The Law of Land Administration of the People’s Rep

TheLawofLandAdministrationofthePeople’sRepublicofChinaOrderofthePresidentofthePeople'sRepublicofChinaNo.8LandAdministrationLawofthePeople'sRepublicofChina,revisedandapprovedattheFourthSessionoftheStandingCommitteeoftheNinthNationalPeople'sCongressofthePeople'sRepublicofChinaonAugust29th,1998,shallbeimplementedasofJanuary1st,1999.JiangZemin,PresidentofthePeople''sRepublicofChinaAugust29th,1998LandAdministrationLawofthePeople''sRepublicofChina(2004Revision)(Approvedatthe16thSessionoftheStandingCommitteeoftheNinthNationalPeople'sCongressofthePeople'sRepublicofChinaonJune25th,1986.RevisedinaccordancewiththeDecisiononamendingLandAdministrationLawofthePeople'sRepublicofChina.RevisedandadoptedattheFourthSessionoftheStandingCommitteeoftheNinthNationalPeople'sCongressofthePeople'sRepublicofChinaonAugust29th,1998,tobeputintoeffectiveasofJanuary1st,1999.Revisedatthe11thSessionoftheStandingCommitteeoftheTenthNationalPeople'sCongressonAugust28th,2004)ContentsChapterIGeneralProvisionsChapterIIOwnershipandRightofUseofLandChapterIIIGeneralPlansfortheUtilizationofLandChapterIVProtectionofCultivatedLandChapterVLandforConstructionPurposesChapterVISupervisionandExaminationChapterVIILegalResponsibilitiesChapterVIIISupplementaryProvisionsChapterIGeneralProvisionsArticle1ThelawisformulatedinaccordancewiththeConstitutionwithaviewtostrengtheningtheadministrationofland,safeguardingthesocialistpublicownershipofland,protectinganddevelopinglandresources,ensuringarationaluseofandgivingarealprotectiontocultivatedlandtopromotesustainabledevelopmentofthesocialisteconomy.Article2ThePeople''sRepublicofChinaresortstoasocialistpublicownershipoflandi.e.anownershipbythewholepeopleandownershipsbycollectives.Inownershipbythewholepeople,theStateCouncilisempoweredtobeonbehalfoftheStatetoadministerthelandownedbytheState.Nounitorindividualisallowedtooccupy,tradeorillegallytransferlandbyothermeans.Landusingrightmaybetransferredbylaws.Thestatemaymakeexpropriationorrequisitiononlandaccordingtolawforpublicinterests,butshallgivecompensationsaccordingly.TheStateintroducesthesystemofcompensateduseoflandownedbytheStateexceptthelandhasbeenallocatedforusebytheStateaccordingtolaws.Article3Tocherishandgivearationalusetothelandaswellastogivearealprotectiontothecultivatedlandareseenasabasicprincipleoflanduseinthecountry.Thepeople''sgovernmentsatalllevelsshalltakemeasurestomakeanoverallplanfortheuseoflandtostrictlyadminister,protectanddeveloplandresourcesandcurbanyillegaloccupationofland.Article4TheStateistocarryoutcontrolsystemontheusagesofland.TheStateshalldrawupgeneralplanstosetusagesoflandincludingthoseoffarmorconstructionuseorunused.Astrictcontrolistoplaceonthetransformationoflandforfarmusetothatforconstructionuseinordertocontrolthetotalamountoflandforconstructionuseandexerciseaspecialprotectiononcultivatedland.LandforfarmuseinthepreviousArticlereferstolanddirectlyusedforagriculturalproduction,includingcultivatedland,woodland,grassland,landforfarmlandwaterconservancyandwatersurfacesforbreeding;landforconstructionusereferstolandonwhichbuildingsandstructuresareputup,includinglandforurbanandruralhousingandpublicfacilities,landforindustrialandmininguse,landforbuildingcommunicationsandwaterconservancyfacilities,landfortourismandlandforbuildingmilitaryinstallations.Thetermlandunusedreferstolandotherthanthatforagriculturalandconstructionuses.Landshallbeusedstrictlyinlinewiththepurposesoflandusedefinedinthegeneralplanfortheutilizationofthelandwhetherbyunitsorindividuals.Article5ThelandadministrativedepartmentoftheStateCouncilshallbeunifiedlyresponsiblefortheadministrationandsupervisionoflandinthewholecountry.Thesetupandfunctionsoflandadministrativedepartmentsofpeople''sgovernmentsatandabovethecountylevelshallbedecidedbythepeople''sgovernmentsofprovinces,autonomousregionsandmunicipalitiesunderthedirectjurisdictionofthecentralgovernment(hereinafterreferredtoasmunicipalities)accordingtotherelevantprovisionsoftheStateCouncil.Article6Unitsorindividualsshallallbeobligedtoabidebythelawsandregulationsconcerninglandadministrationandhavetherighttoreportorprosecuteactsofviolatinglandadministrationlawandregulations.Article7People''sgovernmentsshallawardunitsorindividualswhohavemadeoutstandingachievementsinprotectinganddevelopinglandresources,rationalutilizationoflandandincarryingoutresearchinthisregard.ChapterIIOwnershipandRightofUseofLandArticle8LandinurbandistrictsshallbeownedbytheState.Landintheruralareasandsuburbanareas,exceptotherwiseprovidedforbytheState,shallbecollectivelyownedbyfarmersincludinglandforbuildinghouses,landandhillsallowedtoberetainedbyfarmers.Article9LandownedbytheStateandlandcollectivelyownedbyfarmersmaybeallocatedtobeusedbyunitsorindividualsaccordingtolaw.Unitsorindividualsusinglandshallberesponsiblefortheprotection,managementandarationaluseoftheland.Article10Inlandscollectivelyownedbyfarmersthosehavebeenallocatedtovillagersforcollectiveownershipaccordingtolawshallbeoperatedandmanagedbyvillagecollectiveeconomicorganizationsorvillagers''committeeandthosehavea