Montenegro had issued 4,363 decisions on 85,741 applications to legalize illegally built structures by June 2026, leaving 81,378 cases unresolved, according to the Ministry of Spatial Planning, Urbanism and State Property. The backlog leaves applicants waiting for decisions on the legal status of their buildings.
The decisions represent just over 5% of applications recorded since the Law on Spatial Planning and Construction of Buildings began to apply in 2018. For every decision issued, almost 19 cases remain unresolved. The June 2026 figures are the latest available, with the ministry receiving data from local government bodies twice a year, in June and December.
From December 2025 to June 2026, municipalities recorded 15,086 newly reported buildings, taking the cumulative number of applications to 85,741. Decisions increased by 530 over the same period to 4,363. The figures for those months came from local government bodies and the Administration for Legalization of Illegal Buildings.
Applications under the new law
A new Law on the Legalization of Illegal Buildings took effect on 14 August 2025. From then until June 2026, applicants submitted 10,819 requests for legalization, including 724 concerning buildings larger than 500 square metres.
The information provided does not explain the relationship between those 10,819 applications and the increase of 15,086 newly reported buildings recorded from December 2025 to June 2026. The two figures cover different starting dates, but the available data do not establish how they relate to one another.
Nor do the figures separately identify the number of buildings legalized in the past year. The increase of 530 decisions from December 2025 to June 2026 measures a shorter period, while the total of 4,363 decisions covers the period since 2018. The ministry has not provided a separate annual figure.
Processing obstacles
Commissions supporting legalization have been formed in most municipalities. They inspect buildings on site and prepare reports to help the authorities establish facts needed for decisions. The ministry expects their work to increase the number of cases resolved, although the data do not yet show how many final decisions have followed inspections.
Reducing the 81,378-case backlog requires faster handling of applications and better coordination among local governments, the Administration for Legalization of Illegal Buildings and other competent institutions, the ministry said. It also identified administrative and property-law obstacles that slow decisions and said those barriers need to be removed.
Applicants need to provide the prescribed documents on time, including registration of a building in the real estate cadastre and, where required, a survey report of the structure as built. Clear instructions on those steps and information for citizens are also part of the process. The ministry regards legalization as requiring cooperation between institutions and applicants.
Its stated goal is an “efficient, transparent and legally secure system” that resolves cases within a reasonable time and applies the law consistently. More effective administration, the commissions’ technical work and better public information could help buildings that meet legal requirements obtain legal status, according to the ministry.
The next measure of progress will be how many field inspections the commissions carry out and how many final legalization decisions follow them. Those figures will help assess whether the steps taken are increasing the number of resolved cases.
