President Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed a law on September 28 strengthening state oversight in the construction sector.
The law amends the legislation on licensing, permitting and notification procedures. Construction and installation work will require authorization from the regional construction and housing and communal services inspectorate.
Constructing multi-apartment housing without the required permit will result in criminal liability following an administrative penalty. Those found guilty may face three to five years in prison.
If violations of urban planning legislation result in a person’s death or other serious consequences, the prison term will range from five to seven years.
The law will take effect three months after its publication.
The legislation was passed by the Legislative Chamber in its final reading in April and approved by the Senate in July. During consideration in the upper house, plans were also announced to increase fines for unauthorized construction to up to 400 times the base calculation unit, or UZS 176 million, for individuals and 450 times the base calculation unit, or UZS 198 million, for officials.
The law also amends the Urban Planning Code, granting master plans the status of urban planning documentation and significantly expanding the powers of construction inspectors.
In August, the Legislative Chamber approved at first reading another bill aimed at strengthening oversight of urban development. It proposes financial penalties of five times the base calculation unit, or UZS 2.2 million, for every square meter where serious construction violations are identified.
The proposed penalties would apply to construction, reconstruction and major repairs carried out without design documentation or without notifying the authorized body, as well as projects that do not comply with the designated use of the land plot.
The financial sanctions would apply to developers, contractors and subcontractors.
