Morocco Approves New Law to Regulate Public Domain Occupations

The interest of this text presented by the Minister of Equipment, Transport, Logistics and Water, is to protect the public domain and define the rules governing its optimal and rational occupation, with measures that preserve all kinds of inappropriate illegal occupation not adapted to the purposes for which they are authorized.

According to the government spokesman, Said Amzazi, the text proposes to develop specific rules for temporary occupations of the public domain, to subject occupations of the public domain to a specification and not to grant temporary authorization of this domain for the construction and operation of housing and summer chalets.

Another detail, the draft law requires a duration of 40 years, renewable once for a maximum of 40 years, for investment projects with certain exceptions. And then, no transfer of the occupation authorization is allowed, under penalty of cancellation.

In the event of withdrawal of these authorizations before their expiration for public interest, the said project has provided for compensation for the holders of temporary occupation authorizations. It proposes to enact special rules to recover the occupied public domain, to impose strict financial penalties for those who would violate the provisions of this text, as well as transitional provisions relating to occupants under the Dahir of 1918, so that they comply with the new features of this text.