The Ministry of Economics (MoE) informs that as of 1 November this year, amendments to the Construction Law, General Construction Regulations, and Building Construction Regulations have entered into force. The amendments provide for a more efficient procedure for coordinating technical requirements and construction projects, ensuring a faster and simpler construction process.

From 1 November, every individual planning construction will be required to indicate the source of construction funding in the Construction Information System (BIS).

According to the amendments to the Building Construction Regulations, any individual intending to start construction must indicate in the BIS the source of financing for the planned works. This requirement was introduced because it has been found that construction, including new construction, is often initiated by persons who, according to information available to the State Revenue Service, do not have sufficient legal income to cover the cost of such works. To ensure the effective operation of the risk assessment algorithm, the funding source must be identified – for example, salary, income from business activities, a loan, or another source of income. It is not necessary to specify exact amounts or provide any additional information.

This proposal to indicate the source of funding is included in the Shadow Economy Reduction Plan. The requirement applies to construction intentions that are subject to an administrative construction process (a building permit, explanatory note, or notice of construction) and does not apply to projects that do not require construction documentation.

The amendments to the Construction Law clearly specify that public involvement in the construction process is required only to ensure the better integration of the building into the surrounding environment and to prevent possible adverse effects on the public. At this stage, issues that are addressed within territorial planning or environmental impact assessment processes are not discussed.

Regarding technical requirements (TRs), it is now established that their validity period will be two years. It is also specified that TRs must contain only conditions directly related to the specific construction intention, meaning that disproportionate investments in public infrastructure cannot be required.

In the event of changes to the spatial plan, construction intentions already initiated may continue under the previous planning rules. This will reduce the risk for developers that changes in the spatial plan could make it impossible to approve certain modifications to a project that were previously acceptable – for example, adjusting the building volume while retaining the approved number of parking spaces.

A third party’s acceptance of an explanatory note or confirmation of compliance with design conditions can now be appealed within one month, rather than within a year. This shortens the waiting period required before starting the construction process.

Considering the nature and potential danger of unauthorized construction for both users and the public, any co-owner will henceforth be able to initiate the elimination of unauthorized construction without the consent of all co-owners. Conversely, in the case of shared ownership, a majority of co-owners (over 50%) will be able to initiate the process of putting the building into operation.

The amendments to the General Construction Regulations also stipulate that engineering works (e.g., pile testing, site preparation, earthmoving, or construction site setup), if they do not affect the rights of third parties or have been agreed upon with them, may be started during the fulfilment of design conditions, thereby promoting faster progress of the construction process. Additional changes include:

• For road and external engineering network construction works, project modification approvals can be postponed until the building is commissioned;

• The deadline for issuing technical requirements is shortened from 20 calendar days to 11 working days;

• The deadline for approving the construction project by TR issuers is reduced from 30 calendar days to 15 working days;

• The explanation or clarification of TRs will now be provided free of charge.

At the same time, as of 1 November, amendments to the Building Construction Regulations concerning factory-produced buildings also take effect. From now on, the manufacturer’s certified construction specialist in the relevant design field must prepare a technical passport for the factory-produced building. This passport must be prepared before the building is placed on the market and will provide buyers with the necessary information on the building’s compliance with construction regulations. It will also serve as a replacement for the construction project when submitting the documentation to the building authority for approval. In addition, only the general site plan and foundation design solutions, which depend on the specific location, must be prepared separately.