Somali Construction Review

Construction laws and regulations

The laws, draft bills and government requirements we have found for building and land, each with who issued it, the evidence for its status, what it covers in our words and a link to the text. Where we could not confirm that a text is in force, we say so.

Somaliland

    • Local Law
    • Status not confirmed
    • Sourced, not yet verified

    Urban Land Management Law (Law No. 17 of 2001, as amended in 2008) (Law No. 17/2001)

    Status not confirmed: we have not found an official source that says whether it is in force today.

    Issued by
    Somaliland
    Applies to
    Somaliland
    Type
    Law
    Published
    2001; amendments in force from 9 September 2008 (Presidential Decree 363/2008)
    In effect from
    Not stated in the source
    Status evidence
    Somalilandlaw.com says the 2008 amendments came into force on 9 September 2008 by Presidential Decree 363/2008. We found no official page confirming whether the law, as amended, is the one in force today.
    What it covers
    The main law on land in towns. District councils grant title to urban land (through their executive committees or land sub-committees); Article 6 covers re-planning of townships; urban land disputes, under Article 28 as amended in 2008, go to administrative committees with appeal to the Supreme Court; and Article 32 sets up a committee of technical and public health officers that approves building plans, checking them against national building codes and health standards.
    Official page
    None found
    Document
    No official copy found
    Last checked
    25 September 2026, sourced, not yet verified

    Source: Somaliland Law (somalilandlaw.com), a legal information website, legal information website with the law's text. What it does not establish: A private legal information site, not the official gazette. It keeps the unamended 2001 text and describes the 2008 changes. ECOLEX (FAOLEX record LEX-FAOC209608) lists the same law. Neither says whether the law has been replaced since 2008.

Puntland

    • Local Law
    • Status not confirmed
    • Sourced, not yet verified

    Urban Land Management Law (approved by the Puntland parliament, July 2020)

    Status not confirmed: we have not found an official source that says whether it is in force today.

    Issued by
    Puntland parliament (per UN-Habitat)
    Applies to
    Puntland
    Type
    Law
    Published
    Approved by parliament in July 2020 (UN-Habitat)
    In effect from
    Not stated in the source
    Status evidence
    UN-Habitat reported on 17 August 2020 that the Puntland parliament approved the law in July 2020. We have not seen the law's text or its gazette publication.
    What it covers
    UN-Habitat describes it as covering land rights, access to public spaces, land allocation and land use planning, land value capture, land dispute mechanisms and the responsibilities of district and state authorities for urban land.
    Official page
    None found
    Document
    No official copy found
    Last checked
    26 September 2026, sourced, not yet verified

    Source: UN-Habitat, news release. What it does not establish: A news release by the agency that supported the drafting, not the law or its gazette publication. It reports approval by parliament; it does not say when the law took effect.

    • Government Requirement
    • Status not confirmed
    • Verified by the desk

    Puntland Environmental Impact Assessment Regulation

    Status not confirmed: we have not found an official source that says whether it is in force today.

    Issued by
    Ministry of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism (Puntland)
    Applies to
    Puntland
    Type
    Regulation
    Published
    Cover dated 2016; Article 1 cites it as the regulation of 2015
    In effect from
    Not stated in the source
    Status evidence
    The cover reads "Final Draft Approved by the Cabinet and Parliament of Puntland Government". Article 1 says it takes effect on publication in the Puntland Official Gazette, which we have not seen.
    What it covers
    Sets out when an environmental impact assessment is needed, how projects are classed by their likely environmental impact (Schedule 1), what an assessment report must contain (Schedule 2), licensing of assessment practitioners, the approval process, environmental audits, public hearings, appeals and penalties.
    Official page
    None found
    Document
    Open the document (faolex.fao.org)
    Last checked
    8 October 2026, verified by the desk

    Source: FAOLEX (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), legislation database copy of the regulation (PDF). What it does not establish: A copy held by a legislation database, not the Puntland Official Gazette. The cover says 2016 while Article 1 cites the regulation as of 2015. We have not seen its gazette publication.

Somalia (federal)

    • Local Law
    • Draft
    • Sourced, not yet verified

    Draft bill on urban planning, building development and land management (Hindise Sharciyeedka Nidaaminaya Naqshadeynta Magaalooyinka, Horumarinta Dhismooyinka iyo Maamulka Dhulka)

    A draft. We found no record that it was passed.

    Issued by
    Ministry of Public Works, Reconstruction and Housing (Federal Government of Somalia)
    Applies to
    Somalia (federal)
    Type
    Draft bill
    Published
    20 August 2017 (Version 02, Mogadishu, 20 August 2017; posted on the ministry's website on 11 June 2025)
    In effect from
    Not stated in the source
    Status evidence
    Every page is marked "QABYO-QORAAL-DRAFT". Article 34 says it takes effect once the House of the People approves it and the President signs it; the ministry reported its first reading on 8 October 2018 and we found no record of either step.
    What it covers
    Would set national rules for urban planning, building development and land management: a master urban regulatory framework and building code covering building codes and standards (Article 11), technical standards kept by each ministry for its own buildings (Article 12), a reformed land register (Article 15) and registration of construction companies with the ministry (Articles 16 to 18). The ministry's web page calls it an Act; the document is a draft.
    Official page
    mpwr.gov.so
    Document
    Open the document (mpwr.gov.so)
    Last checked
    26 September 2026, sourced, not yet verified

    Source: Federal Government of Somalia, Ministry of Public Works, Reconstruction and Housing, official document (draft bill, PDF, in Somali). What it does not establish: The document is a draft. The ministry's news of 8 October 2018 reports its first reading in the Federal Parliament (https://mpwr.gov.so/2018/10/08/wasaaradda-hawlaha-guud-oo-baarlamaanka-horgaysay-hindise-sharciyeedka-nidaaminaya-naqshadeynta-magaalooyinka-horumarinta-dhismaha-iyo-maamulka-dhulka/). We found no record that it was passed or signed.

    • Local Law
    • Draft
    • Sourced, not yet verified

    Draft Somali Roads Construction Law (Hindise-sharciyeedka Xeerka Dhisidda Waddooyinka Soomaaliya)

    A draft. We found no record that it was passed.

    Issued by
    Ministry of Public Works, Reconstruction and Housing (Federal Government of Somalia)
    Applies to
    Somalia (federal)
    Type
    Draft bill
    Published
    Prepared by the ministry in 2018; posted on its website on 17 June 2025
    In effect from
    Not stated in the source
    Status evidence
    The cover calls it a hindise-sharciyeed (a bill). Its final article says it takes effect once the Federal Parliament approves it, the President signs it and it is published in the Official Gazette; we found no record of those steps.
    What it covers
    Would set up a national roads agency with its offices, functions and powers, give the minister the job of classifying roads and setting national road standards, and set rules on land reserved for roads, road widths, temporary diversions, road signs, obstructions and road furniture.
    Official page
    mpwr.gov.so
    Document
    Open the document (mpwr.gov.so)
    Last checked
    26 September 2026, sourced, not yet verified

    Source: Federal Government of Somalia, Ministry of Public Works, Reconstruction and Housing, official document (draft bill, PDF, in Somali). What it does not establish: The document is a bill. We found no record that it was passed, signed or published in the Official Gazette.

    • Local Law
    • Status not confirmed
    • Sourced, not yet verified

    Public Procurement, Concessions and Disposal Act, 2015

    Status not confirmed: we have not found an official source that says whether it is in force today.

    Issued by
    Federal Government of Somalia
    Applies to
    Somalia (federal)
    Type
    Act
    Published
    23 November 2015 (23 November 2015)
    In effect from
    Not stated in the source
    Status evidence
    The text says "now it's in commencement, 2015". The Ministry of Finance also lists a 'Procurement Act 2020' page that holds no document, so we have not confirmed which act governs federal procurement today.
    What it covers
    Sets the rules for how federal public entities buy goods, works and services, grant concessions and dispose of surplus assets (Article 4). It covers ministries and their agencies, national commissions, public institutions, government-owned enterprises and private bodies spending public funds. It gives way where a treaty or a donor's procurement rules apply under an agreement (Article 5).
    Official page
    mof.gov.so
    Document
    Open the document (mof.gov.so)
    Last checked
    26 September 2026, sourced, not yet verified

    Source: Federal Government of Somalia, Ministry of Finance, official text (PDF). What it does not establish: The text does not show whether it has since been amended or replaced. The ministry's legislation pages also list a 'Procurement Act 2020' page that holds no document (https://mof.gov.so/legislation/procurement-act-2020, checked 26 September 2026).

    • Government Requirement
    • Status not confirmed
    • Sourced, not yet verified

    Building Standards Policy (Department of Urban Planning)

    Status not confirmed: we have not found an official source that says whether it is in force today.

    Issued by
    Ministry of Public Works and Reconstruction, Department of Urban Planning (Federal Government of Somalia)
    Applies to
    Somalia (federal)
    Type
    Ministry policy
    Published
    Undated; posted on the ministry's website on 11 June 2025
    In effect from
    Not stated in the source
    Status evidence
    The policy carries no date and does not say whether or when it was adopted; we found no record of its adoption.
    What it covers
    States that Somalia has had no specific building codes since 1990 and that foreign codes and standards are used for buildings, roads, highways and bridges (section 1.0). It plans architectural, structural and urban development codes (section 2.0), says building standards should follow the International Building Code of 2012 (section 5.01.02), and gives the urban planning department duties such as a zoning plan and collecting existing codes (section 5.01).
    Official page
    mpwr.gov.so
    Document
    Open the document (mpwr.gov.so)
    Last checked
    26 September 2026, sourced, not yet verified

    Source: Federal Government of Somalia, Ministry of Public Works and Reconstruction, official policy document (PDF). What it does not establish: Undated, and it does not say whether or when it was adopted. It is a ministry policy, not a law.

    • Government Requirement
    • Status not confirmed
    • Sourced, not yet verified

    National Building Permit Policy

    Status not confirmed: we have not found an official source that says whether it is in force today.

    Issued by
    Ministry of Public Works, Reconstruction and Housing (Federal Government of Somalia)
    Applies to
    Somalia (federal)
    Type
    Policy
    Published
    Not seen; named in the ministry's request for proposals of 16 July 2026
    In effect from
    Not stated in the source
    Status evidence
    The ministry's request for proposals MoPWRH/RFP/EBPMS/2026/001, issued 16 July 2026, says the ministry "is implementing the National Building Permit Policy". We have not seen the policy itself or its adoption date.
    What it covers
    According to the same request for proposals, the policy aims to modernise, standardise and digitise building permit administration across Somalia. The request seeks a firm to build a national electronic building permit system for the federal government, the Federal Member States, the Banadir Regional Administration and local governments, and describes today's permit process as largely manual and inconsistent between them.
    Official page
    None found
    Document
    No official copy found
    Last checked
    25 September 2026, sourced, not yet verified

    Source: Federal Government of Somalia, Ministry of Public Works, Reconstruction and Housing, request for proposals (PDF). What it does not establish: A tender document that names the policy. It does not include the policy, its date or its legal basis.

What we have not found

  • A building code in force in Somaliland, Somalia or Puntland, or an official text that makes an international standard compulsory in any of them (checked 26 September 2026).
  • A published building regulation for Hargeisa, Berbera, Burao, Bosaso, Garowe or Mogadishu (checked 26 September 2026).
  • Somaliland’s ministry and tender board websites, which did not answer (checked 26 September 2026), and two federal texts that are published only as scanned images we could not read (checked 26 September 2026).

If you hold an official copy of a law, regulation or building code that belongs here, or know that one listed here has changed, write to the editorial desk with where it was published.

How to read this page

Each record says what its source says, in our words, and names that source with what it does not establish. It is a reference, not legal advice: before relying on a text, read it in full from the issuing body and ask the authority that applies it. Reference and international standards are listed separately on the building codes and standards page; tools and data are on the Data Hub.