Urban Planning and Land Use Law

Article (1) — Title and scope

This Law shall be called the ‘Urban Planning and Land Use Law’. It establishes the general framework for preparing spatial and urban plans, regulating land uses and controlling development within municipal boundaries and, insofar as connected with general planning, outside them, under the Constitution.

Article (2) — Application

This Law applies to federal authorities, the Baghdad Mayoralty, governorates not incorporated into a region, municipalities, and public and private bodies when preparing plans, allocating land, changing its use or undertaking urban development.

In regions, constitutional provisions governing exclusive and shared competences and regional powers shall be respected. Coordination on general planning and projects with cross-boundary impacts shall follow this Law’s mechanisms.

Article (3) — Definitions

For this Law, the following terms have the meanings set out below. Urban planning: the process of organising spatial development and distributing population, activities, services, infrastructure and land uses on an integrated economic, social and environmental basis.

Plan: a spatial document, written rules, maps and data establishing binding policies, uses and controls at its designated level. Use: the principal or mixed purpose assigned to land or property. Change of use: moving land or property from one planning classification to another or adding a substantial use not previously designated.

Development: construction, expansion, redevelopment, subdivision, parcel division, change of use, infrastructure construction or any physical work with planning implications. Urban growth boundaries: phased boundaries defining programmed urban expansion according to capacity and services.

Article (4) — Objectives

Achieve balanced and efficient spatial development; protect land of agricultural, environmental and heritage value; direct expansion towards serviceable areas; reduce long-term infrastructure costs; support affordable housing, the local economy and public transport; and improve cities’ adaptability to climate and risks.

The Law also aims to unify planning procedures, maps and classifications, prevent individual decisions undermining master plans, and ensure public participation, transparency and appealable decisions.

Article (5) — Governing principles

Competent bodies shall observe public benefit, proportionality, spatial equity, efficient land use, priority for reusing developed land before unnecessary expansion, property protection, integration of planning and infrastructure, environmental precaution, climate resilience, universal accessibility, transparency and participation.

Planning shall not be used to discriminate or deprive a private party of beneficial use for the benefit of a particular person or project outside general, published legal procedures.

Article (6) — Binding effect of plans

Plans approved under this Law shall bind public and private bodies within their level of competence. No land allocation, planning permission, investment licence, parcel division or change of use may contravene them unless amended through the same procedures or the special procedures herein.

Article (7) — Integration with national plans

Urban plans shall align with the National Development Plan and population, housing, transport, environmental, water, energy and disaster-risk policies, without becoming lists of unfunded financial projects.

Article (8) — Evidence and data

Planning decisions shall use verifiable demographic, property, environmental, economic, service and climate data and digital maps with a unified georeferencing system. Plans shall identify data sources, baseline years and accuracy limitations.

Article (9) — Preservation of rights

Adoption of a plan alone shall not transfer ownership or create or extinguish a right in rem. Expropriation shall occur only under the law with fair compensation. Acquired rights arising from a valid transaction shall not be affected except under the law.

Article (10) — Public interest and impartial decisions

Any decision changing use, growth boundaries, density or facility designation shall rest on publicly stated planning grounds. Directing decisions to confer unjustified private advantage, exclude a social group or deliberately harm a specific property’s value is prohibited.

Article (11) — Sustainability and resilience

Plans shall integrate water and energy efficiency, urban heat-island reduction, rainwater management, protection of flood channels and floodplains, green and blue spaces, shorter travel distances, and public transport, walking and cycling alternatives appropriate to the location.

Article (12) — No unjustified reduction in protection

Protection of green areas, watercourses, high-value agricultural land, heritage sites or reserved public facilities shall not be reduced without demonstrating an overriding public need, assessing alternatives and impacts, and adopting appropriate planning or environmental compensation where legally and technically possible.

Article (13) — Federal Spatial Planning Coordination Council

A Federal Spatial Planning Coordination Council shall be formed within the Council of Ministers, chaired by the Prime Minister or their delegate, with relevant ministers and bodies specified by regulation. It shall coordinate policy rather than constitute a new executive apparatus.

The Council shall approve the national spatial development framework, resolve conflicts between sectoral plans with national impacts, coordinate projects spanning governorates, and adopt standards requiring interministerial decisions.

Article (14) — General Directorate of Urban Planning

The General Directorate of Urban Planning within the Ministry of Construction, Housing, Municipalities and Public Works shall be the federal technical reference for urban planning within the Ministry’s competence. It shall provide the Council’s technical secretariat, develop standards, classifications, maps and guidance, and review plans under this Law.

Article (15) — Ministry of Planning

The Ministry of Planning shall align the national spatial development framework with the National Development Plan, public investment and spatial development indicators, and participate in assessing population and service needs and major development corridors.

Article (16) — Governorates not incorporated into a region

Within constitutional and legal powers, governorates shall prepare their structure plans, coordinate district, subdistrict and municipal plans, and connect them with service and local investment plans, respecting shared general policies and approved cross-boundary plans.

Article (17) — Baghdad Mayoralty

The Baghdad Mayoralty shall prepare and implement capital-city plans within its jurisdiction, coordinating with Baghdad Governorate and federal bodies on the metropolitan area, transport and water networks, environment and strategic projects. A special regulation for the capital’s urban planning shall be issued under this Law.

Article (18) — Municipalities

Municipalities shall prepare local and detailed plans, control land uses and development within their boundaries, apply planning conditions and monitor conformity of subdivisions and changes with higher-level plans and national standards.

Article (19) — Cross-boundary planning

Where an urban agglomeration, service network, drainage basin, transport corridor or environmental area spans multiple governorates or municipalities, a joint plan shall be prepared by Coordination Council decision with the affected units. The decision shall designate technical coordination responsibility without transferring local powers beyond what joint implementation requires.

Article (20) — Sectoral bodies

The ministries responsible for transport, agriculture, environment, water resources, electricity, oil, culture, health, education, interior and communications, and other bodies, shall supply planning authorities with data, constraints and approved projects and respond within specified periods. Silence shall not constitute approval on safety, environment, heritage or security matters.

Article (21) — Property registration

Property registration offices shall exchange parcel, rights and published planning-restriction data with the spatial platform. They shall not register subdivisions, amalgamations or transactions creating parcels contrary to a plan without express legal authority.

Article (22) — Statistics and Geographic Information Systems Authority

Planning authorities shall coordinate with the Statistics and Geographic Information Systems Authority on statistical boundaries, population and spatial data and data-sharing standards to avoid conflicting national spatial reference databases.

Article (23) — Local planning offices

Governorates and municipalities may create or develop urban planning units within existing structures, including planning, engineering, transport, environment, urban economics and geographic information systems expertise according to city size.

Article (24) — Professional qualifications

A regulation shall specify qualifications of experts and firms preparing plans and planning studies, conflict-of-interest and disclosure rules, and professional liability requirements, in coordination with relevant professional associations and academic bodies.

Article (25) — Preventing conflicts of interest

A planning committee member or official involved in a decision shall recuse themselves from a transaction concerning themselves, their spouse, relatives up to the fourth degree, or an entity in which they have a direct or indirect interest. Recusal shall be recorded in the minutes.

Article (26) — Institutional accountability

Each competent body shall publish a brief annual report on plans adopted or amended, application-processing times, objections, substantive violations, and areas of expansion and land-use change, without publishing protected personal data.

Article (27) — National spatial development framework

A national spatial development framework shall set major directions for population and activity distribution, national corridors, principal cities, protected and risk areas, and inter-governorate connectivity. It shall guide lower-level plans without replacing them.

Article (28) — National framework horizon

The national framework shall cover at least twenty years and be reviewed every five years or following substantial national changes in population, economic structure, climate, transport or energy networks.

Article (29) — Governorate structure plan

The governorate structure plan shall define the settlement network, growth centres, agricultural and environmental land, principal infrastructure, transport corridors, industrial and logistics areas, and priority development or protection areas.

Article (30) — Regional urban plan

A regional urban plan may cover a functionally connected agglomeration of several cities or municipalities, jointly addressing transport, water, energy, waste, urban expansion, the labour market and major services.

Article (31) — City master plan

The city master plan shall define land-use structure, growth boundaries, movement and public transport networks, centres and services, general densities, open spaces, restricted or protected areas, and expansion phases.

Article (32) — Local and sector plans

Local and sector plans for neighbourhoods, centres and special areas shall implement the master plan in greater detail, specifying street networks, parcels, public facilities, uses, heights, densities and, where necessary, façades.

Article (33) — Urban renewal plans

Urban renewal plans shall be prepared for old or deteriorated centres, transitioning industrial areas, riverfronts and areas of special value, balancing conservation, development, housing, mobility and the local economy.

Article (34) — Special plans

Special plans may be adopted for heritage, religious, environmental, university, medical, logistics or heavy-industry areas, airports, ports or other areas requiring additional controls. This shall not waive safety or environmental standards.

Article (35) — Rural and small-settlement plans

Governorates shall establish simplified planning frameworks for villages and small settlements, defining expansion boundaries, service locations, roads, agricultural production and protection areas, so that planning requirements do not impose disproportionate burdens on small communities.

Article (36) — Plan hierarchy

A lower-level plan shall not conflict with an effective higher-level plan. If conflict emerges, approval of the conflicting part shall be suspended and reconciliation or amendment procedures begun under this Law.

Article (37) — Coordination with sectoral plans

No major sectoral project with lasting spatial effects shall be approved contrary to an effective plan without amending it or following the exceptional strategic-project procedure provided herein.

Article (38) — Reference maps

The certified digital map and associated database shall form part of the plan. Regulations shall determine evidentiary precedence where maps and text differ, prioritising the legal text and certified spatial boundaries according to the amendment register.

Article (39) — Implementation phases

Where necessary, plans shall be phased according to water, sanitation, electricity, roads, transport, school and health capacity and financing. Including land within urban expansion shall not create an immediate obligation to fund services.

Article (40) — Periodic review

City master plans shall undergo performance review every five years and comprehensive updating after ten years or where actual population and urban development depart substantially from assumptions by a threshold set by regulation.

Article (41) — Initiation decision

The competent body shall issue a decision initiating plan preparation or updating, specifying geographical scope, time horizon, participants, work programme and required data.

Article (42) — Baseline report

Before alternatives are developed, a baseline report shall address population, housing, economy, land, ownership, services, transport, environment, water, climate, risks, heritage and local finance, expressly identifying data gaps.

Article (43) — Land-needs assessment

Future land needs shall be calculated from population and economic scenarios, realistic densities and infrastructure capacity. Outward expansion shall not be adopted merely because public land is available or relatively inexpensive.

Article (44) — Planning alternatives

For master and structure plans, at least two reasonable alternatives and a continuation-of-current-conditions scenario shall be assessed, showing each option’s effects on costs, services, environment, mobility and housing.

Article (45) — Environmental and climate assessment

Major plans shall undergo strategic environmental assessment or an equivalent assessment before approval under the Environmental Protection and Improvement Law and relevant regulations, covering flood, heat, water scarcity, pollution and land-degradation risks.

Article (46) — Early coordination

Draft directions and constraints shall be sent to sectoral bodies early. Responses are required within thirty days unless a longer technical study is needed with written justification.

Article (47) — Initial publication

Drafts, maps and non-technical summaries shall be published on the electronic platform and at local authority offices, with appropriate notice at least fifteen days before hearings.

Article (48) — Public comment period

Drafts shall be open to public comments for at least thirty days for local plans and sixty days for structure plans, master plans or national plans. Periods may be extended for wider scope.

Article (49) — Hearings

At least one hearing shall be held for each city or principal unit affected, with online and in-person participation and appropriate accessibility for persons with disabilities.

Article (50) — Response report

The competent body shall report the principal issues raised, how they were addressed and reasons for rejecting substantive proposals. The report shall be published with the approved version.

Article (51) — Technical review

Plans shall undergo technical review by the higher authority or General Directorate of Urban Planning according to level, checking method, consistency and standards rather than substituting detailed central preferences for local competence.

Article (52) — Approval

The Council of Ministers shall approve the national framework. Governorate structure plans, master plans and local plans shall be approved at levels specified by this Law and its regulations, respecting Baghdad Mayoralty, governorate and municipal powers.

Article (53) — Publication and effect

A plan or amendment shall take effect only after its approval decision is published and maps and text are publicly available digitally and at the competent body’s offices. The decision shall specify the effective date.

Article (54) — Substantial amendment

An amendment is substantial if it changes growth boundaries, converts significant agricultural, green or facility land to profit-making use, increases density so as to require new infrastructure, or changes a principal transport network. It shall undergo preparation and participation procedures comparable to the original plan.

Article (55) — Limited amendment

A limited amendment may follow simplified procedures if it does not affect public interest, others’ rights, the environment or capacity, provided the request, reasons and decision are published. Regulations shall set area and impact criteria preventing misuse of this route.

Article (56) — National classification system

The General Directorate of Urban Planning shall issue a unified national land-use, symbol and mapping classification system. Local subcategories may be added where consistent with the national structure.

Article (57) — Principal uses

Classification shall include, as needed, residential, commercial, mixed, industrial, logistics, agricultural, public service, transport, utility and infrastructure uses, green and open spaces, environmental and heritage protection, and special areas.

Article (58) — Mixed use

Plans may allow mixed use where safety and compatibility conditions are satisfied. Regulations shall specify compatible and prohibited activities, mixing proportions, parking, loading and service requirements.

Article (59) — Green belts and areas

A green belt, public park or protected open space shall not be converted except through a substantial amendment demonstrating no alternatives and a public need, with suitable spatial and functional compensation wherever possible.

Article (60) — Agricultural land

Priority shall be given to protecting productive agricultural land, orchards and irrigation areas from unplanned urban fragmentation. Changes of use require assessment of need, alternatives and infrastructure and opinions from agricultural and environmental bodies under the law.

Article (61) — Flood and flash-flood zones

Residential or sensitive development is prohibited in river and flood channels and areas of unacceptable risk. Hazard maps and protection levels shall be established with water resources, environmental and local bodies. Planning permission shall not authorise breaches of safety requirements.

Article (62) — Infrastructure corridors

Plans shall identify protected corridors for roads, railways, airports, power lines, pipelines, water infrastructure, telecommunications and other utilities under technical legislation. Construction or subdivision obstructing operation or planned expansion is prohibited.

Article (63) — Heritage areas

Legally designated archaeological and heritage sites, buildings and areas shall be incorporated into planning maps, with height, massing, façade, movement and use controls protecting their value, in coordination with the antiquities and heritage authority.

Article (64) — Industrial areas

Industrial zoning shall consider prevailing winds, water sources, transport networks, appropriate separation from sensitive uses, risk and waste management and expansion potential. High-risk industry shall not be allowed within existing residential fabric except under special law and strict safety requirements.

Article (65) — Public facilities

Land for schools, health, civil defence, markets, parks and services shall be allocated under updated planning standards linked to population, urban form and accessibility. Conversion to private use is prohibited unless an equivalent alternative and public need are provided.

Article (66) — Urban growth boundaries

Cities whose growth requires it shall receive phased urban growth boundaries, reviewed when developable land reserves are demonstrably exhausted or needs change. Expansion beyond them shall be a reasoned exception, not the norm.

Article (67) — Urban density

Densities shall match water, sanitation, electricity, road, public transport and service capacity. They may be increased near public transport corridors and centres after capacity assessment.

Article (68) — Existing neighbourhoods

New-neighbourhood standards shall not automatically apply to existing historic or traditional neighbourhoods where this causes unnecessary displacement or makes compliance impossible. Special renewal standards may preserve safety and fundamental rights.

Article (69) — Unplanned areas

Unplanned areas and encroachments shall undergo a separate assessment, regularisation, rehabilitation or removal process under housing, informal-settlement regularisation and property laws. Inclusion in a plan does not automatically acknowledge ownership or entitlement to compensation.

Article (70) — Surrounding rural areas

Rural–urban transition zones shall be designated around cities where necessary, controlling subdivisions and activities that produce scattered sprawl or conflict with agriculture and services.

Article (71) — Riverfronts and waterfronts

Riverfronts and waterways shall receive special planning treatment preserving public access where law and environmental conditions permit, protecting banks against encroachment and pollution, and considering navigation, flooding and ecosystems.

Article (72) — Future reserves

Plans may designate future reserve land not released for development until preceding infrastructure and housing phase conditions are met. Reserve classification creates no government obligation to purchase or develop it.

Article (73) — Coordinated service provision

Major urban expansion shall not be approved without demonstrating feasible water, sanitation, electricity, roads, transport and basic services within a realistic timeframe and with identified funding or a lawful delivery mechanism.

Article (74) — Planning-led transport

Plans shall connect to public transport networks, pedestrian and cycle routes, interchanges and regional transport, avoiding large developments accessible only by private car where practical alternatives exist.

Article (75) — Parking management

Parking requirements shall reflect location, use and public transport accessibility. Minimums may be reduced or maximums set in dense centres to avoid excessive car dependence, under published local regulations.

Article (76) — Water and sanitation networks

Densities and expansion phases shall match water resources and water, sewerage and treatment capacity. Permanent individual solutions shall not substitute for networks in settlements where public health requires them.

Article (77) — Energy and communications

Plans shall reserve energy and communications corridors and station sites, encourage shared infrastructure and reduce repeated excavation and network conflicts.

Article (78) — Rainwater management

New plans shall incorporate rainwater management, permeable surfaces, storage and safe drainage appropriate to climate and soil. Development increasing neighbouring areas’ inundation risk without mitigation is prohibited.

Article (79) — Public spaces

Plans shall define a connected network of parks, squares and public paths, considering safety, shade, accessibility and social needs. Unusable land shall not count as public space merely to meet a numerical percentage.

Article (80) — Urban tree planting

Tree-planting plans shall match species to climate, water, soil and infrastructure, linking planting to heat and dust protection and improved public space rather than decorative, water-intensive planting.

Article (81) — Universal accessibility

General and local plans shall provide accessible movement and services for persons with disabilities, older people and children. Detailed requirements shall coordinate with building legislation and relevant codes.

Article (82) — Urban safety

Land-use distribution shall consider fire, explosion, hazardous materials and industrial accident risks, evacuation routes and access to civil defence and hospitals. Incompatible adjoining uses are prohibited without buffer zones or approved measures.

Article (83) — Public health

Plans shall assess noise, air pollution, congestion and access to open spaces and services, using separation of uses, barriers, traffic management or other planning tools to reduce exposure.

Article (84) — Biodiversity

Protected areas, sensitive habitats and biodiversity corridors shall be integrated into planning, applying the hierarchy of avoidance, reduction, then remediation or compensation where permitted by law.

Article (85) — Heritage and identity of place

Plans shall protect townscapes, historic urban fabric and distinctive built scales without freezing development. Local design guides may be adopted for areas of special character.

Article (86) — Coordination with building legislation

This system determines where development is permitted and its use, density and impact. Structural safety and technical building requirements remain governed by the National Building Law and applicable codes. Planning authorities shall not duplicate technical requirements inconsistently with them.

Article (87) — Right of access

Everyone may inspect effective plans, amendment decisions, maps, approval minutes and response reports under the Right of Access to Information Law when effective, data protection provisions and legal exceptions.

Article (88) — National plans platform

The Ministry shall establish a national platform for plans and spatial decisions within its digital infrastructure, integrating with the Iraq Geoportal and competent bodies, without creating a separate database where interoperability is possible.

Article (89) — Amendment history

Each plan shall have a digital register recording every amendment’s date, boundaries, legal basis and approving body. A published map shall not be replaced without preserving the previous version and its period of effect.

Article (90) — Open maps

Land-use, planning-boundary, public-facility and non-confidential restriction layers shall be published in viewable and downloadable formats wherever possible, stating data accuracy and that maps do not substitute for title deeds.

Article (91) — Notice to owners and affected parties

For amendments targeting particular parcels or areas, known property-right holders and affected neighbours shall receive notice through prescribed means. General publication alone is insufficient where individual notification is reasonably possible.

Article (92) — Representation of affected groups

Authorities shall take reasonable steps to involve women, young people, persons with disabilities, small businesses, informal-settlement residents and others whom traditional participation channels may exclude.

Article (93) — Document language

Public plan summaries shall use accessible, non-technical language alongside professional documents, with maps and illustrations enabling citizens to understand decisions’ effects.

Article (94) — Disclosure of interests

Applicants for substantial changes of use or major projects shall disclose beneficial owners or owning bodies under applicable laws and identify contracts or financial commitments with public bodies connected to the decision.

Article (95) — Publication of reasoned decisions

Approval, refusal and change-of-use decisions shall state planning grounds, facts and principal technical opinions. General phrases such as ‘in the public interest’ alone are insufficient without explanation.

Article (96) — Monitoring indicators

Major plans shall have a limited set of periodically reviewed indicators measuring expansion density, use of allocated land, service access, travel times, protection of open spaces and availability of serviced land.

Article (97) — Data protection

Spatial data shall be published without exposing protected personal or security information. Data minimisation, access controls and documentation shall govern exchange of ownership records and sensitive information.

Article (98) — Planning permission

Development subject to this Law requires planning permission or a conformity certificate according to type before subdivision is completed or building or final investment licences are granted. Planning permission does not replace other sectoral approvals.

Article (99) — Exempt works

Regulations shall identify minor works not constituting development or exempt from separate approval, such as internal maintenance that does not alter use, massing or safety, without prejudice to heritage, building and environmental laws.

Article (100) — Planning conformity certificate

The local authority shall issue a certificate stating parcel use, restrictions, density, heights, planning setbacks and reserved roads and facilities, specifying validity and legal effect in relation to information published at issue.

Article (101) — Subdivision and amalgamation

Subdivision or amalgamation shall not be approved if it creates unserviceable parcels, severs a road or facility, or conflicts with approved minimum frontage and area requirements, respecting property registration and rights-in-rem laws.

Article (102) — Change of use

A change-of-use application shall state need and effects on neighbours, services, transport, environment and public-benefit value. Substantial changes require publication and participation. Payment of a fee creates no right to approval.

Article (103) — Major projects

Projects exceeding regulatory thresholds shall undergo urban impact assessment covering movement, infrastructure, public services, environment, phasing and land demand. An independent review at the applicant’s expense may be required under published rules.

Article (104) — Investment licence

An investment licence does not exempt compliance with plans and land use. Investment commissions shall participate in a single coordinated process to avoid duplicate approvals. Investment shall not justify retrospective changes of use.

Article (105) — Government projects

Ministries and public bodies shall comply with plans as private parties do. Their projects require planning conformity before allocation or award, except under a reasoned strategic exception.

Article (106) — Exceptional strategic project

For a strategically necessary federal project that cannot be implemented under the current plan, the Council of Ministers may initiate an exceptional amendment route after publishing necessity grounds, assessing alternatives and impacts, and coordinating with local government. The decision does not exempt environmental, heritage or compensation requirements.

Article (107) — Planning obligations

Major-project approval may be conditional on necessary, proportionate obligations addressing its direct impacts, such as an internal road, service network or facility within the project. Obligations must be written and public and shall not fund unrelated general needs.

Article (108) — Development agreement

A public body and developer may conclude a development agreement governing obligations, phasing, facility handover and guarantees. It shall be published and comply with contract and integrity rules, and shall not replace competition where required.

Article (109) — Conditional approval

Approval may carry specific, measurable conditions linked to planning impacts. No unrelated condition or requirement to surrender a legal right without consideration or legal basis may be imposed.

Article (110) — Expiry of approval

Planning permission shall expire if substantial implementation does not begin within its stated period, no less than two and no more than five years according to project size. Extensions may be granted once or more after verifying that the plan and underlying circumstances remain applicable.

Article (111) — Public-facility reservation

A plan may reserve land for a specified road, park, school or public facility where need and location are established. It must identify the beneficiary body and expected phase. Reservation alone transfers no right in rem.

Article (112) — Reservation duration

Unimplemented planning reservations shall be reviewed every five years. Where a reservation continues to prevent reasonable property use without a realistic financing or expropriation programme, the owner may request its removal or commencement of lawful expropriation.

Article (113) — Expropriation

Property needed to implement a plan shall be expropriated under the applicable Expropriation Law with fair compensation and prescribed procedures. Changes of use or value reductions shall not circumvent compensation amounts.

Article (114) — General regulatory effects

No compensation arises merely from general density, use or height rules applying to a comparable category and leaving reasonable property use, without prejudice to appeal where a decision is arbitrary, discriminatory or effectively equivalent to total deprivation.

Article (115) — Planning for private expropriation prohibited

Private land shall not be designated for a specific private project and expropriation powers then used to transfer it to that project, except where the Investment Law or special legislation permits, with demonstrated public benefit, compensation and safeguards.

Article (116) — Infrastructure cost contribution

A local body may collect a contribution from a major project towards part of its direct additional infrastructure costs under a published formula and service area, not exceeding costs attributable to that project.

Article (117) — Nature of the contribution

The infrastructure contribution is a specific regulatory charge under this Law, not a general tax. It shall be deposited into legally designated government accounts and used for the purpose or area for which calculated, with annual audit and publication.

Article (118) — Procedural fees

Fees for examining planning and amendment applications and issuing maps and certificates may reflect service costs under a schedule issued pursuant to this Law. Fee amounts shall not depend on acceptance or rejection.

Article (119) — Funding plan preparation

Public plans shall be funded from relevant budgets. A developer may fund a detailed study for a special development area under public supervision without acquiring control over the plan’s outcome.

Article (120) — Land readjustment

Land readjustment, pooling and redistribution may implement an integrated detailed plan where regulated by land management and property-rights legislation. This Law alone creates no compulsory ownership-transfer power.

Article (121) — Land value and betterment

Applicable expropriation and financial laws shall govern betterment and value arising from public projects. No levy on increased land value shall be imposed without express statutory provision.

Article (122) — Affordable housing

A plan may specify an affordable-housing share or contribution mechanism within major developments where authorised by housing, investment or special legislation. Calculation shall be published and proportionate, with no obligation imposed without legal authority.

Article (123) — Public land

Public land allocations shall comply with effective plans, service priorities and transparency. Use shall not be changed merely because ownership transfers between government bodies or land is offered for investment.

Article (124) — Planning oversight

Local bodies and the competent Directorate shall monitor plan implementation, changes of use and subdivisions within their respective powers. Aerial imagery and remote sensing may be used, with field verification methods where necessary.

Article (125) — Stop-work order

Where substantive development begins without permission or contrary to conditions, the competent body may issue a reasoned order temporarily stopping the non-compliant part. The affected party shall be notified and given objection rights within specified periods.

Article (126) — Rectification order

An offender may be required to remove or alter works or restore lawful use where possible and proportionate, or apply for planning regularisation if approval is possible without harming others’ rights or public interest.

Article (127) — No reward for violations

Retrospective approval shall not be granted merely because a project is completed or removal is expensive. An offender acquires no right through passage of time where a violation is continuing and established, subject to statutory limitation rules.

Article (128) — Administrative fine

Without prejudice to harsher penalties, a person breaching a use or planning condition after warning shall receive an administrative fine of (1,000,000) to (10,000,000) dinars, doubled for repetition, with the amount determined by impact severity and benefit obtained.

Article (129) — Non-compliant major projects

Where a legal person commits a violation in a major project or causes extensive land-use change, the fine shall be (10,000,000) to (100,000,000) dinars for each substantive violation, without replacing rectification or compensation for damage.

Article (130) — Plan manipulation

Anyone who deliberately falsifies an official planning map or amendment register, or knowingly uses a falsified one to obtain benefit or harm others, shall be punished by imprisonment for no more than three years and a fine of no less than (10,000,000) and no more than (50,000,000) dinars, or either penalty, subject to any harsher Penal Code penalty.

Article (131) — Official liability

Administrative penalties against a developer do not preclude accountability of an official who deliberately approves a change, subdivision or certificate contrary to the plan for unlawful gain, under criminal, integrity and disciplinary laws.

Article (132) — Administrative grievance

An interested party may challenge refusal of planning permission, an imposed condition, or a stop or rectification order within thirty days of notification. The body shall decide within thirty days unless special legislation sets a shorter period.

Article (133) — Judicial appeal

A final grievance decision is appealable before the administrative courts under the State Council Law and applicable legislation. Appeal does not preclude seeking a stay of execution where its conditions are met.

Article (134) — Objection to a plan

A person who objected to a draft plan and whose direct right or interest is affected may challenge approval on legality and procedural grounds within the statutory period, without turning the court into a substitute planning authority.

Article (135) — Settlement and mediation

Before litigation, the competent body may reach an administrative settlement on correctable technical matters, provided it does not contravene the plan, waive a public right or grant an exception unavailable to others.

Article (136) — Enforcement of decisions

Stop and rectification orders shall be enforced once they acquire the required legal finality or where immediate safety danger exists under the law. Authorities may remove violations at the responsible party’s expense after warning and obtaining necessary legal authorisation.

Article (137) — Violations register

The local body shall maintain a property-linked register of violations, orders, settlements and judgments, integrated with licensing and property registration within data protection limits to prevent repeated conflicting approvals.

Article (138) — Existing plans

Master plans, other plans and approved details predating this Law shall remain effective until amended or replaced, unless inconsistent with a mandatory provision herein.

Article (139) — Review of old plans

Within one year of entry into force, the Ministry shall establish a programme identifying outdated, non-digital or overdue plans, prioritising updates by population, services and risks.

Article (140) — Baghdad

Baghdad Master Plan Law No. (156) of 1971 and its implementing provisions shall remain transitionally effective insofar as compatible with this Law, until a special capital planning regulation and its instruments are adopted within no more than eighteen months.

Article (141) — Ending legislative duplication

Once the capital planning regulation takes effect, planning provisions of Baghdad Master Plan Law No. (156) of 1971 superseded by this Law shall be repealed. The amending or repealing law shall identify provisions retained for historical or institutional purposes to avoid a vacuum.

Article (142) — Municipal Administration Law

Municipal Administration Law No. (165) of 1964, as amended, shall remain applicable to municipal services and administration. Conflicting planning procedure and land-use provisions shall be repealed or amended to the extent superseded herein. The Council of Ministers shall prepare the necessary amendment bill within twelve months.

Article (143) — Roads and Buildings Regulation

Effective planning provisions of Roads and Buildings Regulation No. (44) of 1935, as amended, shall continue temporarily until modern regulations under this Law and the National Building Law are issued. Provisions contrary to higher-ranking legislation shall not apply.

Article (144) — Expropriation, registration and investment laws

This Law shall be interpreted together with Expropriation Law No. (12) of 1981, as amended, Real Estate Registration Law No. (43) of 1971, and Investment Law No. (13) of 2006, as amended. None replaces planning conformity where required.

Article (145) — Environment and heritage

This Law does not prejudice Environmental Protection and Improvement Law No. (27) of 2009, Antiquities and Heritage Law No. (55) of 2002, or specialist water, agriculture, road, aviation and energy laws. The more protective requirement shall prevail where restrictions overlap unless otherwise provided by law.

Article (146) — Pending applications

Applications submitted before entry into force shall be decided under previous rules if substantive requirements were complete, unless their application threatens safety, environment or a fundamental public right. Regulations shall define completeness to prevent fictitious legal positions.

Article (147) — Digitisation and conversion

Paper plans shall be converted to authenticated digital form within three years, checked against official originals and preserving amendment histories. Digitisation alone shall not change legal boundaries.

Article (148) — Capacity building

The Ministry and governorates shall implement phased training for planners and municipalities on classification, geographic information systems, participation and assessments, using existing institutions, training centres and universities wherever possible.

Article (149) — Regulations

The Council of Ministers shall issue implementing regulations within twelve months of publication on the competent Minister’s proposal and in coordination with relevant bodies.

Article (150) — Instructions

The competent Minister, governor and Mayor of Baghdad may each issue necessary technical and procedural instructions within their competence, consistent with the Law, regulations and higher-level plans.

Article (151) — Planning standards

National service, subdivision and density standards shall be reviewed at least every five years. Technical schedules may be updated by published decision if no fee or new property restriction beyond statutory delegation is created.

Article (152) — Procedural deadlines

Regulations shall set decision periods for ordinary and complex applications, their calculation and suspension for missing documents. Applicants shall be notified of all deficiencies together wherever possible. Expiry shall not create automatic approval for decisions affecting others’ rights, safety or the environment.

Article (153) — Parliamentary report

Every two years, the competent Minister shall submit to the Council of Representatives a public implementation report covering plan updates, urban expansion, substantial changes of use, spatial-platform progress and principal legislative conflicts.

Article (154) — Repeal of conflicts

Conflicting provisions shall be repealed to the extent of conflict once the transitional regulations specified herein take effect. No special law shall be understood as repealed without express provision.

Article (155) — Entry into force

This Law shall take effect ninety days after publication in the Official Gazette. That period shall be used to prepare forms, registers and transitional procedures.