Slovenia amends the Building Act with streamlined procedures and enhanced legal certainty
On 30 September 2025, Slovenia’s Amendment to the Building Act (GZ-1B) was passed and published in the Official Gazette (No. 75/2025) with most of its provisions entering into force on 15 October 2025.
The GZ-1B amendment was adopted to address practical challenges that arose during the implementation of the existing Building Act, including a response to natural disasters, the need for faster action, and the digitisation of procedures. The fundamental basis for the amendment was the simplification of procedures for urgent reconstructions and temporary structures, the introduction of the eGraditev electronic system for greater transparency and efficiency, improving inspection control, regulating the legal status of older structures, and adapting legislation to the modern needs of construction practice, such as building information modelling (BIM), universal design, and the reuse of materials. The amendments were made to GZ-1B to increase legal certainty, speed up procedures, and enable more responsive spatial management.
One of the key changes is the revised definition of temporary structures, which may now be erected without a building permit for up to three years, particularly in cases involving natural disasters or other exceptional security circumstances or force majeure. Minor reconstruction projects remain exempt from permitting requirements but must still be reported prior to construction.
The amendment also alters the concept of emergency reconstruction. It applies to cases where damage caused by natural and other disasters to an existing structure must be remedied as quickly as possible, restoring it to its previous condition, but only in cases where this cannot be achieved through maintenance work, maintenance work in the public interest, or minor reconstruction. The investor may restore the building to its pre-disaster condition provided that construction is carried out in accordance with the existing building's project documentation. Alternatively, if changes need to be made to the existing building, the investor must prepare a construction project and – depending on the deviation – may be required to obtain new opinions. Construction can begin within one year of the accident instead of within three months.
Another significant amendment concerns inspection procedures. For years, Slovenia has faced challenges in effectively regulating construction activities. Although the previous Building Act introduced mechanisms for legalising buildings under older regulations, enabled permitting for long-term structures, and called for a substantial increase in the number of building inspectors, enforcement on the ground continued to deteriorate. Slovenia’s Construction Inspectorate receives approximately 3,000 new reports annually, but limited staffing and the complexity and duration of administrative procedures have hindered timely resolution.
To address these issues, the GZ-1B amendment reinforces the role of inspections, particularly for structures that do not require a building permit. These inspections will emphasise compliance with municipal spatial plans. For structures that do require permits, inspection oversight will be integrated into the eGraditev digital platform by 2028, representing a major step toward the full digitalisation of the permitting and oversight process.
Speaking of digitalisation, starting in 2028 the use of eGraditev will become mandatory for most applications and decisions with exceptions for simple structures. The system will also allow for the protection of sensitive project data, which can be marked as confidential.
In terms of project documentation, the amendment introduces stricter deadlines for issuing project conditions and opinions. This measure is intended to prevent unnecessary delays, which have been the most significant issue in practice to date. Authorities will have 15 days to issue project conditions (30 days if specified by law), and 30 days to issue opinions. If these deadlines are missed and not extended by the investor, a positive opinion will be presumed, which should help prevent unnecessary delays.
The building permit procedure remains largely unchanged, with the municipal contribution still required before a permit can be issued. For reconstructions affecting public property, however, consent from the property manager will now suffice. Permits will continue to be valid for five years with possible extensions in cases of force majeure.
Projects deemed to be in the public interest, such as infrastructure, housing, and student accommodations, will benefit from priority processing when obtaining permits, provided the public interest is confirmed by the relevant ministry or municipality.
The amendment also clarifies rules around minor deviations from building permits, which remain possible. If such deviations, however, affect property boundaries, the consent of neighbours is required. Additionally, the reuse of materials is now explicitly allowed without losing their status as non-waste, and universal design is formally recognised as a core requirement in construction planning.
Regarding legalisation, the amendment extends the possibility of extraordinary legalisation until 31 December 2030 for structures completed to the rough construction stage by 17 November 2017. Legalisation will be based on confirmation of the actual condition by the designer, rather than full compliance with all requirements.
Finally, the amendment introduces a presumption of legality for certain older structures. This applies to buildings constructed before 31 December 1967, single-family homes with permits issued prior to 1 January 2003, and structures with permits issued before 1 January 1995 that have not undergone regulated modifications.
For more information on this amendment and construction regulations in Slovenia, contact your CMS client partner or the CMS experts who wrote this article.
