Can I build a private shelter in Romania? What the law says

Short answer. Romania's Law 481/2004 requires public authorities, companies and property owners to plan for and build civil-protection shelters in their investments ¹. A shelter is mandatory in some new buildings, for example those with a basement of 600 m² or more, including apartment blocks ². Emergency services approve them before the building permit ². We found no rule for a voluntary shelter in a private house.

Do I need a permit to build a shelter at home in Romania?

We found no permit or declaration rule specific to a voluntary shelter in a private house. Ordinary construction rules still apply to any building work. Check with your town hall's planning department, and with your county emergency inspectorate (ISU), before any work.

What the law does set is a general duty: "Autorităţile administraţiei publice, instituţiile publice, agenţii economici şi proprietarii de imobile au obligaţia să prevadă în planurile de investiţii şi să realizeze adăposturi de protecţie civilă" (public authorities, public institutions, businesses and property owners must include civil-protection shelters in their investment plans and build them) ¹.

Which buildings must have a shelter?

New buildings with a basement of 600 m² or more of total floor area, in these categories ²:

• local public authority offices;
• retail, production and storage;
• offices and banks;
• schools and care facilities;
• culture;
• hotels;
• electronic communications;
• transport stations;
• collective housing (apartment blocks);
• places of worship.

Also, regardless of these thresholds: hospitals with beds (any size), indoor sports venues with 400 or more seats, and metro stations; and extensions over 150 m² that bring a building into these categories ².

A single-family house is not in the list above.

Who approves a shelter?

Shelters included in the technical documents of an investment are technically approved (avizare) by the professional emergency services before the building permit is issued ². Public shelters are then inspected periodically by the same services ².

Shelters must be designed, built, equipped and authorised under technical norms drafted by IGSU and approved by the Minister of Internal Affairs ¹². We could not read the current norm text on an official site, so we do not summarise it here.

What duties come with a shelter?

Under Law 481/2004 ¹:

• shelter holders and users must keep the shelter and its utility installations in working order;
• citizens must help maintain shelters in buildings they own (art. 20);
• the owner pays for shelters required in housing, offices and shopping centres (art. 70);
• failing to include required shelters in investment documents is a contravention (art. 76, letter i, in the version we read).

Is there public funding?

Law 481/2004 (art. 70) allows one-time subsidies to citizens for shelters in housing, on terms set by Government decision ¹.

A law promulgated in early July 2026 adds a paragraph to art. 21 letting local councils, at the request of owners' associations, fund repairs and maintenance of private shelters in apartment blocks ³. This comes from a press report; we did not read the gazette text.

Who designs and builds it?

Qualified engineers. Phaenyx gives no structural instructions. For background on what protection means, read protection factor, shelter ventilation and NBC filtration.

Frequently asked questions

Is a shelter mandatory in new apartment blocks in Romania?

Yes, when the new building has a basement of 600 m² or more of total floor area ².

Can I get money to build a shelter?

Law 481/2004 allows one-time subsidies to citizens for shelters in housing, on terms set by Government decision ¹. Since July 2026, local councils may fund repairs of shelters in apartment blocks at the request of owners' associations, according to the press ³.

Who checks a shelter before construction?

The professional emergency services approve it before the building permit is issued ².

Sources

1. Parlamentul României (consolidated text hosted by Primăria Pucioasa) — Legea nr. 481 din 8 noiembrie 2004 privind protecţia civilă — https://primariapucioasa.ro/public/public/upload/manager/files/L-481-2004-protectia-civila.pdf (accessed 2026-10-20)
2. Inspectoratul General pentru Situații de Urgență (IGSU) — ADĂPOSTIREA POPULAȚIEI — https://igsu.ro/protectia-populatiei/adapostirea-populatiei-2487 (accessed 2026-10-20)
3. Digi24 (press) — Adăposturile civile din blocuri pot fi reparate din fonduri publice locale. Președintele a promulgat legea — https://www.digi24.ro/stiri/actualitate/adaposturile-civile-din-blocuri-pot-fi-reparate-din-fonduri-publice-locale-presedintele-a-promulgat-legea-3846867 (accessed 2026-10-20)