Georgia’s parliament is considering a substantial rise in the cost of expedited recognition of construction violations, with a new draft law proposing fees of up to GEL 40,000, almost ten times higher than the current GEL 4,500 charge. The Finance and Budget Committee endorsed the bill at its first hearing this week.
The initiative, prepared by Georgian Dream lawmakers in coordination with Tbilisi City Hall, targets cases in which construction has been carried out without a permit or in breach of approved documentation. Under the proposal, applicants who acknowledge the violation could request accelerated review, but municipalities would set the final tariff and payment procedures within a broad GEL 4,500–40,000 range. The fee would apply to both individuals and companies linked to the offending construction.
The bill also reshapes the rules for fast-track commissioning. The existing flat GEL 4,500 fee, used for speedy approval of commissioning documents or amendments, would be replaced with an adjustable system capped at GEL 40,000.
Lawmakers argue that demand for accelerated procedures has grown sharply following the introduction of stricter oversight tools, including prohibitions on connecting gas and electricity to buildings lacking operational approval. Municipalities now process more than a thousand commissioning requests and over 200 violation-recognition applications each year. Revenue from expedited services has climbed in parallel: GEL 106,400 in 2023, GEL 170,900 in 2024 and GEL 143,800 in the first nine months of 2025.
Local governments maintain that the rising caseload requires additional administrative resources and say the larger fees would support this capacity. The initiative also aligns with Georgia’s 2020–2025 Decentralization Strategy, which calls for bolstering municipal financial autonomy. Parliamentary estimates suggest the reforms could bring in more than GEL 1.1 million in extra annual revenue.
If adopted, the law would come into force 30 days after publication and would not apply to previously submitted applications.
