August the 30th, 2026 – You will soon be able to build certain types of buildings in Croatia without the need for a permit as the rules change.
The new Rulebook (Pravilnik) on buildings and works for which a building permit is not required is in public consultation until the 3rd of September. Poslovni reports that the new rules set out to define what can be constructed in Croatia and where, what the procedure is, and what documentation is needed for each type of work.
“When it comes to a canopy of up to 20 square metres that is constructed directly next to a main building or on the building plot of a main building, then a building permit isn’t required. However, if you’re building some kind of auxiliary building that serves the main purpose and is up to 50 square metres, you need the main design, a notification of the start of works, and an occupancy permit,” explained Dunja Magaš, State Secretary in the Ministry of Physical Planning, Construction and State Assets, for HRT.
what’s changing?
The biggest change concerns mobile homes or, as they’re now being referred to, single-storey modular-prefabricated or movable houses. These may be placed without the need for a building permit and without a main design within a campsite. They do however need to be in accordance with the conditions from the location permit on the basis of which the campsite obtained its occupancy permit and then its operating licence.
“A location permit for tourism buildings is required primarily for campsites, and within that for modular prefabricated houses of up to 40 square metres and a height of up to three and a half metres. The second subcategory is buildings for Robinson-style tourism, buildings of up to 20 square metres made of natural lightweight materials. These are the two types of buildings for which a location permit is required, but not a building permit,” Magaš explained.
Another exception is solar power plants with a capacity of up to 10 megawatts, for which a location permit and a main design are required. It’s also important to emphasise that mobile homes must not be built or placed in any other context. “The spatial plan must define what can be built outside the building area on agricultural land. Those mobile homes can only go into campsites that are planned by the spatial plan,” Magaš concluded.
