On the Extraction of Common Minerals

Periodically, the Beshenkovichi District Inspectorate for Natural Resources and Environmental Protection, both independently and based on incoming information, identifies instances of unauthorized subsoil use, specifically the extraction of common minerals, which include: sand, boulder-gravel-sand mixture, clay, loam, sandy loam, peat, and sapropel, among others.

We inform you that subsoil resources are the exclusive property of the state!

In accordance with the "Subsoil Code of the Republic of Belarus," owners, proprietors, users, tenants, and subtenants of land plots have the right to extract common minerals to a depth of up to five meters without granting a mining allotment or establishing standards in the field of subsoil use and protection, provided that they comply with environmental protection legislation, land protection and use legislation, and legislation in the field of architectural, urban planning, and construction activities within the boundaries of the land plots they occupy, for purposes not related to generating income from the use of minerals.

In other cases, the right to use subsoil for the purpose of extracting common minerals arises from the date of state registration of a geological or mining allotment.

In accordance with Part 3 of Article 16.36 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Republic of Belarus, unauthorized subsoil use entails a fine ranging from four to thirty basic units for individuals, up to one hundred basic units for individual entrepreneurs, and up to three hundred basic units for legal entities.

Illegal extraction of minerals also entails compensation for environmental damage at a rate of 3 basic units per 1 cubic meter, or 1.8 basic units per 1 ton.