Greek authorities are intensifying inspections of overgrown private lots, with municipalities and the Fire Service tasked with identifying properties whose owners have failed to clear vegetation so that the procedures required by law can be initiated.
Targeted Inspections of Overgrown Properties
Municipalities are carrying out both random and targeted inspections, focusing primarily on areas bordering forests or locations considered to be at elevated wildfire risk. Citizen complaints submitted through a dedicated online platform also play a significant role in identifying properties for inspection.
At the same time, the Fire Service can identify violations during routine patrols and operational checks conducted throughout the wildfire season and notify the relevant municipal authorities.
Once an inspection confirms that a property does not meet the required vegetation clearance standards, the municipality proceeds with the measures set out under the legal framework.
According to the latest available data, more than 300 municipalities are now connected to the digital platform used to manage clearance declarations and citizen complaints. The system gives local authorities immediate access to submitted clearance declarations, allows them to receive complaints electronically, and enables them to schedule on-site inspections more quickly.
By the deadline for this year’s compliance period, more than 765,000 property clearance declarations had been submitted, indicating that the measure has become well established and that municipal participation has increased significantly compared with its first year of implementation.
Thousands of Complaints Filed
According to Kostas Tsigkas, president of the Fire Service Officers’ Union, approximately 8,000 complaints regarding uncleared properties have been filed since the beginning of the year.
More than half of those complaints resulted in inspections by Fire Service personnel. Their findings were then forwarded to the relevant municipalities so they could initiate the procedures required by law, either by imposing the prescribed measures or, where necessary, carrying out the clearance work themselves.
Who Pays the Cost?
If an inspection determines that a property remains uncleared and the owner fails to carry out the required work, the municipality has the authority to undertake the cleanup itself.
The work is performed either by municipal crews or by contractors hired under existing agreements and includes the removal of dry grass, wild vegetation, tree branches, and any other combustible material that could contribute to the spread of a wildfire.
The cost of the municipality’s intervention is not borne by the local authority. Instead, it is charged to the property owner, who is required to reimburse the expense in addition to any administrative penalties that may be imposed under the law.
Authorities also remind property owners that land must remain clear throughout the entire wildfire season, as vegetation can quickly grow back during the summer months.
