SoiLEX - Soil related legal instruments and soil governance

All the legal instruments present on the platform have been obtained on the basis of FAOLEX and the EU Sol Wiki and validated by national experts to be relevant and up-to-date.

Each instrument can be searched by country profile or by soil-related keywords and includes a ranking system based on the relevance of the document to the selected keyword, the scope of the legislation, its nature and year. The ranking system facilitates the search and enables users to easily understand which documents are the most important for each search they make.

The information provided by the database allows users to have the complete document as well as a detailed summary of its content, focusing mainly on the purpose and specific objectives of the instrument.

Country

Soil sealing

Armenia

Law No. HO-82-N “On environmental control”. Date of text: 11/04/2011
(National)
Law No. ZR-188 on purposeful use of environmental fees paid by polluters. Date of text: 11-06-2001
(National)
Law No. HO-245-N “On environmental fees”. Date of text: 20-12-2006
(National)
Land Code (No. HO-185 of 2001) Date of text: 04-06-2001
(National)

Australia

Forest Management Plan 2014–2023. Date of text: 01-12-2013
(Western Australia)

Austria

Federal Act on Environmental Impact Assessment. Date of text: 14-10-1993
(National)
Nature and Landscape Protection Law of Upper Austria Date of text: 14-12-2001
(Upper Austria)
Austrian Spatial Development Concept ÖREK 2011. Date of text: 04-08-2011
(National)
Austrian Strategy for Sustainable Development – Initiative of the Federal Government Date of text: 30-04-2002
(National)
Biodiversity Strategy Austria 2020+. Date of text: 01-01-2014
(National)

Belgium

Decree of the Flemish Government establishing a regional urban development regulation on rainwater wells, infiltration facilities, buffer facilities and separate discharge of waste water and rainwater. Date of text: 05-07-2013
(Flanders)
Code Bruxellois de l'Aménagement du Territoire (CoBAT). Date of text: 05-06-2004
(Brussels)
Circulaire on Permits Delivered in Flood-Risk Area and to the Prevention of Land Sealing. Date of text: 04-03-2003
(Wallonia)
Marshall Plan 2022. Date of text: 19-12-2013
(Wallonia)
Flood Risk Management Plans (2016-2021). Date of text: 26-02-2016
(Wallonia)
Plan for the Prevention of Floods and Their Effects on Flood Victims. Date of text: 09-01-2003
(Wallonia)

Bolivia (Plurinational State of)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Law on Spatial planning and Construction Date of text: 25-04-2013
(Br?ko District; Republika Srpska)

Brazil

Law No. 11.952 concerning public lands. Date of text: 25-06-2009
(National)
Law No. 716 of 27 December 1983 establishing protection measures for plough lands. Date of text: 27-12-1983
(Rio de Janeiro)

Canada

Act respecting the preservation of agricultural land and agricultural activities (R.S.Q., c. P-41.1). Date of text: 01-01-1978
(Québec)

Chile

Decreto con Fuerza de Ley Nş 458 – Nueva Ley General de Urbanismo y Construcciones. Date of text: 18-12-1975
(National)

Colombia

Decreto Nş 2.367 - Crea el Consejo Superior de la Administración de Ordenamiento del Suelo Rural. Date of text: 07-12-2015
(National)
Decreto Nş 3600 - Disposiciones relativas a las determinantes de ordenamiento del suelo rural. Date of text: 20-09-2007
(National)
Ley Nş 1454 - Normas orgánicas sobre ordenamiento territorial. Date of text: 28-11-2011
(National)
Ley Nş 388 - Ley de Ordenamiento Territorial que modifica las Normas sobre planes de desarrollo municipal, compraventa y expropiación de bienes. Date of text: 17-07-1997
(National)

Congo

Programme d’Action National de Lutte Contre la Désertification. Date of text: 01-01-2006
(National)

Croatia

Cuba

Resolución Nş 810/00 - Protección del medio ambiente en la construcción. Date of text: 02-08-2000
(National)

Côte d'Ivoire

Loi portant amendement de l'article 26 de la loi nş 98-750 relative au domaine foncier rural. Date of text: 28-07-2004
(National)

Denmark

Town and Country Planning Act. Date of text: 11-09-2002
(National)

Dominican Republic

Ley Nş 5.879 - Reforma Agraria. Date of text: 27-04-1962
(National)

El Salvador

Decreto Legislativo Nş 732 - Ley de desarrollo y ordenamiento territorial del área metropolitana de San Salvador y de los municipios aledańos. Date of text: 08-12-1993
(National)

Estonia

Building Code. Date of text: 11/02/2015
(National)
National Spatial Plan Estonia 2030+. Date of text: 30-08-2012
(National)
Rural Development and Market Regulation Act Date of text: 21-04-2004
(National)

European Union

Environmental Impact Assessment Directive Date of text: 13-12-2011
(National)
Floods Directive Date of text: 23-10-2007
(National)

France

Code rural et de la pęche maritime (Partie législative). Date of text: 01-01-1979
(National)

Gabon

Loi n°16/2001 du 31 décembre 2001 portant Code forestier Date of text: 31-12-2001
(National)
Ordonnance 005/PR/2012 du 13 février 2012 fixant le régime de la propriété foncičre en République gabonaise. Date of text: 13-02-2012
(National)

Greece

Law No. 2508 On Sustainable Urban Planning. Date of text: 13/06/1997
(National)

Haiti

Décret du 20 novembre 1972 créant une Commission nationale dénommée: "Commission Nationale d'Aménagement du Territoire" (CONAT). Date of text: 20-11-1972
(National)

Honduras

Acuerdo Nş 25/04 - Reglamento general de la Ley de ordenamiento territorial. Date of text: 02-08-2004
(National)
Decreto Nş 180/03 - Ley de ordenamiento territorial. Date of text: 28-11-2003
(National)
Decreto Nş 104/93 - Ley General del Medio Ambiente. Date of text: 08-06-1993
(National)

Hungary

Act LXXVIII of 1997 on the Development and Protection of the Built Environment. Date of text: 24-07-1997
(National)
Act XXI of 1996 on Regional development and Regional Planning. Date of text: 05-04-1996
(National)

Ireland

National Spatial Strategy 2002-2020. Date of text: 01-01-2002
(National)

Italy

National Biodiversity Strategy. Date of text: 01-01-2010
(National)
Consolidation Act on forests and forestry sectors Date of text: 03-04-2018
(National)

Jamaica

Town and Country Planning Act. Date of text: 01-02-1958
(National)
Natural Resources Conservation Authority Act, 1991. Date of text: 05/07/1991
(National)

Latvia

Cabinet Regulation No. 240 of 2013 on General Regulations for the Planning, Use and Building of the Territory. Date of text: 30-04-2013
(National)
Order of Cabinet of Ministers No. 611 of 2015 on Forest and Related Sectors Development Guidelines 2015-2020. Date of text: 05-10-2015
(National)

Lithuania

Law on Protected Areas Date of text: 09-11-1993
(National)

Luxembourg

Law on Classified Establishments Date of text: 10-06-1999
(National)
An Integrated Transports and Spatial Development Concept for Luxembourg. Date of text: 01-01-2005
(National)
Second National Plan for Sustainable Development. Date of text: 26-11-2010
(National)
Law Concerning the Evaluation of the Environmental Impacts of Certain Plans and Programmes Date of text: 22-05-2008
(National)
Law on Water Date of text: 19-12-2008
(National)

Mauritius

Planning and Development Act 2004 Date of text: 27-09-2004
(National)

Mexico

Ley Agraria, 1992. Date of text: 23-02-1992
(National)

Mongolia

Law on land. Date of text: 07-07-2002
(National)

Namibia

National Policy on Subdivision and Consolidation of Agricultural Land. Date of text: 01-03-2018
(National)

Netherlands (Kingdom of the)

Act General Provisions on the Physical Living Environment No. 566 of 2006. Date of text: 06/11/2008
(National)

North Macedonia

Poland

Act on planning and spatial development. Date of text: 27-03-2003
(National)

Portugal

Decree No. 15/2015 establishing the criteria for the classification and reclassification of soil, as well as the criteria for qualification and the categories of rustic soil and urban soil according to the prevalent use, applicable to the whole national territory. Date of text: 19-08-2015
(National)
Decree-Law No. 199/2015 amending Decree-Law No. 73/2009 on the legal regime of the National Agricultural Reserve (RAN). Date of text: 16-09-2015
(National)
Decree-Law No. 80/2015 approving the revision of the Legal Framework for Territorial Management Instruments, approved by Decree-Law No. 380/99. Date of text: 14-05-2015
(National)
Decree-Law No. 86/2002 updating the legal regime for agricultural waterworks, approved by Decree-Law No. 269/82. Date of text: 06-04-2002
(National)
Law No. 31/2014 establishing the general basis for public policies on soils, land use and urbanism. Date of text: 30-05-2014
(National)
Decree-Law No. 140/99 reviewing the transposition of Council Directive No. 79/409/EEC of 2 April on the conservation of wild birds, and Council Directive No. 92/43/EEC of 21 May on the conservation of natural habitats and fauna and wild flora. Date of text: 24-04-1999
(National)
National Ecological Reserve Date of text: 22-08-2008
(National)

Romania

Emergency Ordinance no. 57 of 20 June 2007 on the regime of protected natural areas, conservation of natural habitats, wild flora and fauna. Date of text: 20-06-2007
(National)
Law no. 24 of 15 January 2007 on the regulation and administration of green spaces in urban areas. Date of text: 15-01-2007
(National)

Russian Federation

Order No. 238 of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology validating the Regulation on methods for the calculation of damage caused to soil. Date of text: 08-07-2010
(National)

Serbia

Law on Planning and Building Date of text: 03/09/2009
(National)
Forest Law Date of text: 01-01-2010
(National)
Law on Agricultural Land Date of text: 01-01-2006
(National)

Slovenia

Law on spatial planning. Date of text: 24-10-2017
(National)

Sweden

The Swedish Environmental Code Date of text: 11-06-1998
(National)

Switzerland

Federal Act on Spatial Planning Date of text: 22-06-1979
(National)
Building Proceedings Ordinance. Date of text: 03-12-1997
(Zürich)

Togo

Loi n°2018?005 du 14 juin 2018 portant Code foncier et domanial. Date of text: 14-06-2018
(National)

Trinidad and Tobago

National Food Production Action Plan 2012-2015 Date of text: 01-01-2012
(National)

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

National Planning Policy Framework. Date of text: 01-02-2019
(England)

Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)

Ley Orgánica de Ordenación Urbanística. Date of text: 16-12-1987
(National)
Decreto Ley Nş 1.546/01 - Ley de tierras y desarrollo agrario. Texto consolidado. Date of text: 09-11-2001
(National)
Ley de Bosques. Date of text: 06-08-2013
(National)

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