Building Regulations 2025 come into force

It took almost two years to draft the new building regulations for the municipality of Tuusula. The new building regulations were ordered to be implemented despite possible appeals. Building regulations are mandatory in municipalities, and building regulations based on the Building Act must be in force in municipalities within two years of the Building Act coming into force.

The new building regulations are broader in scope than the previous building regulations based on the Land Use and Building Act. The explanation for this can be found in the spirit of the Building Act. The Building Act is more permissive, and one of its objectives has been to exempt many projects from the permit requirement. However, the implementation of these projects requires obligations on the part of those undertaking the project, i.e. compliance with building regulations. The building regulations also aim to guide and instruct those undertaking projects that are exempt from the permit requirement in the creation of a good environment, both at the regulatory level and in the explanatory notes prepared to assist in the application of the building regulations.

The explanatory memorandum to the building regulations is the first of its kind in Tuusula and has a fairly strong legal role. This is because the explanatory memorandum has been involved in the preparation of the regulations from the very beginning. It can be said that it is comparable to legal guidelines, such as preparatory work for legislation, i.e. government proposals. It should be noted that the provisions of the building regulations mainly supplement general plans and provide balanced criteria for decisions on, among other things, the amount and type of construction in sparsely populated areas. The law, decree, town plan, legally binding general and partial master plans, and the Finnish Building Code take precedence over the building regulations.  

The minutes of the council meeting were checked on 16 October 2025, so the building regulations will apply from 17 October 2025 onwards.

So what will change?

In accordance with the spirit of the Building Act, provisions relating to biodiversity and stormwater management, among other things, have been added to the building regulations, particularly with a view to mitigating climate change. The building regulations also reflect the raising of the permit threshold and the spirit of permissiveness introduced by the Building Act.

Local residents and builders are undoubtedly most interested in what they can build or implement without a permit. Several smaller construction projects and structures may be carried out without a permit. These include the construction of fences and the glazing of terraces. However, various requirements have been specified for these in the building regulations.

According to the Building Act, a building permit is not required for buildings smaller than 30 m² if they are not residential buildings, or for the construction of canopies smaller than 50 m². The council decided that structures not counted towards building rights will henceforth be sheds, garden houses and other such structures with a floor area of less than 20 m². Previously, this was 10 m². Similarly, the council decided that a separate sauna building outside the town plan area may be no larger than 50 m², whereas previously it was 30 m².

Guidance on the construction of courtyards has been expanded to include measures to prevent harmful invasive species and to ensure that properties have sufficient snow storage space. The building regulations for local detailed plan areas include provisions on the provision of parking spaces on properties. There were no significant changes to the amount of construction, i.e. building rights, in sparsely populated areas.

Building control advises

Local residents and builders are advised to contact the building control department at an early stage regarding building permits and the provisions of the new building regulations.

The explanatory notes should always be read alongside the building regulations, as this provides the best insight into the background and application of the regulations. The building control department will also update its website with frequently asked questions, which aim to explain the content of the new building regulations.

This content has been translated using AI