Lexipedia

Restrictive covenant

A promise limiting the use of land or business conduct, enforceable in some systems against successors or contracting parties.

A restrictive covenant restrains certain acts, such as building above a height, using land commercially, or competing after a sale of business. In common-law property, some covenants may bind later owners if formal and substantive requirements are met. In Switzerland, comparable land-use restrictions are usually created through servitudes, real burdens, zoning rules, or contractual obligations. Their enforceability depends on registration, content, duration, and whether the restriction is permissible under property, contract, competition, and employment law.