Deadline for Legalizing Unauthorized Constructions Revealed

Currently, there are unauthorized constructions that, despite being built before the legislative amendments made on December 16, 2021, to the Civil Code, were not registered and legalized within the specified timeframe. Many citizens were unable to register their constructed unauthorized structures or their incomplete sections for various reasons within the set deadlines. During these periods, many citizens were not able to provide the necessary information and documentation, due to both objective circumstances and a lack of public awareness.

This was stated by the head of the Cadastre Committee, Suren Tovmasyan, during a parliamentary extraordinary session. According to him, the bill to amend the law on making additions and changes to the Civil Code of the Republic of Armenia, dated December 16, 2021, is aimed at providing one more opportunity to register existing unauthorized constructions until December 31, 2026, covering both private individuals and properties owned by the state and communities.

In the case of private individuals, a prerequisite is that the unauthorized structure must be reflected in the orthophotos of 2021, while for unauthorized constructions located on land owned by the state or community, an exception to this rule is established under the rationale that properties of state and community ownership possess universal, public value.

The presented package provides a clear definition stating that legalized unauthorized constructions on state or community-owned land will not be subjected to expropriation or other rights transfers, and can exclusively be the property of the state, community, or organizations with 100 percent participation of the state or community, or organizations founded by the state or community.

Additionally, it should be noted that the National Assembly has adopted the bill in the first reading.