The Estonian Parliament has also adopted amendments to the Planning Act and the Building Code aimed at making planning and building-permit procedures faster, clearer, and more flexible for businesses and developers.
Key changes for businesses and developers
- Less bureaucracy, shorter procedures. The local government special plan procedure will be abolished. Buildings with significant impact will instead be planned through the ordinary detailed plan procedure, which typically takes around 2.2 years — compared with roughly four years for a special plan. Local governments will also gain broader scope to resolve construction matters directly through design specifications, cutting out unnecessary delay.
- Clearer deadlines and stronger oversight. Where legislation does not already set a time limit, authorities running planning procedures will be able to set their own deadlines to keep procedures moving. The Land and Spatial Planning Board will also gain the power to issue precepts to local governments and other authorities that cause unjustified delays or miss deadlines.
- A new digital planning environment: PLANIS. PLANIS, a new digital platform for planning procedures, has been operational since the start of 2026, replacing the earlier PLANK database. It brings planning information together in one place and allows procedures to be monitored in real time, improving transparency and efficiency.
- A ten-year expiry for detailed plans. From 1 January 2027, newly adopted detailed plans will automatically lapse after ten years if the owner has not begun land-related activities or construction within that period. The change is designed to prevent outdated plans from remaining in force for decades without being implemented.
The amendments will enter into force in stages, with some provisions taking effect in the second half of 2026 and others at the start of 2027.