Local authorities in Croatia are targeting caravan owners
Along the Croatian coast, there is a lot of agricultural land that is legally classed as arable, garden, livestock farm, pasture or olive grove (Crotian: oranica, vrt, livada, pašnjak, voćnjak, maslinik), which is usually already included in the description of the land in the land register and can be seen on the land register extract for the property (however, this is not necessarily reliable information). On many of these plots, owners have placed caravans or mobile homes and containers (or other illegal structures) in the hope that the land will one day be classed as development land. Until then, they will spend their holidays at the seaside without paying accommodation and tourist tax.
In Istria, Croatia, some municipal and city authorities have started adopting decrees on agrotechnical measures to bring order to the area. Some local authorities will prohibit the placement of any illegal structures, movable facilities, mobile trailers and the construction of fences or walls on agricultural land unless provided for in the spatial plan. The removal of fertile soil and land embankments will also be prohibited. The decrees will give offenders one year to remove items or objects from the land and return it to its original condition and make the land fit for its intended purpose.
Landowners who fail to clean up their land (remove everything from the land and put it to agricultural use) within the set time limit will receive an administrative fine, payable immediately, as an appeal will not stay enforcement. Fines may vary from local authority to local authority but may be up to HRK 200,000.00 (approximately EUR 26,500.00). However, these fines will be cumulative, where each subsequent penalty may be higher than the previous one – meaning owners may be fined several times until the land is restored to its original condition.
As a general rule, municipal wardens will be responsible for enforcing the decrees. If landowners fail to pay the administrative fines, local authorities may bring an enforcement action against them in accordance with Croatian law. If the offender fails to pay the fine, enforcement will be carried out by selling the property at public auction. The purchase price will be used to reimburse the local authority for the fine and costs, with any balance going to the landowner.
Landowners are advised to check how their land is classed and enquire about the possibility of repurposing the agricultural land.
Author: Dean Premec, Attorney-at-Law
