A new building next to your home in Bulgaria: how to check the detailed plan and the building permit, when you can object, and what to do about damage

The empty plot beside the block, the old house across the street, the warehouse in the next yard — in Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna and Burgas any of them can turn into a new residential building. Neighbours ask the same questions every time: how tall, how close, will it take my light, and can I do anything about it.

The answer depends above all on timing. The law gives a neighbour a real say at the stage of the detailed development plan (ПУП), and far less once the building permit has been issued. Here is how it works under Bulgaria's Spatial Planning Act (ЗУТ).

Verified November 2026 against the consolidated text of ЗУТ. This is general information, not legal advice on a specific case.

First: what stage is the project at

New construction passes three stages that matter to a neighbour:

1. The detailed development plan (ПУП) — sets what may be built on the plot: building pattern, height, density, distances.
2. The building permit — issued by the municipal chief architect (Art. 148(2) ЗУТ) on the basis of an approved design that must comply with the plan.
3. Construction — may lawfully start only under a building permit that has entered into force (Art. 157(2) ЗУТ).

If the parameters come from a long-standing plan that is not being changed, your room for influence is small. If a plan is being drawn up or amended for the plot, that is the moment to act.

Where to look

• The Unified Public Register for Spatial Planning kept by the Ministry of Regional Development (Art. 5a ЗУТ) — it publishes acts approving development plans and issued building permits (Art. 148(15)).
• The municipality's website — where draft plans are announced (Art. 128(2)) and approved plans are published (Art. 129(5)).
• In Sofia, the Architecture and Urban Planning directorate (НАГ): nag.sofia.bg has public registers of building permits, detailed plans and plan amendments, plus a section for notices of administrative acts.
• The site information board and the documents themselves — if in doubt, ask the district administration or the municipality.

Search by address or by the neighbouring property's identifier on the cadastral map.

When you are an "interested party" to a plan

Under Art. 131 ЗУТ, the interested parties are the owners and holders of limited real rights in properties directly affected by the plan. A neighbouring property counts when:

• the plan provides for connected building with it (a building on the shared boundary);
• reduced distances are allowed — and here the law expressly includes properties across the street;
• the plan changes the permitted use of the property;
• the plan imposes restrictions on building on or using your property.

For connected low-rise building on the boundary, the neighbour's notarised written consent is also required (Art. 21(5) ЗУТ). Without it, such a plan should not be approved.

Deadlines to object to a draft plan

• Larger plans are announced in the State Gazette, then posted at the municipality, in public places in the area and on the municipal website (Art. 128(1)–(2)). Written objections are due within one month of State Gazette publication.
• Plans covering up to one urban block are not published in the State Gazette; interested parties are notified individually (Art. 128(3)). The deadline is 14 days from notification (Art. 128(5)).

Objections are filed in writing with the municipal administration. Make them specific: what infringes your rights (reduced distance, overshadowing, access, height), with the provision cited and a sketch or photos attached. If your objection is not accepted, you are entitled to be told why (Art. 128(12)).

Appealing an approved plan

An approved plan is appealed to the administrative court where the property is located, with the appeal filed through the authority that issued it (Art. 215(1) ЗУТ). The deadline is 30 days from State Gazette publication, or 14 days from notification where you were notified individually (Art. 215(4)).

A missed deadline is usually final. If a letter from the municipality arrives, do not leave it for later.

And the building permit?

This is where most people are surprised. Under Art. 149(2) ЗУТ, the interested parties for a permit for a new building are the client, the owners of the plot itself and anyone with a right to build on it. Neighbours are not listed.

In practice, your main arguments — height, distances, building on the boundary — need to be raised at the plan stage. If you believe a permit was issued in breach of the plan, you can alert the National Construction Control Directorate (ДНСК): it receives a copy of every permit, checks its legality within 14 days and can revoke it while it has not yet entered into force (Art. 149(5); Art. 156 ЗУТ). If you are considering a court challenge, discuss the specific case with a lawyer.

How close the new building can be

Distances for residential buildings are set in Art. 31 ЗУТ:

• low-rise (up to 10 m high) — at least 3 m to the side boundary of the plot;
• medium and high-rise — at least one third of the building's height to the side boundary;
• the distance between two buildings on either side of a boundary is the sum of each one's required distance.

Towards a building across the street, the distance is at least the building's height (Art. 32). Reduced distances are allowed only through a detailed plan and, as a rule, by no more than one third (Art. 36) — which is exactly when you become an interested party.

During construction: access to your property and damage

Access. If the works require access through your property, the mayor can order the owner to provide it (Art. 194(1) ЗУТ). Once the works are finished, all damage must be repaired immediately or, where that is impossible, compensated (Art. 194(4)–(5)).

Protecting neighbouring buildings. When the site is formally opened, the protocol records the measures to protect neighbouring buildings (Art. 157(4)).

Who is liable for damage — cracks, settlement, a flooded basement:

• the builder is liable for damage caused by its culpable acts or omissions (Art. 163(3));
• the construction supervisor must prevent harm to third parties and their property, and is jointly liable with the builder where technical rules or approved designs were breached (Art. 168(1)(5) and (7));
• the designer, builder and supervisor must carry professional liability insurance that also covers damage to third parties (Art. 171).

In practice: before excavation starts, photograph and date the condition of your walls, façade and basement; if damage appears, notify the builder and the supervisor in writing and ask for their insurance details; where the risk is serious, alert the municipality or the regional construction control office (РДНСК). Stopping unlawful works is governed by Art. 224 and 224a ЗУТ — by ДНСК for larger projects (categories 1–3), and by the municipality for smaller ones (4–6).

If you are buying next to an empty plot

The same check pays off before a purchase. The view and the light you pay for today may not exist in three years. For any home next to an undeveloped or lightly built plot, we check the plan in force and the permit register for the neighbouring properties.

How a build runs from the client's side — from the permit to the occupancy certificate — is covered in Building your own house in Bulgaria. For disputes with an existing neighbour — fences, trees, boundaries — see Neighbour disputes over boundaries, fences and trees.

In short

• A neighbour's real say comes at the plan stage: object within one month (State Gazette notice) or 14 days (individual notice); appeal within 30/14 days.
• For the building permit, neighbours are generally not interested parties — a report to ДНСК is the main tool.
• Distances: 3 m for low-rise, one third of the height for taller buildings; reductions only through a plan.
• Damage claims go to the builder and the supervisor, who must be insured.

If a building is planned next to your property, or you are buying next to an empty plot and want to know what may be built there — call us or come into the office. We will check the plan and the registers and tell you what your options are.

Verified November 2026. This is general information and does not replace legal advice on your specific case.