---
title: "Coastal Development"
url: "https://legal.ge/en/service/licensing-and-regulatory-permits-en/coastal-development-en"
field: "Licensing & Regulatory Permits"
description: "Coastal development in Georgia rests on the Spatial Planning Code: zoning, plans and specially regulated territories — no separate coastal statute. Legal.ge."
reviewed: "2026-02-15"
updated: "2026-10-14"
publisher: "legal.ge"
---

# Coastal Development

> Source: legal.ge, https://legal.ge/en/service/licensing-and-regulatory-permits-en/coastal-development-en

The development of Georgia's coastal strip is not governed by a separate "coastal zone" statute — no such standalone law exists in the Georgian legal system. Coastal territories are planned and developed through the general system established by the Spatial Planning, Architectural and Construction Code: state and municipal plans, functional zoning, and the institution of specially regulated territories. For concepts tied to the sea and territorial waters, the Code refers to a separate law — the Law of Georgia on Maritime Space — whose content this page does not examine as its foundation.

## Guiding principles of planning

Spatial planning and urban-planning rest on sustainable development principles that harmonize the economic and social preconditions for the use and development of the relevant territory with risk reduction and environmental requirements. Among the principles are creating dignified living conditions for people, developing a polycentric structure of settlements, preserving protected and recreational territories, protecting natural and cultural landscapes, and reducing the negative impact of infrastructure on the environment.

For coastal development, the maritime planning principle is especially significant: when planning the spatial organization of Georgia's territorial sea and exclusive economic zone, the possibility of scientific research, the safety and efficiency of navigable routes, and the sustainable use of the corresponding natural resources must be ensured. This requirement bears directly on how areas connected to ports, navigation routes and resort resources are to be planned. Taking the guiding principles into account is mandatory for the administrative organ holding planning competence.

The full text is available on legal.ge after signing in: https://legal.ge/en/service/licensing-and-regulatory-permits-en/coastal-development-en

### Is there a separate coastal zone law in Georgia?

No. Coastal territories are planned under the Spatial Planning, Architectural and Construction Code — through plans, functional zoning and the institution of specially regulated territories.

### Can maritime areas be planned?

Yes. The Spatial Planning Plan of Georgia may include plans for the territorial sea and the exclusive economic zone, covering natural resource extraction, aquaculture, tourist development and scientific research.

### What is a specially regulated territory?

It is the status of a settlement or part of a municipality, granted by a government legal act on the basis of a factor of major importance — including resort and recreational factors. Construction permits there follow the requirements laid down by government resolution.

### How is a plot's functional zone changed?

A functional zone defined by an effective urban-planning plan is changed by an amendment to that same plan. For a plot not covered by a plan, the construction function is determined under the Code's corresponding rules.

### Which law defines the territorial sea?

By the Code's reference, the concepts of the territorial sea and the exclusive economic zone are defined by the Law of Georgia on Maritime Space — while the planning procedures themselves are set by the Code.