On Thursday, 24 September, the Saeima adopted in the final reading amendments to the Construction Law that expand the range of persons permitted to carry out certain construction works, while also simplifying the building registration process and reducing the administrative burden in the construction sector.

“With these amendments, we are adapting the regulatory framework to the realities of the construction sector. This will provide greater opportunities for people carrying out less complex construction works to work legally, while maintaining safety requirements and oversight of the construction process,” Oļegs Burovs, Chair of the responsible Public Administration and Local Government Committee, previously stated.

Self-employed persons will be permitted to carry out construction works for which no construction project documentation is required, as well as works requiring a construction notification and relating to Group 1 or Group 2 residential buildings or auxiliary buildings.

The amendments also expand the application of the unified building registration process. It will apply to all construction cases regardless of land ownership, including construction on the basis of building rights or on land owned by another person, where permitted by legislation.

The unified service will ensure that an application for a construction project simultaneously serves as an application for registering the building in the State Real Estate Cadastre Information System and for registering ownership rights in the Land Register. This means that a person initiating construction will only need to express their intention to construct, register the building and register ownership rights once.

The amendments will also improve the process for the construction of apartment buildings. Through the Construction Information System, it will be possible to simultaneously apply for the division of a building into apartment properties and for their registration in the Land Register, thereby reducing the administrative burden on developers.

The amendments will further advance the digitalisation of construction and real estate registration processes, while simplifying construction procedures for individuals and businesses.