BUSINESS & RULE OF LAW

New Rules, Old Wounds: Albania’s Public Space Law and the Businesses Left in Legal Limbo

A sweeping new national regulation brings order to how businesses use public space. But for restaurant owners like Mr. Haskasa of Durrës, the real question is whether a clearer law can undo the damage of unclear enforcement — and whether the phrase “public space” will ever stop being used as a weapon.

27 April 2026

Haskasa remembers the day clearly. It was last year when the police and local officials arrived at his restaurant in Durrës and told him, in plain terms, to dismantle his terrace tent. He had a permit. He had had that permit for years, issued by the very local government now ordering him to tear everything down. The land beneath the tent was not state property. It belonged to the coowners of the block of flats above his restaurant. And yet none of this mattered.

“They came and said: take it down yourself, or we will fine you. There was no discussion, no legal process, no chance to show them the permit. Just an order. I had done everything right, and I was treated like I had done everything wrong.”

Mr. Haskasa is not alone. Across Albania, hundreds of business owners faced similar operations last year, as both local and central government authorities moved to clear encroachments from what they broadly called “public space.” The operations were swift, often unannounced, and, in many cases, legally questionable. A year later, the consequences are still being felt — in lost revenue, in damaged infrastructure, in the uncertainty that shadows every business decision.

Now the government has issued a new national regulation on public space usage, designed to bring clarity and consistency to a system that has, until now, varied wildly from one municipality to the next. The Chamber welcomes the intent. But the question Mr. Haskasa and others like him are asking is this: clarity for whom?

What the New Regulation Actually Says

The 2026 regulation establishes a unified national framework for the use of public space by businesses. For the first time, the same rules will apply across all Albanian municipalities, ending a patchwork of local interpretations that had made compliance a game of geographic luck.

The key provisions are substantive. Any business using public space — for outdoor seating, signage, kiosks, or storage — must hold a written municipal permit, issued via the eAlbania portal. Permits are valid for two years and must be renewed before expiry. Businesses may occupy no more than 25% of the width of a pavement for seating. For every chair placed on public space, one tree must be planted. Fines for operating without a permit begin at 35,000 ALL per square metre occupied.

A new citizen oversight portal, called “Hapësira ime Publike” (My Public Space), allows any member of the public to report noncompliance. Authorities must respond within 24 hours, or the complaint is automatically escalated.

The regulation also draws an important legal boundary: private land — even land directly adjacent to a business or a public thoroughfare — is explicitly excluded from its scope. Only areas owned or managed by a municipality, intended for community use, fall under these rules.

 

Key provisions at a glance
Permit requirement	Written municipal permit via eAlbania for any use of public space
Seating limit	Maximum 25% of pavement width
Tree rule	1 tree planted per chair placed on public space
Permit duration	2 years, must be renewed before expiry
Fine (no permit)	From 35,000 ALL per m² occupied
Private land	Explicitly excluded from this regulation’s scope
Oversight portal	“Hapësira ime Publike” — 24hour response obligation

The Problem Is Not the New Law

Read in isolation, the new regulation is a step forward. It replaces ambiguity with procedure, and local discretion with national standards. A business owner who follows the rules — registers on eAlbania, obtains a permit, stays within the 25% pavement limit, plants the required trees — should be able to operate with confidence.

The problem is that confidence requires trust. And trust, once broken by the state, is not rebuilt by a new regulation.

“My permit had no expiry date. It was issued by the municipality, by the same authority that then sent the police to my door. If that permit meant nothing, why would I trust the next one?”

Mr. Haskasa’s case exposes a structural vulnerability that the new regulation does not, and perhaps cannot, address on its own: the discretionary power of local officials to define what counts as “public space” in the first place.

His terrace was not on municipal land. It sat on private property — land owned collectively by the residents of the building above. The local government’s permit was issued for that space precisely because the land was private, and therefore not subject to municipal publicspace rules. And yet, when the enforcement operations came, that distinction was ignored.

He is not the only one to have experienced this. Across Durrës and other Albanian cities, business owners report that the categories of “public” and “private” have been applied inconsistently, often in ways that appear to depend less on legal title and more on the priorities — or the personal relationships — of whichever official happens to be in charge of enforcement on a given day.

The Rule of Law Question

The concept of the rule of law rests on a simple but demanding principle: that the same legal rules apply to everyone, predictably and consistently, regardless of who is enforcing them or who they are being enforced against. A permit issued by a public authority should mean something. A legal classification of land should be stable. A business that has complied with the law should not be ordered to dismantle its property without recourse.

What happened to Mr. Haskasa — and to many others — was a failure of all three of these conditions. His permit was overridden without legal process. The private status of his land was ignored. He had no effective recourse. And the consequences of that failure are not historical: they are present and ongoing.

“I had to rebuild everything from scratch. The costs from last year are still with me. And now they are telling me there are new rules. But who guarantees that the new rules will be respected any more than the old ones?”

This is the central question that the new regulation raises but does not answer. A clearer legal framework is valuable. A national permit system, a defined appeals process, explicit protections for private land — these are all meaningful improvements. But they only function as protection if officials are held accountable when they overstep them.

Albania has made significant commitments on rule of law as part of its EU accession process. The European Commission’s annual progress reports have consistently highlighted concerns about administrative consistency and the protection of property rights. The pattern described by business owners like Mr. Haskasa — permits ignored, private land misclassified, enforcement without due process — sits squarely within those concerns.

The Chamber has heard from multiple members across different municipalities who describe what they can only characterise as selective enforcement: the sense that operations target some businesses and not others, and that compliance with the law provides no reliable protection. Whether or not this is the intent of officials, the perception has real consequences for investment, for business confidence, and for the willingness of entrepreneurs to commit capital to expansion.

What Business Owners Should Do Now

Notwithstanding these legitimate concerns, the new regulation creates both obligations and opportunities for businesses. The Chamber’s guidance to members is practical.

First, audit your current situation. If your business uses any external space — even a single table, a sign, or a storage unit adjacent to the building — determine precisely whether that space is municipal land or private land. Do not assume. Obtain the land registry documentation.

Second, if you are on private land, ensure you have the written consent of the landowner. Even where the new regulation does not technically apply, having documented consent protects you in the event of a disputed enforcement action.

Third, if you are on municipal land, apply for your permit via eAlbania promptly. Operating without a permit under the new framework carries significant financial penalties, and the citizen oversight portal means that noncompliance is more likely to be reported.

Fourth, document everything. Keep copies of every permit, every application, every correspondence with municipal authorities. In the event of a dispute, documentation is your primary protection.

Fifth, if you face an enforcement action that you believe is legally incorrect — particularly if it involves land you hold a permit for or land that is privately owned — contact the Chamber immediately. We can assist with advocacy, escalation, and referrals to legal counsel.

A System That Must Earn Back Trust

Mr. Haskasa is rebuilding. His restaurant is open, his business is recovering, and he is cautiously studying the new rules. But he is not yet reassured.

“I want to believe the new regulation makes things better. I want to follow the rules. I have always wanted to follow the rules. But I need to know that the rules will be applied to me the same way they are applied to everyone else. That they mean something. That a permit is a permit.”

That is not an unreasonable demand. It is, in fact, the minimum that the rule of law requires. The new public space regulation is a tool. Whether it becomes a genuine protection for business owners — or another layer of bureaucracy that can be selectively applied — will depend not on what is written, but on how it is enforced.

The Chamber will be watching. And we will continue to stand alongside our members in pressing for an environment where compliance is rewarded, where permits are respected, and where the boundary between public and private land is a matter of law, not of administrative convenience.

DISCLAIMER

This article is based on Albanian legal sources and member accounts as of April 2026. It is for general information and advocacy purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Members facing specific enforcement issues should seek professional legal counsel. The Chamber is not a law firm and does not provide legal opinions.

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BIZNESI DHE SHTETI I SË DREJTËS

Rregulla të reja, plagë të vjetra: Ligji i hapësirave publike në Shqipëri dhe bizneset e lëna në vakum ligjor

Një rregullore e re kombëtare synon të vendosë rregull se si bizneset përdorin hapësirat publike. Por për pronarë lokalesh si Haskasa në Durrës, pyetja e vërtetë është nëse një ligj më i qartë mund të shlyejë dëmin e bërë nga zbatimi i paqartë – dhe nëse shprehja “hapësirë publike” do të respektohet si koncept ligjor, apo do të vazhdojë të përdoret si pretekst.

Haskasa tregon se si vitin e kaluar policia dhe zyrtarët vendorë i kërkuan të shembte tendën e verandës, ndonëse kishte leje shumëvjeçare nga vetë bashkia dhe trualli ku ishte vendosur godina i përkiste bashkëpronarëve të pallatit sipër, jo shtetit. Ai e përshkruan situatën si një urdhër të thatë, pa procedurë, pa të drejtë sqarimi, ku ndjehej i trajtuar si shkelës ndonëse kishte ndjekur të gjitha rregullat.

Rasti i tij nuk është i izoluar. Dhjetëra e qindra biznese në Durrës dhe qytete të tjera kanë përjetuar operacione të ngjashme “pastrimi të hapësirave publike”: aksione të shpejta, shpesh të paparalajmëruara, dhe në shumë raste me bazë të dyshimtë ligjore, që kanë lënë pas humbje të ardhurash, dëmtime infrastrukture dhe pasiguri të vazhdueshme në vendimmarrjen e biznesit.

Rregullorja e re kombëtare për përdorimin e hapësirave publike synon ta përmbysë këtë realitet: për herë të parë vendos një kuadër të unifikuar në mbarë vendin, me të njëjtat rregulla për të gjitha bashkitë. Çdo biznes që përdor hapësirë publike (tavolina jashtë, sinjalistikë, kioskë, depo) duhet të ketë leje me shkrim nga bashkia, të marrë përmes portalit e Albania. Leja vlen dy vjet dhe rinovohet para skadencës; deri në 25% të gjerësisë së trotuarit mund të zëhet për ulje; për çdo karrige vendosur në hapësirë publike duhet mbjellë një pemë; gjobat për mungesë lejeje fillojnë nga 35 000 lekë për metër katror. Një portal i ri “Hapësira ime Publike” i lejon qytetarët të raportojnë shkeljet, me detyrim që autoritetet të përgjigjen brenda 24 orësh.

Një element i rëndësishëm është se rregullorja vizaton qartë vijën midis publikes dhe privates: toka private, edhe kur është ngjitur me rrugë apo trotuar, është e përjashtuar nga fusha e saj e zbatimit; vetëm hapësirat në pronësi ose administrim të bashkisë, të destinuara për përdorim komunitar, trajtohen si “hapësirë publike”.

Në letër, kjo është një hapje pozitive: zëvendëson paqartësinë me procedurë dhe diskrecionin lokal me standarde kombëtare. Një biznes që regjistrohet në e Albania, merr leje, respekton kufirin 25% dhe mbjell pemët, teorikisht duhet të ndjehet i mbrojtur. Problemi është se besimi nuk kthehet vetëm me një rregullore të re. Kur shteti ka injoruar leje ekzistuese, ka trajtuar tokën private si publike dhe ka vepruar pa procedurë, premtimi “tani do jetë ndryshe” tingëllon bosh pa përgjegjshmëri reale.

Rasti i Haskasës nxjerr në pah një dobësi strukturore që ligji i ri nuk e zgjidh dot vetë: fuqinë diskrecionale të zyrtarëve lokalë për të vendosur vetë çfarë është “hapësirë publike”. Ai kishte leje të dhënë pikërisht sepse sipërfaqja ishte truall privat i bashkëpronarëve, pra jashtë rregullave tipike të hapësirës publike. Kur filluan aksionet, ky dallim u injorua. Bizneset në qytete të ndryshme raportojnë që kufijtë “publik/privat” janë interpretuar në mënyrë inkonsistente, shpesh më shumë sipas marrëdhënieve apo prioritetit politik sesa sipas titullit të pronësisë.

Kjo e çon debatin drejt shtetit të së drejtës. Parimi themelor është që i njëjti ligj të zbatohet në të njëjtën mënyrë për të gjithë, pavarësisht se kush e zbaton dhe ndaj kujt zbatohet. Një leje e dhënë nga organi publik duhet të ketë peshë; klasifikimi ligjor i tokës nuk mund të ndryshojë sipas ditës; një biznes në përputhje me ligjin nuk duhet urdhëruar të shembë investimin pa rrugë ankimore efektive. Rasti Haskasa, dhe historia e ngjashme të tjera, tregojnë se në të tre këto pika sistemi ka dështuar.

Megjithë këto shqetësime, rregullorja e re sjell detyrime konkrete për bizneset, dhe Dhoma jep disa udhëzime praktike: bizneset duhet të verifikojnë saktësisht nëse përdorin tokë private apo bashkiake (me dokumente kadastrale), të sigurojnë miratimin me shkrim të pronarit në rast toke private, të aplikojnë menjëherë për leje nëse përdorin tokë publike, të arkivojnë çdo dokumentim dhe të kontaktojnë Dhomën kur përballen me veprime ekzekutive që mendojnë se bien ndesh me ligjin.

Historia e zt. Haskasës tregon, në fund, se problemi nuk është vetëm tek rregullat, por tek mënyra si ato zbatohen. Rregullorja e re për hapësirat publike është një instrument; mbetet për t’u parë nëse do të shërbejë si mbrojtje reale për bizneset apo si një shtresë tjetër burokracie që mund të aplikohet në mënyrë selektive. Deri atëherë, Dhomës i mbetet detyra të insistojë për një mjedis ku respektimi i rregullave shpërblehet dhe ku kufiri midis publikes dhe privates është çështje ligji, jo komoditeti administrative.