In short
Georgia lies in a seismically active part of the Caucasus. New buildings must be designed under the seismic code PN 01.01-09, in force since 1 January 2010, which sets a design intensity for every settlement. No building is earthquake-proof in an absolute sense. Ask the developer who designed the structure, to which code, and whether the design was independently reviewed.
Questions for the developerFor towers of more than 16 storeys the code requires a dynamic analysis, not just the simplified method.
Code and past eventsCode and past events
Each item names its source. We do not assess individual buildings.
The seismic code PN 01.01-09, "Seismic-resistant construction", was issued in 2009 by Ministerial Order No. 1-1/2284 and has applied since 1 January 2010. It sets out how earthquake loads are calculated and how structures must be detailed. The 2024 World List of seismic codes compiled by Japan's IISEE still lists it as Georgia's current code.
An annex to the code gives each settlement a design intensity in degrees and a peak ground acceleration. The code works mainly with intensities of 7 to 9. It limits storey numbers by structural system, and above 16 storeys a dynamic analysis is compulsory. Residential buildings carry an importance factor of 1.0; buildings such as schools, hospitals and theatres carry 1.4.
Georgia is preparing to adopt the European Eurocodes. AmCham Georgia reported in April 2024 that Eurocode 0 had been submitted to the Standards and Metrology Agency for registration as a national standard. Whether Eurocode 8 for seismic design is already binding is something the authority or the structural engineer can confirm.
The USGS records a magnitude 4.8 earthquake on 25 April 2002, which it assigns to the Georgia-Armenia border region. It reports at least five deaths in Tbilisi and about 2,400 buildings damaged or destroyed there. After an offshore earthquake on the night of 26 December 2012, the news site Caucasian Knot reported damage to more than 20 buildings in Kobuleti and about 90 across Adjara.
Questions for the developer
A careful developer can answer each of these with a document. Have your lawyer or a structural engineer check the answers.
Ask for the firm and the engineer responsible, and for earlier buildings of a similar height that the same firm designed.
The answer should name PN 01.01-09 or a Eurocode, together with the design intensity for the site. A marketing line such as "earthquake-proof" is no substitute.
Ask whether an independent reviewer checked the structural design before the permit was issued, and ask to see the review report.
The building permit states the building class. Multi-storey residential blocks fall into Class III or IV, which require a construction permit with a review of the documents.
A soil report shows how the ground behaves when shaken. On the coast and on reclaimed or filled land it tells you a great deal.
Extra storeys or altered walls that are not in the approved design change the structural calculation. The state construction supervision agency and, in Tbilisi, the municipal inspection check that the building follows the design.
Frequently asked questions
The hazard, high-rises in Batumi, the building code and recent earthquakes.
Yes. Georgia sits in the seismically active Caucasus, and earthquakes that people feel occur regularly. After an offshore earthquake in 2012, the press reported damage to buildings in Adjara. Current events are published by the National Seismic Monitoring Center at Ilia State University and by the EMSC.
There is no blanket answer. New buildings must be designed under PN 01.01-09, with a dynamic analysis above 16 storeys. Whether a given building was designed and built accordingly shows in its design documents, review report and site supervision.
PN 01.01-09, "Seismic-resistant construction", in force since 1 January 2010. Adoption of the Eurocodes is in preparation. Which code was applied to a project is stated in its design documents.
The design intensity for each settlement is listed in the annex to PN 01.01-09 on matsne.gov.ge. Ask the structural engineer to confirm which value was used for the site.
At national level this is the Technical and Construction Supervision Agency (tacsa.gov.ge), and Tbilisi also has a municipal inspection. Your lawyer can tell you which body covers your project and what exactly it checks. For you, what matters most is that the permit and the commissioning act are in place.
Last reviewed on November 3, 2026. Sources: Order No. 1-1/2284 of 2009 of the Minister of Economic Development on the seismic code PN 01.01-09, published 21 October 2009, in force since 1 January 2010, with annexes (matsne.gov.ge); text of PN 01.01-09 in the IISEE World List, IISEE/BRI, World List of Seismic Design Regulations 2024: Georgia (iisee.kenken.go.jp), USGS Earthquake Hazards Program, event usp000b35x of 25 April 2002 (earthquake.usgs.gov), Caucasian Knot, reports of 27 and 28 December 2012 (Kobuleti, Adjara; press report, secondary source), AmCham Georgia, Investor.ge, 11 April 2024: Better standards for safer buildings (secondary source); European Commission Joint Research Centre: workshop on implementing the Eurocodes in Georgia (eurocodes.jrc.ec.europa.eu), National Seismic Monitoring Center, Ilia State University; EMSC (emsc-csem.org). This guide is not legal or tax advice.
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