As of December 2, 2024, Armenia’s Cadastre Committee has received approximately 67,000 applications for the registration of unregistered constructions. Of these, around 60,000 are located in urban areas, while the remainder are in rural communities. This was reported by Factor. This surge in applications is a result of the Armenian government’s 2022 decision mandating citizens to register unregistered constructions within specific deadlines: by January 1, 2023, for Yerevan; by January 1, 2024, for other cities; and by January 1, 2025, for rural communities.
Unregistered constructions that remain unregistered within the specified timeframes are subject to demolition by local authorities without the need for a court order. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had previously highlighted, during a government session in 2022, that the widespread presence of unregistered constructions reflects systemic shortcomings in the country’s governance institutions.
To prevent the rise of new unregistered structures, aerial and satellite imaging of all Armenian settlements was conducted in 2021. Based on this data, the Cadastre Committee developed orthophotographic maps, which now serve as a critical tool for monitoring and documenting unregistered constructions.
Regarding the types of these constructions, the Cadastre Committee has clarified that no specific categorization is conducted based on structure type, so precise data on their breakdown is unavailable. According to the “Urban Development Law,” the use of any construction is permitted only after the issuance of a final construction certificate.
However, the President of the Pan-Armenian Union of Geodesists and Land Developers, Arayik Hakobyan, noted that many property owners avoid obtaining final certificates to reduce or evade property taxes. Tax rates differ significantly between partially completed and fully completed structures due to varying cadastral values, making tax avoidance a common incentive.
Hakobyan also emphasized that technical issues often prevent the issuance of final certificates. For example, if a structure was built in 2010 but its construction permit expired in 2012, the municipality cannot issue a new permit or a final certificate. Such structures are considered unregistered by law. Those left unregistered after the deadlines cannot be legalized and are subject to demolition.
This situation highlights significant gaps in Armenia’s legal framework, which complicate the legalization process for many structures and necessitate legislative solutions to address the issue effectively.
