The present Land Code regulates land relations and is aimed at the creation of conditions for rational land tenure and soil conservation, reproduction of soil fertility, conservation and improvement of environment for the purpose of the equal development of all forms of economic activity. Land is the property of the state. Citizens have the right to allocation of a plot of land terms and conditions of which shall be determined by the present Act (art. 2). Land shall be classified into the following categories: 1) agricultural land; 2) urban land; 3) industrial land; 4) environmental and recreational land; 5) forest stock land; water stock land; 6) reserve land (art. 3). Land shall be allocated on condition of life-long hereditary tenure to citizens for conducting subsidiary small-holding and to the members of gardening associations. Land shall be allocated on condition of open-ended (permanent) land tenure to collective farms, state agricultural enterprises, other state cooperative enterprises, institutions and organizations for agricultural production and forest management (art. 8 and 57). Temporary land tenure shall be short-term (up to 10 years) and long-term (from 10 to 25 years) (art. 10). Terms and conditions of lease, lease relations are established by the Section 2 of the Act (arts. 12-17). The right of land tenure or ownership shall cease in the following cases: 1) voluntary renunciation; 2) termination of the period of allocation; 3) irrational use of land; 4) law yield rate of agricultural land; 5) reduction of soil fertility and exhaustion of natural resources by the use of agricultural methods causing such effects; 6) non-use of the plot of land for one-year period from the date of allocation (for agricultural land) and two-year period (for non-agricultural land); 7) expropriation (art. 29). Land tenure and land management are charged. The charges are collected in the form of land tax and rent (art. 37). Purchase and sale, gift, mortgage, and unauthorized exchange of the plots of land are illegal (art. 157). The Act consists of 15 Sections composed of 162 articles.
Implemented by: Decree No. 308-12 of the Supreme Soviet putting into effect Land Code. (1991-05-30)
Implemented by: Parliamentary Decree No. 308-XII implementing Land Code. (1991-05-30)
Repealed by: Law implementing Land Code. (2004-11-01)
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Gnetii, Vsevolod (CONSLEGB)
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