Short answer. Georgia's Law on Civil Security sets no permit or declaration procedure for private household shelters 1. It does put duties on owners of a shelter, or of a building suitable as one: they must maintain it and use it for its purpose, and its purpose cannot be changed without prior written consent from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Defence 1. Ordinary construction rules were not checked.
Do you need a permit to build a shelter in Georgia?
No shelter-specific permit was found in the Law on Civil Security 1. That does not mean a shelter needs no approval: ordinary construction rules were not checked for this page. Ask your municipality and a licensed engineer before you start. Phaenyx gives no construction instructions.
What duties come with owning a shelter?
The law sets these obligations 1:
| Rule | Article |
|---|---|
| Persons who own, manage or use a shelter maintain it and ensure it is used for its purpose | Art. 21(4) 1 |
| Organisations, and bodies of the national system, that use a shelter must keep its qualitative characteristics | Art. 5(3)(თ) and 5(1)(რ) 1 |
| Changing the purpose of a shelter, or of a building or room suitable as a shelter, requires prior written consent of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Defence | Art. 21(6) 1 |
| A state-owned shelter cannot be sold without that consent | Art. 21(6) 1 |
| Staff of vital facilities must be protected in a shelter | Art. 21(2) 1 |
In practice, once a space counts as a shelter or as suitable for one, changing its use later is not a private decision alone 1.
Is there a technical standard for shelters in Georgia?
Georgia publishes no official shelter standard. The law defines a shelter as a building or structure that can be used for a period to protect people from damaging factors in an emergency or during hostilities, including a special sealed protective structure designed for those factors (Art. 3) 1. Article 21(9) leaves shelter characteristics and their registration to a Government decree 1. That decree has not been adopted: the original deadline in Article 72 (since repealed) was 1 January 2019, and the amendment of 26 June 2025 again tells the Ministry of Internal Affairs to draft it (Art. 44¹(1)(a)) 12. No approval or certification scheme was found 1.
Without a national standard, your engineer will have to design to recognised principles. Our guides introduce them: protection factor, shelter ventilation, NBC filtration, humidity and mould, radon underground and safe-room standards.
Should a private shelter be registered?
The law has EMS territorial units register shelters and buildings or rooms suitable as shelters (Art. 21(5)) 1. It does not say whether a private household shelter must be declared, and the registration procedure is itself left to the decree that does not yet exist 12.
Frequently asked questions
Is a basement a shelter under Georgian law?
Basement floors and rooms of buildings suitable as shelters may be used as shelters (Art. 21(3)) 1. No official standard says what makes a basement suitable 12.
Can I convert an existing shelter into a cellar or shop?
Not freely. Changing the purpose of a shelter, or of a space suitable as one, requires prior written consent of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Defence 1.
Can I bury a container as a shelter?
The civil-security law does not address it 1. Read our guides on burying a shipping container and reinforcing a container, then ask a licensed engineer.
Sources
- Parliament of Georgia / Legislative Herald (matsne.gov.ge) — Law of Georgia on Civil Security, No. 2608-IIს, consolidated — https://matsne.gov.ge/ka/document/view/4243170?publication=16 (accessed 2026-10-20)
- Parliament of Georgia / Legislative Herald — Amendment to the Law on Civil Security, No. 802-IIმს-XIმპ, 26 June 2025 — https://matsne.gov.ge/ka/document/view/6542896 (accessed 2026-10-20)
Turn this into action
Your plan for Georgia, worked out for your household.
- Water, food and equipment counted for each person and pet
- The nuclear plants and zones around your home
- Phaenyx Safe: one tap to tell your people you are safe
Sources
- Parliament of Georgia / Legislative Herald (matsne.gov.ge) · სამოქალაქო უსაფრთხოების შესახებ (Law of Georgia on Civil Security, No. 2608-IIს, consolidated) checked 2026-10-20
- Parliament of Georgia / Legislative Herald · „სამოქალაქო უსაფრთხოების შესახებ“ საქართველოს კანონში ცვლილების შეტანის თაობაზე (No. 802-IIმს-XIმპ, 26 June 2025) checked 2026-10-20