When replanning is illegal
Not every change in an apartment is illegal replanning. For interior work, such as painting, wallpaper or replacing a floor covering, no documents are needed. The problem arises when work that needed a document was done without one.
- A non-load-bearing wall was demolished to join rooms, without a construction notice in the Construction Information System (BIS).
- An opening was cut or widened in a load-bearing wall without an explanatory memorandum and without the consent of more than half of the apartment owners.
- Work with an explanatory memorandum was started before the building board's mark that the conditions for starting construction work had been met.
- One apartment was split into two or more using a construction notice, although a notice cannot be used to create a new apartment.
- A loggia was added to a room: the external structures of balconies and loggias are common property, so the owners' association's consent is needed.
Which document is needed for which work is in the table on the page does a renovation need a permit.
Sources: Cabinet Regulation No. 529, sub-paragraphs 7.¹, 7.², 7.⁵ and paragraph 108; Riga municipality explanation on LV portāls 04.12.2025; Law on Residential Properties, Sections 4 and 11. Checked 11.11.2026.
What the consequences are
| What happens | Basis |
|---|---|
| A building inspector stops the work, and the authority decides on restoring the previous condition or on a permit to build after the requirements are met | Construction Law, Section 18(5) |
| The cost of restoring the previous condition is paid by the owner of the building | Construction Law, Section 18(11) |
| For work without an explanatory memorandum or a building permit, for a private individual: a warning or a fine of up to 400 fine units (up to €2,000) | Construction Law, Section 25(1) point 5 |
| If the explanatory memorandum has no building board mark for starting the work: a warning or a fine of up to 15 fine units (€75) | Construction Law, Section 25(1) point 1 |
| The Riga municipality does not grant a benefit for adapting a home if unauthorised construction was previously carried out in it | Riga City Council regulations RD-23-193-sn, paragraph 5 |
A building inspector, on showing a work ID and authorisation, may visit buildings and individual rooms to check unauthorised construction and safety. In Riga, since December 2025 the Architecture Department of the City Development Department checks BIS notices more strictly and annuls the non-compliant ones.
Sources: Construction Law, Sections 18, 21 and 25; Administrative Liability Law (Administratīvās atbildības likums), Section 16 (1 fine unit = €5); Riga City Council binding regulations RD-23-193-sn; Riga municipality on LV portāls 04.02.2026. Checked 11.11.2026.
How replanning is legalised
Legalisation means a new construction case in BIS after a decision of the building board. If the building board finds unauthorised construction, it adopts a decision on the deviations and sets deadlines and conditions for correcting them. The detailed procedure is different in each case.
- Find out what was changed Compare the existing plan with the cadastral survey file: which walls and openings are different, and whether load-bearing structures, risers or ventilation are affected.
- Consult the building board In Riga this is the City Development Department (Pilsētas attīstības departaments), in the Riga region the building board of the relevant municipality. There, find out which document is needed in your case.
- Prepare the documents For changes to a non-load-bearing wall, an architect prepares the plan of the group of premises. For an opening in a load-bearing wall, an architect and a structural engineer are needed: a survey, calculations and the solution for the opening.
- Obtain the owners' association's consent if common property is affected For example, an opening in a load-bearing wall needs the consent of more than half of the apartment owners, recorded as a general meeting decision or a voting record.
- Meet the building board's conditions The authority may also decide that the previous condition must be restored.
- Update the cadastral survey file After the work, the owners update the cadastral survey file so that the plan matches what is actually there.
The consequences of unauthorised construction can be remedied by any co-owner without the consent of the other co-owners. The owner of the building is responsible for remedying the consequences in the building.
Sources: Cabinet Regulation No. 529, paragraphs 9 and 162; Construction Law, Section 19(3) and (4); Riga municipality explanation on LV portāls 04.12.2025. Checked 11.11.2026.
If you are buying an apartment with a replanning
- Ask for the cadastral survey file and compare it with the apartment as it is.
- If the plan differs, ask the seller whether the changes have a notice or an explanatory memorandum with the building board's mark in BIS.
- If there are no documents, expect that the costs of legalisation or of restoring the previous condition will be yours after the purchase.
- Be especially careful in assessing openings in load-bearing walls and added loggias.
For renovation after a purchase: renovation after buying an apartment. If you are preparing an apartment for sale: renovation before selling.
How much it costs to put a replanning in order
Prices are for labour. Materials are calculated separately in the estimate. For replanning documents and approval the price is by estimate. It is determined by whether the work affects load-bearing structures, which documents are needed (a construction notice or an explanatory memorandum) and whether a structural engineer's opinion is needed. If the building board orders a non-load-bearing partition to be restored, a plasterboard partition wall costs from €12/m²: for example, 3 m × 2.6 m = 7.8 m² × €12 = from €93.60 (frame and cladding only).
The building board's decision cannot be foreseen. If approval is needed, write that in the request; you can send a plan and photos to the specialist when they contact you.
Sources
- Notice, explanatory memorandum, new apartment, mark, decision on deviations, recording of consent checked 11 November 2026
- No documentation is needed for interior work checked 11 November 2026
- Stopping work, restoration costs, responsibility, co-owner's rights, inspector's access, penalties checked 11 November 2026
- 1 fine unit = €5 checked 11 November 2026
- Riga municipality: architect, structural engineer, 50% + 1, cadastral survey file checked 11 November 2026
- Stricter checks of notices in Riga checked 11 November 2026
- The external structures of loggias are common property checked 11 November 2026
- The benefit is not granted if unauthorised construction was carried out checked 11 November 2026