Which seismic rule does a new building in Georgia follow?
Every new apartment block in Georgia, from Batumi to Telavi, is designed against one national document: the construction norm PN 01.01-09 "Seismic-resistant construction", which the Minister of Economic Development issued on 7 October 2009 as Order No 1-1/2284. When we searched the Legislative Herald on 3 November 2026, it held only that order and one amending order of 2012. Nothing repeals or replaces the norm, so a tower finished this year rests on the same zoning map as a block finished in 2012.
The soil categories and storey limits are explained in our seismic resistance glossary entry, and Tbilisi's faults and older housing in our Tbilisi earthquake safety guide. This page covers the rest of the country and the checks a new-build buyer can make.
How strong is the design shaking in each town?
Annex 1 of the norm gives every settlement two numbers for soil category II: an intensity in points on the MSK-64 scale and a coefficient A, expressed in units of g, the acceleration of gravity.
| Place | Points (MSK-64) | A (g) |
|---|---|---|
| Tbilisi | 8 | 0.17 |
| Rustavi | 8 | 0.12 |
| Kutaisi | 8 | 0.13 |
| Batumi | 7 | 0.09 |
| Makhinjauri | 7 | 0.09 |
| Gonio | 7 | 0.06 |
| Kobuleti | 8 | 0.13 |
| Poti | 8 | 0.15 |
| Borjomi | 8 | 0.20 |
| Bakuriani | 8 | 0.16 |
| Telavi | 9 | 0.32 |
| Sighnaghi | 9 | 0.25 |
| Kvareli | 9 | 0.50 |
| Gudauri | 9 | 0.31 |
| Mestia | 9 | 0.38 |
In our reading, the coast from Gonio through Batumi to Chakvi is the only large market at 7 points; Kobuleti, just north, is already at 8. Gudauri, the Kakheti towns and Mestia are at 9. Points alone mislead: Sighnaghi and Kvareli share 9, yet Kvareli's A is twice as high. Ask for the coefficient, not only the points.
Can one plot get a different value from its town?
Yes. Article 3(16) of the norm says a site's seismicity must be refined with a seismic microzoning map, and only where none exists may the designer use the national map and the soil table. Whether approved microzoning maps exist for Tbilisi or Batumi, we could not confirm. The 2012 amendment, Order No 1-1/853 of the Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of 27 March 2012, added Article 3(20): the minister may correct a settlement's points for one specific plot, by order and on a justification. We did not find how many such orders exist.
So the annex row is a starting point, not proof. Ask which source fixed the design level for your plot: the national map plus a soil category, a microzoning map, or a correction order. If it is an order, ask for its number and date.
Are new buildings designed to Eurocodes?
Some may be, but no Eurocode is compulsory. The Government has admitted five European structural standards, each with a national annex:
| Eurocode | Status |
|---|---|
| 0, basis of design | Admitted, Resolution No 369 of 15 July 2022 |
| 4, 5 and 7 | Admitted, Resolution No 412 of 17 October 2023 |
| 6, masonry | Admitted, Resolution No 236 of 27 June 2025 |
| 1, 2 and 3, including concrete | Not admitted |
| 8, earthquake resistance | Not admitted |
"Admitted" is not "required". Under Article 69(1) of the Code on Product Safety and Free Movement, choosing a standard is voluntary unless a technical regulation makes it mandatory, and none of these resolutions does. None repeals PN 01.01-09 or sets a transition period. The national norm for concrete is still PN 03.01-09, approved by Order No 1-1/2391 of 23 October 2009. If a brochure says "European standards", ask which Eurocodes were used and confirm that the seismic checks follow PN 01.01-09.
Why do online hazard maps show higher numbers?
International models give figures above the code's coefficients. We queried the EFEHR hazard service of ETH Zurich on 3 November 2026. Its EMME2014 model (Earthquake Model of the Middle East) gives mean peak ground acceleration on rock with a 10% chance of being exceeded in 50 years, about once in 475 years, of 0.28 g for Tbilisi, 0.21 g for Kutaisi and 0.13 g for Batumi. These are model values, not legal design values.
Do not read their gap to the code's A as the amount by which the code is too low. Both are peak ground accelerations, but on different terms. The model value is for reference rock (shear-wave speed 760 m/s) at a stated probability. A is the norm's design value for average ground (soil category II); the norm states no probability for it, and its design method then applies its own factors for permitted damage, structural system and importance. A 2021 paper by O. Varazanashvili says the official map is an edited map for a 2% chance in 50 years, which he notes makes the gap larger, not smaller. Neither number says anything about any one building.
The ranking does agree: Batumi below Kutaisi, Kutaisi below Tbilisi. Experts do question the 2009 map. Varazanashvili argues it shows lower hazard than the EMME model, and a 2020 study from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Ilia State University produced a new hazard assessment to support a major update of the code towards European codes. We found no new official map.
Who answers for the structure before the permit?
The Spatial Planning, Architectural and Construction Activities Code names each link in the chain:
- The structural engineer designs. For class II to IV buildings only a structural engineer may draw up the structural scheme (Art. 98(2)), and the author answers for compliance with technical regulations, PN 01.01-09 included (Art. 98(3)).
- An expert reviews. An accredited inspection body and/or certified expert, insured and responsible for its conclusion, assesses the permit documents (Art. 99). Resolution No 255 of 2019 requires a conclusion on the structural design and the engineering-geological survey for classes II to IV; a negative one means no permit (Art. 21).
- Experience counts. Until 20 December 2026, Resolution No 256 of 2019 also lets a person with a relevant master's degree give these conclusions; for the structure of a class IV building, that person needs 10 years' experience.
Class IV, under Annex 1 of Resolution No 255 as currently worded, covers a building with over 6,000 m² of floor area and over 22 m height, a span over 12 m, or pile foundations; a building with features of several classes takes the highest (Art. 5(3)). Our guide to construction permits shows how to find a permit and its class.
Do structural engineers need a certificate?
Not yet. Article 140 of the Code calls for certified engineers and experts, and Government Resolution No 134 of 10 April 2024 set the rules: from its start date, structural projects for a permit must be endorsed by a certified civil engineer and examined by a certified expert (Art. 2). That start has moved twice: from 1 December 2025 to 1 September 2026 (Resolution No 488 of 31 October 2025), then to 20 December 2026 (Resolution No 316 of 7 July 2026). So on 3 November 2026 no building on sale had needed these certificates for its permit. Check the Legislative Herald before relying on the date, in case of a further delay.
Under the scheme, accredited certification bodies will issue 5-year certificates and keep public registers. An engineer will need a civil engineering bachelor's degree, 3 years' practice and a written exam that includes finding errors in a project. For permits applied for after the start, ask for the engineer's and expert's certificate numbers.
Who checks that the frame matches the design?
- A private technical supervisor. Mandatory for class III and IV: the developer must hire an accredited inspection body or certified expert (Code Art. 119(4)), or until 20 December 2026 a person qualified under Resolution No 256, which is liable for its work and must be insured (Art. 119(6)-(7)).
- The city, by sample. The public supervision body must inspect each year at least one in ten class III and IV buildings that received permits the previous year (Art. 118(4)). We found no published inspection counts by city.
- Silence counts as approval. After a positive stage conclusion, the public body may visit within 15 working days; if not, the stage is deemed accepted (Art. 120(1)).
For class II to IV, each stage minute is legally valid only once registered with the commissioning authority (Resolution No 255, Art. 26(6)). For earthquake resistance, the foundation and frame minutes matter most; our page on construction stages lists them all. Article 27(1)(a) allows load-bearing dimensions to shift by up to 0.1 m without changing the construction documents, but never column sections, beam depths, slab or cantilever thickness or retaining-wall width. A column thinner than the drawings is not a tolerance.
Which documents can a buyer ask to see?
No law we found makes a developer show structural papers to a buyer, so ask, and write what matters into the contract:
- Permit. Number, date, issuing body and class.
- Seismic page of the design. The explanatory note must cover the site's seismicity (Resolution No 255, Art. 15(2)); ask for the points, A, soil category and structural system.
- Source of the design level. National map, microzoning or correction order.
- Expert conclusions. On the structural design and the ground survey, with who issued them and any accreditation or certificate number.
- Technical supervisor. Name and contract.
- Registered stage minutes. Foundation and frame at least.
- Concrete and steel. Design concrete class, delivery notes, cube or core test reports from an accredited laboratory, conformity certificates for reinforcing steel.
- At the end. Commissioning act, as-built survey, Public Registry extract.
We found no legal "building passport" for apartment blocks; if offered one, ask who signed it. The commissioning act proves the procedure, not the strength of the frame. Put the design points and concrete class in the specification annex, alongside the items on our building specification page.
Who records earthquakes, and why does it matter for a claim?
The national seismic network is run by the Institute of Earth Sciences and National Seismic Monitoring Centre of Ilia State University (international network code GO, since 1988). The institute says it no longer issues certificates confirming that an earthquake occurred, which people used to submit to insurers, and that event information is public on its official page. After a quake, save the catalogue entry with date, time and location for any claim. Policy cover is compared on our Tbilisi earthquake page and in our property insurance guide; some policies there exclude design and construction defects, one more reason to keep the design papers.
Risks and exceptions
- Reading the town's value as the plot's. Soil, microzoning or a ministerial order can change it.
- Taking "Eurocode" as a seismic promise. Eurocode 8 is not admitted.
- Comparing model maps with the code. They are different quantities.
- Assuming the state saw every stage. Silence for 15 working days means acceptance.
- Expecting certified engineers on today's projects. Not before 20 December 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2009 seismic code still in force?
Yes. PN 01.01-09 was amended once, in 2012, and on 3 November 2026 nothing had replaced it.
Is Batumi's design level lower than Tbilisi's?
Yes: 7 points and A = 0.09 against 8 and 0.17. A lower design level does not make a building safer or weaker; design and workmanship decide that.
Has Georgia adopted Eurocode 8?
No. Eurocodes 0, 4, 5, 6 and 7 are admitted for voluntary use; 1, 2, 3 and 8 are not.
Have Batumi's towers been officially audited for earthquake safety?
We found no official structural or seismic audit of Batumi high-rises in 2024 or 2025. See our page on Batumi high-rises.
Does the state inspect every new building?
No. The city must check at least one in ten class III and IV buildings permitted the previous year; the rest relies on the developer's private supervisor.
Related: Soviet or new building, the load-bearing wall and black, white and green frame.
Sources
- PN 01.01-09 "Seismic-resistant construction", Annex 1, Minister of Economic Development, 7 October 2009 (accessed 3 November 2026)
- Order No 1-1/853 amending PN 01.01-09, Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, 27 March 2012 (accessed 3 November 2026)
- Resolution No 369 (Eurocode 0), Government of Georgia, 15 July 2022 (accessed 3 November 2026)
- Resolution No 412 (Eurocodes 4, 5, 7), Government of Georgia, 17 October 2023 (accessed 3 November 2026)
- Resolution No 236 (Eurocode 6), Government of Georgia, 27 June 2025 (accessed 3 November 2026)
- Code on Product Safety and Free Movement, Parliament of Georgia, version of 1 April 2026 (accessed 3 November 2026)
- Spatial Planning, Architectural and Construction Activities Code, Parliament of Georgia, consolidated text (accessed 3 November 2026)
- Resolution No 255 on construction permits, Government of Georgia, 31 May 2019 (accessed 3 November 2026)
- Resolution No 256 on expertise, Government of Georgia, 31 May 2019, amended by No 315 of 7 July 2026 (accessed 3 November 2026)
- Resolution No 134 on certification, Government of Georgia, 10 April 2024, amended by No 488 and No 316 (accessed 3 November 2026)
- PN 03.01-09 "Concrete and reinforced concrete structures", Minister of Economic Development, 23 October 2009 (accessed 3 November 2026)
- Hazard service, EMME2014 model, EFEHR, ETH Zurich (accessed 3 November 2026)
- Varazanashvili, seismic hazard in Georgia, Journal of the Georgian Geophysical Society, 2021 (accessed 3 November 2026)
- Onur et al., hazard assessment using legacy data in Georgia, Seismological Research Letters, 2020 (accessed 3 November 2026)
- National Seismic Monitoring Centre, Institute of Earth Sciences, Ilia State University, undated (accessed 3 November 2026)
Change log
- - Explainer published from PN 01.01-09 and its 2012 amendment, the Eurocode resolutions, the Spatial Planning Code, Resolutions 255 and 134 and the EFEHR hazard service.