The legalisation deadline that expired on 30 June 2018 was abolished on 16 May 2026 (NN 48/2026)

Updated July 2026

🏗️ Can I build or extend a house without a building permit in Croatia?

With conditions

Quick answer

Conditional — it depends on whether the unpermitted work is already built or you are only planning it. Building a new house, an extension or an upper storey without a final building permit is prohibited under the Building Act, and a building inspector or municipal warden can order the work stopped and even demolished. But for what was built without a permit by 21 June 2011 and is visible on the digital orthophoto map, legalisation exists. Here the biggest myth falls: the internet still repeats that the legalisation deadline expired on 30 June 2018 — that is no longer true. The new Act amending the Act on Dealing with Illegally Built Buildings (NN 48/2026), in force since 16 May 2026, abolished the deadline, so a legalisation request can now be filed at any time, and previously rejected requests can be renewed. Legalisation is still impossible on maritime property, in nature parks or in planned infrastructure corridors.

📋 The rules

A new build needs a permit: constructing, extending or adding a storey to a building as a rule requires a final building permit and a main design (Building Act, NN 153/13, 20/17, 39/19, 125/19); only minor works from the Ordinance on Simple and Other Buildings and Works may be carried out without a permit.
Inspectors and wardens: under the Building Inspection Act (amendments NN 145/24) a building inspector and a municipal warden can order unpermitted construction stopped and, if ignored, demolished; to enforce the decision, coercive fines are imposed.
Legalisation is tied to 21 June 2011: only what is visible on the State Geodetic Administration digital orthophoto map from the survey begun on 21 June 2011 can be legalised — anything built afterwards cannot be legalised later.
The deadline is gone: NN 48/2026 (in force from 16 May 2026) abolished the administrative deadline that expired on 30 June 2018, so a request can be filed at any time, and rejected requests can be renewed, including those refused for an unpaid fee.
Cost of legalising: besides the fee for keeping the building in space you also pay the utility and water contribution; for auxiliary buildings up to 50 m² the procedure is simplified, and the whole process runs digitally through the eDozvola system.

🔓 Exceptions

Simple buildings: auxiliary buildings, terraces, smaller fences and the like from the Ordinance on Simple and Other Buildings and Works are built without a permit (some without a main design) — but only within the prescribed dimensions.
Where legalisation is impossible: buildings on maritime property, in nature parks, on forest and water land, on archaeological sites and in planned corridors of transport, energy and utility infrastructure cannot be legalised.
If the request was filed in time: the inspector will not use coercive fines to force demolition if it is established that the investor filed a request for a building permit in time and stopped further construction.

⚠️ Penalties & fines

For building without an enforceable building permit or main design the Building Act prescribes fines: 20,000–30,000 € for a legal person, plus a fine for the responsible individual, while natural persons and tradesmen pay less but still substantial amounts. The fine comes with an order to remove what was built unlawfully, and the investor bears the demolition cost. The hidden layer is the most expensive: an unlegalised building cannot be properly sold, entered in the land registry or pledged for a loan, is hard to insure, and a buyer usually pays far less for it. If you legalise, on top of the retention fee come the utility and water contribution and the cost of a surveyor and designer. On top of that, the warden and inspector can impose coercive fines until the decision is complied with, so delay only raises the total bill.

📎 Official sources

Last verified: 2026-07-12

❓ Frequently asked

Has the legalisation deadline really expired?

Not anymore — the administrative deadline that expired on 30 June 2018 was abolished by the 2026 amendments (NN 48/2026), in force since 16 May 2026. A legalisation request can now be filed at any time, and previously rejected requests are reconsidered, including those refused for an unpaid fee.

What can actually be legalised?

Only a building or part of it built without a permit that is visible on the State Geodetic Administration digital orthophoto map from the survey begun on 21 June 2011. Anything built after that date cannot be legalised later, nor can buildings on maritime property or in protected corridors.

How much does building without a permit cost me?

A legal person faces a fine of 20,000 to 30,000 euros plus a fine for the responsible individual, while amounts for citizens are lower. Alongside the fine the inspector can order removal of what was built at the investor's expense, so building without a permit is almost always dearer than doing it properly.

Can I sell a house without legalisation?

An illegally built or unlegalised building cannot be properly entered in the land registry, sold or pledged for a loan, which sharply reduces its value. Because of that, buyers pay less for such property and routinely require legalisation to be done before purchase.

Who supervises illegal construction?

Supervision is carried out by building inspectors of the State Inspectorate and by municipal wardens, who since the 2024 amendments can order work stopped. If the decision is ignored, coercive fines are imposed until the construction is halted or the structure removed.

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