In accordance with the amendments to the Civil Protection and Disaster Management Law, the Ministry of Economics (MoE) has developed a new regulatory enactment – Shelter Construction Standard LBN 210-25, which was adopted by the government on Tuesday, July 22.

The amendments to the Civil Protection and Disaster Management Law entered into force on July 3 of this year and set requirements for shelters, dividing them into three categories. Since shelters have not previously been regulated in Latvian legislation, a new regulatory framework also had to be established for their construction.

“This construction standard is an important step in strengthening the country’s internal security. We have created a clear and practically applicable regulation that will allow buildings to be constructed with real protective potential in crisis situations. It is an investment in the safety of our people and the resilience of society,” emphasizes Minister of Economics Viktors Valainis.

Shelters are classified into three categories, and the new construction standard provides for their construction as follows:

• Category I – shelters for protection against blast shockwaves, chemical warfare agents, ionizing radiation, radioactive dust, and shrapnel. Such shelters are built during the construction of new Category A and B critical infrastructure facilities where personnel are expected to be permanently present on a daily basis;

• Category II – shelters for protection against blast shockwaves and shrapnel. These are built in new multi-apartment buildings with more than five above-ground floors, preschools, primary schools, secondary schools, vocational schools, universities, inpatient medical institutions, and other public buildings with a total area of at least 2,500 m²;

• Category III – shelters created by adapting buildings or parts of buildings that mitigate the impact of blast shockwaves and shrapnel. These may be rooms in basements or other spaces adapted in accordance with guidelines of the Ministry of the Interior and the State Fire and Rescue Service. The new construction standard does not apply to these shelters.

The new construction standard sets the minimum technical requirements for the design of shelters. These requirements are grouped according to the protection level to be achieved. General requirements include minimum area, ceiling height, door width, emergency exit, ventilation, water supply point, etc. Requirements for protection against blast shockwaves and shrapnel include additional load, pressure, and impact resistance for external enclosing structures, exit covers, doors, and door frame structures, etc. Requirements for protection against chemical warfare agents, ionizing radiation, and radioactive dust include provisions such as a first aid room, entry sluice room, etc.

The requirement to build shelters will apply only to new buildings specified in the law and will take effect on January 1, 2027. For construction projects submitted to the building authority by December 31, 2026, there will be no obligation to build shelters. However, the regulatory framework does not prevent voluntarily building a shelter now in accordance with the requirements of the standard.

Since the new construction standard sets minimum technical requirements for shelters and will necessitate new solutions in construction projects, it will create additional costs. For example, in the case of a five-story building, total construction costs for structures may increase by around 10%. For other participants in the construction process, the regulatory changes will not create additional costs.

The construction standard was developed based on Finnish experience, in close cooperation with the Latvian Association of Structural Designers, the Latvian Association of Civil Engineers, and the Real Estate Developers Alliance.

Public Relations Department
Ministry of Economics
E-mail: prese@em.gov.lv