Land plots in Russia may face seizure if left unused, according to new regulations set to take effect on September 1, 2025. Vage Rybchenko, head of the legal reception office of the Moscow Union of Gardeners, explained the conditions that could lead to such actions.

A plot is deemed unused if it remains undeveloped for three years and meets specific criteria.

These criteria include:

• More than half of the land being littered with garbage or contaminated with waste.
• The absence of registered buildings or structures after five years, assuming legal construction was permissible.
• The failure to construct a residential building on a plot designated for individual housing within seven years.
• The presence of dilapidated buildings lacking roofs or windows.
• More than half of a garden plot being overgrown with weeds exceeding one meter in height.

Owners found in violation of these conditions may receive an order to rectify the situation. Additionally, fines ranging from 1 to 1.5% of the plot’s cadastral value, but no less than twenty thousand rubles, may be imposed.

Ignoring these orders can ultimately result in the seizure of the land plot.