Not at the cottage: almost 100 thousand owners of plots may lose their land
About 100 thousand people are at risk of losing their land plots because they are abandoned or misused, Izvestia found out. 7.5 thousand of them received an order from Rosreestr in 2025 to eliminate the identified violations, the department said. If there is no reaction to the document, the next shalom may be a court on the seizure of land. Another 91 thousand received a milder initial warning about the inadmissibility of violating the law. The search for abandoned land intensified in 2025, after the entry into force of amendments to the Land Code, which clearly spelled out the conditions for the seizure of land. Local governments in the regions have already begun to form commissions to identify unused land plots, the lawyers said. About who is threatened with the seizure of land and how to avoid it — in the material of Izvestia.
How many plots are under threat of seizure
In 2025, 7,570 land owners received orders to eliminate violations, for example, if they were abandoned or misused, the Federal Register told Izvestia. A year earlier, such orders were issued several times less — 2,344. The owner is given from 30 to 90 days to eliminate violations. If they ignore the document, then the next step may be a court to seize land from the state.
More than 91 thousand summer residents received a warning, the Rosreestr added. This is a milder form of the document, where there are no clear deadlines for eliminating violations of the law, explained lawyer Yulia Buzanova. The warning only informs about possible consequences. However, if the comments are not corrected next season, then there is a risk of getting an order and a subsequent lawsuit to seize the land.
Thus, the total number of problem areas is approaching 100,000, and this is without taking into account the regulations and warnings issued since the beginning of 2026 (these statistics are not yet available).
Abandoned plots began to be more actively identified and warned by their owners after amendments to the Land Code came into force on March 1, 2025 — they clearly spelled out the conditions for the seizure of land from negligent owners.
Amendments to the Land Code and the law on horticulture and horticulture have specified the concepts of "land development" and "terms of development". Previously, although they were mentioned in the laws, they were blurred.
Now there is a clear requirement for plots in gardening and gardening associations, as well as those located within the boundaries of settlements: they need to be developed within three years.
And on September 1, 2025, a government decree came into force, which established clear signs that the site was not being used by the owner. This is, for example, the littering of more than half of its territory with debris, the presence of destroyed buildings with a collapsed roof and broken windows, or thickets of weeds.
If these signs are present, and the owner does not respond to the instructions of the Federal Register, there are grounds to withdraw the land into state ownership.
However, at the moment, the seizure of land has not yet begun, the Rosreestr emphasized. Since the new law came into force only last spring, the owners still have time to put their land in order.
Some people who have received instructions and warnings have already begun to eliminate violations, the department stressed. "As a result of the measures taken by Rosreestr to prevent and suppress offenses, 17,118 violations were eliminated," they noted.
How the sites are checked
Rosreestr employees carry out 98% of supervisory activities remotely, the agency told Izvestia. Drones are also used for this purpose: Rosreestr has 498 drones and 790 employees trained to operate them.
"In case of fixing the fact of non-use of the land plot, the inspector issues an order to the rightholder to eliminate the identified violation of mandatory requirements. In it, the inspector indicates which violation has been committed, what actions need to be taken to eliminate it, and the time limit," the Rosreestr explained.
The owner of the plot may appeal against the order, as well as file a petition for an extension of the deadline for its implementation or ask for a postponement.
And only if the violation is not eliminated within the time period specified in the order, the inspector will send the documents to the local government, which, in turn, will file a lawsuit to seize the unused land.
Who is at risk of land seizure
Despite the fact that amendments to the law were made only last year, technically it is already possible to determine that the site has not been used properly for at least three years, Denis Litvinov, a land lawyer and managing partner of the Land Law Firm, told Izvestia. According to him, active work is currently underway on geo-photography, and there is also archival data that can be used to track the state of the territory over the past few years.
"An order is issued when it is established that the site has been overgrown for three years," he told Izvestia.
And local governments in some regions are already forming special commissions to identify unused land plots, said Yulia Buzanova, lawyer and managing partner at Buzanova & Partners. In her opinion, officials of many municipalities are determined and ready to bring the process of land seizure to court.
However, the risk of seizure is lower in those territories where there is not much demand for land, she noted.
— It makes sense to seize a land plot only when it is liquid and it can be sold. Land plots that are not needed by anyone will be the last to be seized," the lawyer believes.
The probability that land plots will be seized for isolated violations is low, Denis Litvinov noted. According to him, the law primarily concerns long-abandoned land plots. They are usually inherited, but the new owners do not need these lands.
—Pensioners who have grown one bush of hogweed have nothing to fear," he stressed.
In addition, the state will strengthen control over compliance with the established type of permitted land use, so that gardening is actually done on the site provided for gardening, and not a car wash or a food stall is set up, Litvinov noted.
How much time is there before withdrawal
According to Rosreestr, the owner is given from 30 to 90 days to eliminate violations, Yulia Buzanova explained. However, the deadline can be extended if necessary.
— Hogweed can be mowed in one day. Correcting violations of the intended use of the site or unidentified boundaries requires a longer period of time," the expert explained.
According to Yulia Buzanova, in some regions, owners may receive a postponement to eliminate violations if they have good reasons for this.
— If you do nothing, do not explain to government agencies the reason for your inaction, then no delays will be effective. The extended period for eliminating violations is provided at the request of the party that needs it, if the government agencies consider the reasons to be valid," she explained.
And after the violation is eliminated, it is necessary to notify the inspector about this, Yulia Bulanova added. At the same time, according to Denis Litvinov, the task of the owner is to fulfill the order. If everything is done, then a second inspection will not reveal violations and there will be no need to seize the site.
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