Building a private shelter in Serbia: the rules

Short answer. Serbian law sets no specific permit or declaration for a private household shelter ¹. Adapting rooms for sheltering follows the general planning and construction rules ². In new residential and other buildings, basements and other underground rooms may be used for sheltering if a reinforced slab able to withstand the building's collapse is built above them ².

Do I need a permit to build a shelter in Serbia?

No shelter-specific permit exists. The 2024 Ministry of Interior rulebook says: "When adapting suitable structures for sheltering, the regulations governing planning and construction apply" ². In practice, the ordinary planning and construction rules decide which formalities your project needs. Check them with your municipality's building department before work begins.

The legal basis is the 2018 Law on Disaster Risk Reduction and Emergency Management (art. 55 and 61) and the 2024 rulebook on shelter maintenance (Pravilnik 4/2024, art. 57-64) ¹².

Can a basement be used as a shelter?

In new residential and other buildings, basements and other underground rooms may be used for sheltering if a reinforced slab able to withstand the collapse of the building is built above them ². Adapted underground rooms must give 2 m² per person ².

Whether a given slab meets that condition is an engineering question. Phaenyx gives no structural instructions: have a qualified structural engineer assess your building.

What protection levels does Serbia define?

The 2024 rulebook sets two shelter classes, which are the national reference for what a shelter should resist ²:

• Basic protection: at least 100 kPa overpressure, up to 300 people, equipped for 3 days, against air strike, thermal and radiation effects ².
• Supplementary protection: at least 50 kPa, up to 50 people, for a stay of several hours with supplies for 1 day, against the blast wave and thermal effects ².

Supplies are sized at 3 litres of drinking and hygiene water per person per day ². Full table: shelter standards.

What must owners keep?

Citizens and building owners must keep the means and equipment for personal and mutual protection in working order (law art. 55) ¹. The list is left to a government decree; a 2011 decree is still listed by the Ministry, but its content could not be checked.

Where does the local government come in?

Planning the sheltering of residents is the job of each local government (law art. 61) ¹. See public shelters.

What should I read before talking to an engineer?

Background guides: protection factor, shelter ventilation, NBC filtration, radon underground, shelter humidity and mold and safe-room standards.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a special shelter permit in Serbia?

No. There is no shelter-specific permit; the ordinary planning and construction rules apply ¹².

Does my shelter have to meet the 100 kPa or 50 kPa class?

The classes are set by the 2024 rulebook on shelter maintenance ². Our data does not show them as a condition for a private household project, but they are the Serbian reference for protection levels.

How much space per person?

Adapted underground rooms must give 2 m² per person ².

Who can tell me if my basement slab is strong enough?

A qualified structural engineer. Phaenyx gives no structural instructions.

Sources

1. Narodna skupština Republike Srbije (consolidated text via Paragraf) — Zakon o smanjenju rizika od katastrofa i upravljanju vanrednim situacijama ("Sl. glasnik RS", br. 87/2018) — https://www.paragraf.rs/propisi/zakon-o-smanjenju-rizika-od-katastrofa-i-upravljanju-vanrednim-situacijama.html (accessed 2026-10-20)
2. Ministarstvo unutrašnjih poslova — Правилник о начину одржавања склоништа и прилагођавања комуналних, саобраћајних и других подземних објеката за склањање становништва ("Службени гласник РС", број 4/2024) — http://prezentacije.mup.gov.rs/svs/HTML/licence/Pravilnik%20o%20nacinu%20odrzavanja%20sklonista%20i%20prilagodjavanja%20komunalnih,%20saobracajnih%20i%20drugih%20podzemnih%20objekata%20za%20sklanjanje%20stanovnistv.pdf (accessed 2026-10-20)