From the beginning of July, shelters and places of refuge must be built
On 1 July 2026, amendments to the Emergency Act will enter into force, as a result of which a public shelter must be built in new buildings with an enclosed area of at least 10,000 square metres. In addition, a non-public shelter must be built for smaller buildings, and for existing buildings the possibilities for taking refuge must be analysed and, if necessary, a place of refuge must be adapted in the building.
New buildings must include a shelter
A shelter is a building or part of a building built for taking refuge, whose structure protects people against an explosion and the accompanying blast wave, flying objects and air pollution, including ionising radiation.
Shelters are divided into public and non-public shelters on the principle that public shelters are those to which everyone is guaranteed access for taking refuge, while non-public shelters are intended primarily for the users of a specific building.
A public shelter must be built in new buildings with an enclosed area of at least 10,000 square metres. This requirement will apply from 1 July 2026. Therefore, if, for example, a new shopping centre is to be built, a shelter must also be built in that building if the application for a building permit is submitted after 1 July 2026. The Rescue Board checks the construction of public shelters, organises their marking, provides information on their location and gives the guidance needed to organise sheltering. The costs of building a public shelter are borne by the building owner.
From 1 July 2026, a non-public shelter must be built when constructing a residential building, accommodation or catering building, office building, commercial or service building, entertainment, educational, healthcare or other public or special building with an enclosed net area of at least 1,200 square metres, or an industrial and warehouse building with an enclosed net area of at least 1,500 square metres. The construction of a non-public shelter is organised by the building owner, and the costs are borne by the building owner.
If a building meets the criteria for both a non-public and a public shelter requirement, a public shelter must be built. More detailed requirements for shelters, such as their size and capacity, are established by a separate regulation of the Government of the Republic.
Different classes of shelters
Shelters built in buildings are divided into two classes, based on the number of people in the shelter and the size of the shelter and the strength of its structures. V1- or V2-class shelters are built in buildings, and these two classes differ in size and load-bearing capacity.
The actual refuge area of a V1-class shelter is at least 15 square metres, its enclosing structure withstands a load caused by a blast wave of at least 100 kN/m2, and it is intended for up to 180 people. The actual refuge area of a V2-class shelter is at least 15 square metres, it provides actual refuge area for 181-1,000 people, and its enclosing structure withstands a load caused by a blast wave of at least 200 kN/m2.
When determining the class of a shelter to be built in a building, the calculation for determining the size of the actual refuge area set out separately in Annex 1 to the regulation is used as the basis and, where necessary, also the number of people for whom refuge must be ensured in the event of an immediate heightened threat. In choosing the shelter class, guidance can also be taken from whether it is more reasonable to build, for example, one V2-class shelter or several V1-class shelters. The choice depends on the number of people and their actual space needs. The shelter class is determined at the beginning of building design, when the building's intended use, size and maximum number of people are known.
For existing buildings, the building owner adapts places of refuge
Where possible, the building owner adapts a place of refuge in a building that was built before the shelter requirement entered into force, that is, before 1 July 2026, and whose parameters correspond to those of a new building subject to the shelter construction obligation, such as an existing apartment building or office building. In the case of existing buildings, the sheltering plan must assess the possibilities for taking refuge and, where such possibilities exist, adapt a place of refuge in the building.
A place of refuge is a construction work or part of it adapted for taking refuge, whose structure protects people at least against flying objects caused by an explosion. A place of refuge is therefore not a part of a construction work built specifically for the purpose of sheltering, but has been adapted to be suitable for taking refuge. The main difference between a shelter and a place of refuge is that the level of protection of a place of refuge is not as high as that of a shelter, and additional conditions such as forced ventilation or a toilet with water are not required there. The basic conditions for adapting a place of refuge are strong enclosing structures, the presence of fresh air, at least two exits (which do not have to be doors), clean and dry rooms for people to stay in, and the existence of a person responsible for the place of refuge.
The building owner assesses the possibilities for adapting a place of refuge in the sheltering plan and acts accordingly. Whether such a building can have a place of refuge and what it will ultimately be like will become clear from the sheltering plan.
A sheltering plan must be prepared for buildings subject to the shelter obligation
A sheltering plan must be prepared for buildings subject to the shelter obligation. A sheltering plan must be prepared both for new buildings in which a shelter must be built and for buildings that were erected, or for which an application for a building permit or a building notice for erection was submitted, before 1 July 2026 and that meet the requirements for a public or non-public place of refuge.
It is important to think through the organisational issues of sheltering both in new buildings where shelters are built and in existing buildings meeting the same criteria where a place of refuge is created.
The absence of the possibility to adapt a place of refuge in a building does not exclude the preparation of a sheltering plan, because the knowledge that a place of refuge cannot be adapted is obtained precisely by preparing the sheltering plan. The information that it is not possible to adapt a place of refuge in the building must also be reflected in the sheltering plan. Thus, the sheltering plan must be prepared specifically for the building, taking into account the building's characteristics and possibilities.
The sheltering plan is approved by the building owner or a person authorised by the owner, or by a decision of the management board of an apartment association. The sheltering plan also designates the person responsible for organising sheltering in the building. The responsible person does not have to be named personally, but may also be designated by position or role. It is also important to know that the sheltering plan is updated if significant changes have occurred in the building that may affect the organisation of sheltering or the possibilities for taking refuge.
For existing buildings, meaning buildings for which an occupancy permit has been issued by 1 July 2026, the obligation to prepare a sheltering plan applies no later than 1 July 2027, meaning that by that date existing buildings with an occupancy permit must have a sheltering plan. For buildings for which no occupancy permit has been issued as of 1 July 2027, the obligation to prepare a sheltering plan applies no later than the moment of applying for the occupancy permit.
The Emergency Act entering into force on 1 July 2026 can be viewed here. The regulation setting out the more detailed list of buildings subject to the shelter construction obligation, the requirements for shelters and sheltering plans, the principles for adapting places of refuge and the procedure for preparing sheltering plans can be viewed here.