Sale of the protected land to the state

Acquisition of an immovable containing a protected natural object by the state is regulated by § 20 of the Nature Conservation Act and Regulation No. 242 of the Government of the Republic of 8 July 2004.

The owner of the immovable submits an application for the sale of land to the Environmental Board, which checks whether the person is able to sell the land to the state pursuant to § 20 of the Nature Conservation Act, depending on the method of acquisition, and whether the intended use of the land is significantly restricted pursuant to § 31 of Regulation No. 242.

If the sale of the land to the state is permitted, the Minister of the Environment shall initiate the procedure for acquisition of the immovable by the state on the proposal of the Environmental Board. The procedure for acquisition by the state is carried out on the basis of the order in which the applications are received. At present, the waiting period in the queue is approximately 1 year from the submission of the application to the price offer made by the state.

Immovable with forest is assessed on the basis of the value of the growing forest and forest land in compliance with the methodology set out in Regulation No 242. If it is not immovable with forest or the value of the forest is not significant, the Environmental Board shall order an assessment from a professional real estate appraiser, who, as a rule, determines the value of the immovable by means of comparing transactions.

Upon reaching an agreement on the price, a notarial transaction of purchase and sale is organised by the State Forest Management Centre.

The application is in free form, signed by the landowner and it contains at least the following information:

• Contact details of the applicant (e-mail address, telephone)
• Cadastral register number(s) of the immovable property offered to the state
• The rights of third parties related to the immovable property offered to the state that are not entered in the land register, including the spouse's right to joint property, and the existing rights of the use of land.

Depending on the method of acquisition, a copy of the order of restitution of unlawfully expropriated property, a certificate of succession, a marriage certificate or a document certifying the degree of relationship described in § 20 (11) 3) of the Nature Conservation Act shall be added to the possession. These documents need not be submitted if the immovable has been placed under protection after acquisition or the protection regime of the immovable has become stricter after the acquisition.

The application can be submitted by e-mail (info@keskkonnaamet.ee) or by post (Roheline 64, 80010 Pärnu, Estonia).

If necessary, a specialist of the Environmental Board may be consulted before submitting the application.

Jana Arula

looduskasutuse osakonna peaspetsialist

• +372 5697 8857
• jana.arula@keskkonnaamet.ee