Legalising illegal construction and land in Georgia

Georgia has no single amnesty for building without a permit — the route depends on what you built, where and when. Outside Tbilisi, a house built on an individual's land before 1 December 2023 counts as lawful — but, as a rule, a stability report is needed. Other buildings can be legalised if built before 1 January 2007, and state land occupied before 20 September 2007 can be claimed as your property.

In short

A house built before 1 December 2023

A family house (with outbuildings) built on an individual's land before 1 December 2023 without a permit or in breach of the design counts as lawful and needs no separate legalisation (Spatial Planning Code, Article 141⁸).

• A house is a detached residential building with up to 3 floors above ground (plus an attic), and up to 2 separately owned units
• The construction date is confirmed by the consent of owners of 2 adjacent or 3 non-adjacent plots in the same registration block, or by a municipal certificate — unless Registry data or aerial photos show otherwise
• The rule also covers a house whose land is now being registered under the sporadic registration procedure
• If a construction-violation case is pending, the supervision body must close it

The rule does not apply in Tbilisi or to a dangerous building already ordered to be repaired or demolished, and it does not stop pending civil or criminal cases. In the areas listed in Government Resolution No. 352 of 2024, you also need a municipal certificate that the building fits the zone; in heritage villages and protection zones — construction documents.

Under the same resolution, everywhere except Tbilisi you also need an accredited inspection body's report on the stability and earthquake resistance of the load-bearing structure (not for Class I buildings). Without it, the Public Registry issues an extract marked “without construction documentation”.

Legalising a building built before 2007

Other buildings — such as an extension, an extra floor or a non-residential building — can be legalised if built before 1 January 2007 (Code, Article 141¹), under Government Resolution No. 153 of 9 March 2020.

• You apply to the body that issues building permits — as a rule, the municipality (Article 2)
• Documents: a topographic plan, a Registry extract and cadastral map, a design or measured drawing of the current state, photos; sometimes a structural stability report (Article 4)
• If works without adding floor area were done after 2007 on a block of flats built before 2007, one owner can apply alone — other neighbours' consent is not required (Article 4)
• An unfinished house started before 2007 (up to 500 sq m) qualifies if the foundations are done and the area doesn't grow; you get up to 1 year to finish it (Article 6)
• The decision is made within 30 days. If the body misses the deadline, the building counts as legalised (Article 8)
• Legalisation also counts as the building's acceptance into use

Within 30 days the body may ask, at your expense, for extra documents or finishing works. For an unfinished extension, extra floor or house, it may also ask for windows, balconies, bay windows or terraces facing a neighbour to be brought into line. The owner is responsible for the building's strength (Article 5).

If the building was built after 2007

For other buildings built after 2007 there is no general legalisation rule. Tbilisi and Batumi had temporary rules for accepting finished buildings into use, but with a 2-year application window. Such a building risks a fine, an order to fix the violation, or demolition.

• Fine for building without a permit: village or small town — GEL 1,000, town — 4,000, self-governing city — 6,000; Class III–IV buildings — GEL 20,000–25,000 (Article 130)
• In Tbilisi, protected and special-regulation zones the fines are higher — for example, GEL 8,000 on private land (Article 131)
• If the violation isn't fixed, the fine triples every 3 months — up to three times. Paying the fine doesn't remove the duty to fix the violation (Article 126)
• For an unauthorised building on state or municipal land, a demolition order can be issued even without a prior instruction if it cannot be established who built it (Article 127)
• An order can be appealed within 15 calendar days. Starting legalisation pauses the instruction's deadline for up to 3 months in total (Article 128)

Self-occupied land

If the house stands on state land, ownership of the land must be recognised first. An individual can claim land occupied before 20 September 2007 with a building on it (even unfinished or ruined), or land bordering their own plot: up to 1.25 ha in the lowlands, 5 ha in high-mountain settlements (Law on Recognition of Ownership, Article 2).

• Evidence: a document or witness statement plus a survey drawing; if needed, an expert report that the building stood before 20 September 2007 (Article 5¹)
• Not recognised: pasture, state forest, protected areas, streets, roads, parks, cemeteries, monuments and similar land (Article 3)
• Until 1 January 2027, except in self-governing cities, the Public Registry handles the claim under the sporadic registration procedure (Article 7⁹)
• In self-governing cities a municipal commission decides, as a rule within 2 months; if needed, the term can be extended by up to 6 more months (Article 5¹)

For documents, surveying and overlaps with a neighbour, see our “Land registration” page.

What to watch for

• First find out who owns the land — private, state or municipal. Both the route and the fine depend on it
• Gather proof of the construction date: old photos, inventory records, utility contracts, neighbours' consent
• Check whether the plot is in a protected zone or a cultural heritage area
• If the supervision body has issued an instruction or a fine, don't miss the 15-day appeal deadline

How we help

• We check which rule applies to your building and land
• We prepare the legalisation or land recognition application and documents
• We appeal a fine, a demolition order or a refusal
• We represent you before the municipality, the Public Registry and in court

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