Rights and Duties of State Authorities in the Field of Urban Planning

Publication date: 10.06.2025

The rights and duties of state authorities in the field of urban planning constitute the foundation of legal regulation for sustainable territorial development and for ensuring the interests of citizens, society, and the state. Their activities are governed by the Urban Planning Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan, which defines the powers of the Cabinet of Ministers, the specialized authorized body, and local executive authorities.

1. General Rights of State Authorities

State authorities have the right to:

develop and approve state policy in the field of urban planning;
adopt regulatory legal acts governing planning and construction;
approve master plans of territories as well as territorial development schemes;
organize and supervise the state urban planning cadastre and monitoring of urban planning activities.

These rights ensure the integrity of state policy and allow for the implementation of strategic plans for urbanization and sustainable development.

2. Main Duties of State Authorities

The duties of state authorities cover a wide range of functions:

Cabinet of Ministers: ensures the implementation of unified state policy, approves master plans of cities of republican significance, defines the procedure for maintaining the cadastre and monitoring objects.
Specialized Authorized Body (Ministry of Construction and Housing & Communal Services): develops regulatory acts, approves urban planning norms and rules, carries out state supervision over construction activities, accredits expert and design organizations.
Local Authorities: ensure compliance with legislation at the local level, organize the development and approval of settlement master plans, resolve issues of rational population distribution, and development of engineering and social infrastructure.

3. Responsibility and Oversight

State authorities are obliged to:

ensure protection of the environment and cultural heritage;
prevent violations of urban planning norms and suppress illegal construction;
supervise the safety of buildings and structures;
inform the public about adopted decisions and ensure public participation in the discussion of urban planning projects.

In addition, they bear responsibility for violations, including improper control or approval of projects that contradict the law.

4. Balance of Rights and Duties

The interconnection of rights and duties of state authorities in the field of urban planning is reflected in the need to balance:

the interests of the state and the needs of society;
citizens’ rights to a favorable living environment and the tasks of economic development;
centralized management and local initiative.

Such a balance is achieved through regulatory measures, public participation in discussions, and strict state supervision.

State authorities in the field of urban planning perform a key function in ensuring sustainable territorial development. Their rights are aimed at shaping state policy and organizing effective management, while their duties focus on compliance with legislation, protection of citizens’ interests, and environmental preservation. The effective combination of these elements serves as a guarantee of legal order and sustainable urban planning development in the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Rights and Duties of State Authorities in the Field of Urban Planning

Level of State Authority	Rights	Duties
Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan	• Develop and approve unified state policy in the field of urban planning. • Approve master plans of Tashkent, Nukus, and cities of republican subordination. • Define boundaries and regulatory procedures for particularly significant objects. • Adopt regulatory legal acts. • Organize maintenance of the state urban planning cadastre and monitoring of objects.	• Ensure financing of scientific research and development of norms. • Control implementation of state urban planning programs. • Establish procedures for state supervision of construction.
Specialized Authorized Body (Ministry of Construction and Housing & Communal Services)	• Develop and approve urban planning norms and rules. • License certain types of activities. • Accredit expert and design organizations. • Submit proposals to the Cabinet of Ministers on boundaries of particularly significant objects.	• Exercise state supervision over compliance with legislation and construction norms. • Organize expertise of urban planning documentation. • Train and improve the qualifications of personnel. • Inform the public about adopted decisions. • Take measures to suspend illegal construction.
Local Executive Authorities (republican, regional, city, district)	• Organize development of master plans of settlements. • Establish building rules at the local level. • Make decisions on suspension or prohibition of activities contrary to the law. • Form lists of land plots for advertising placement and construction of objects.	• Monitor compliance with urban planning legislation at the local level. • Ensure rational distribution of the population and development of engineering infrastructure. • Safeguard urban planning facilities. • Organize public discussions of projects. • File lawsuits for demolition of unauthorized buildings.