opinions on neighbours' cameras →
❓ Frequently asked
May I install cameras at home without registration?
For filming purely your own house and yard for personal use, the household-activity exemption applies, so you need no special registration or notice. But once a camera captures a public area or a neighbour's parcel, the exemption falls away and all the obligations under ZVOP-2 apply.
May I film the street in front of my house with a camera?
Filming a public area is generally not permissible within household activity and makes you a data controller. At most a strictly necessary, proportionate narrow capture right at the entrance is allowed, while wider filming of the street or pavement is unlawful.
What can I do if a neighbour's camera films me?
If you reasonably suspect a neighbour's camera unlawfully films your parcel, you can file a personal-data-breach report with the Information Commissioner. The IP can order the filming to stop and the footage erased and impose a fine, and you can also claim civil damages.
What is the fine for unlawful home CCTV?
For an individual not carrying out a business, the fine for video-surveillance breaches is EUR 100 to 1,000. For businesses the fines are much higher, and you also risk civil damages and, in serious cases, criminal liability.
Is a door intercom with a camera video surveillance under the law?
A classic door intercom and cameras that do not allow individuals to be identified generally fall outside the video-surveillance requirements. But if the intercom continuously records and stores footage of a wider area and allows identification, it can count as video surveillance with all the obligations.
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