Land subdivision in Norway : a comparison with Denmark and Sweden
Mjos, Leiv Bjarte
The Scandinavian countries Norway, Sweden and Denmark are closely related and share a common history in many ways. Norway has been in union with both countries during the last 200 years. More than 400 years in union with Denmark ended in 1814, and the union with Sweden starting in 1814 ended in 1905. Despite these close relations between the three countries, the cadastral systems are different. The majority of land subdivisions in Norway are conducted by local authorities in accordance with the Cadastral Law. A smaller number of land subdivisions are conducted by the Land Consolidation Courts in accordance with the Land Consolidation Law. This article presents the system of land subdivision in Norway, from the ownerrs application for permission for land subdivision to assignment of a new identification number to the new property, which is then ready for sale and possibly mortgaging. Conditions that must be met before the municipality can give permission for land subdivision and the subdivision process are described, as well as methods used to resolve boundary disputes. The Norwegian process is then compared with similar processes in Sweden and Denmark, including cost benchmarking and discussion of the quality of the land subdivision process.
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