Apartment reconstruction approval - a notice or an explanatory memorandum

Which document for which work

The regulations have no separate type called “replanning of a group of premises”, so the type is chosen by the content of the work. If it is unclear which case is yours, a designer can recommend the most suitable one.

Construction notice

For simplified renovation of an apartment in a second- or third-group building, a construction notice is submitted in BIS before the work starts. It is accompanied by a plan of the group of premises with the changes and an explication with room heights, prepared and confirmed in BIS by a construction company or construction specialist. Riga municipality explains that for demolition of a non-load-bearing wall the plan is prepared by an architect with a construction practice certificate.

The notice is meant for simple work that does not affect load-bearing structures. It is not used if the work results in a new apartment. In Riga, notices are checked by the Architecture Department of the City Development Department (Pilsētas attīstības departaments): since December 2025 checks have been stepped up, and non-compliant notices are annulled, which shows up in BIS.

Explanatory memorandum

An explanatory memorandum is submitted to the building board for simplified reconstruction, for example a new opening in a load-bearing wall, and for renovation that is not simplified. For an opening, the structural details of the opening and an assessment of its effect on the overall strength and stability of the building are attached. Riga municipality states that this needs an architect and a structural engineer with a construction practice certificate: the survey, the calculations and the opening design.

With an explanatory memorandum or a building permit, work may begin only after the building board has marked that the conditions for starting construction are met.

Certification card: the old document

Since 01.03.2022 the certification card is no longer used for new work. It is used only to finish work for which the card was accepted by 28.02.2022. If someone offers to approve an apartment reconstruction with a certification card, that does not comply with the rules for new work; now a construction notice or an explanatory memorandum is used.

Whose consent is needed

• If the work does not affect common property or other apartments, the owner may carry it out without the agreement of other owners, observing the regulations.
• If a non-load-bearing wall separates two apartments, the owners of both apartments consent.
• An opening in a load-bearing wall in a building divided into apartment properties needs the consent of more than half (50% + 1) of the apartment owners.
• Third-party consents are recorded as a separate agreement, for example an owners' meeting decision or a voting record.
• If the building is a cultural monument, the solution is agreed with the National Heritage Board (Nacionālā kultūras mantojuma pārvalde) or the municipality's cultural heritage unit.

The approval steps

1. Description of the work Which walls or openings change, whether they are load-bearing, what happens to the services.
2. Plan and, if needed, the structural engineer's solution A plan of the group of premises with the changes and an explication; for an opening in a load-bearing wall, also a survey and calculations.
3. Consents An owners' association decision or a neighbour's consent, if the work affects common property or another apartment.
4. Submission in BIS Construction is initiated by submitting the documents in BIS to the building board.
5. Work With an explanatory memorandum, only after the building board's mark on the conditions for starting.
6. After the work The owners update the cadastral survey file.

If the reconstruction has not been approved

If a building inspector finds unauthorised construction, they stop the work, and the authority decides on restoring the previous state or on permission to build after the requirements are met. The costs are covered by the owner of the building. For construction work without an explanatory memorandum or building permit, where these are needed, a private individual can be given a warning or a fine of up to 400 fine units (up to €2,000). More on the page replanning an apartment without approval.

How much does apartment reconstruction approval cost?

Replanning documents and approval: price by estimate. It is determined by whether the work affects load-bearing structures, which document is needed (a construction notice or an explanatory memorandum) and whether a structural engineer's opinion is needed. The work itself is calculated separately, for example demolition from €6/m², plasterboard partition wall from €12/m². Prices are for labour. Materials are calculated separately in the estimate.

In your request, write the address, the building series or year and what you want to change; you can send a plan of the apartment and photos to the specialist when they contact you. If approval is needed, write that in your request. Approval is given by the building board, so no one can promise its result in advance.