The NOK bonuses and new apartment buildings: what has happened since December 2024
In December 2024 the Council of State ruled key building "bonuses" of the NOK (the New Building Regulation) unconstitutional. The acts of the Technical Chamber of Greece (TEE) show clearly what followed: new apartment buildings fell by half in the first quarter of 2025 and returned to 2024 levels during 2026.
At a glance
- November and December 2024: 109 and 149 new apartment buildings; December is the second biggest month of the four years, after April 2024 (153).
- January–March 2025: 128 new apartment buildings in total, against 278 in the same quarter of 2024 (−54%).
- January–March 2026: 284, that is, back at the 2024 level.
- January–September: 844 in 2024, 672 in 2025, 834 in 2026.
What the Council of State ruled
The Plenary of the Council of State examined appeals against building permits in Alimos and, with decisions 146–149/2025, ruled unconstitutional incentives of the New Building Regulation (NOK, Law 4067/2012). The operative part was announced on 11 December 2024 and the full text was published on 5 February 2025 (ECOPRESS, Capital).
According to the decisions, as presented by the media above:
- It is not permitted to exempt mezzanines from the building coefficient, to have a main-use space on the roof, or to count swimming pools at 50% as planted surface.
- Incentives for greater built area or height (e.g. for energy performance) cannot be given directly with the building permit; special urban planning is required.
- The exemption for stairwells, lift shafts, shared corridors and bay windows is permitted.
- Permits with proven start of works by 11 December 2024 are protected.
The state's response
Law 5197/2025 (Government Gazette A 76/16 May 2025, articles 66–71) regulated the permits that had been issued with the incentives up to 11 December 2024 and introduced the "environmental equivalent", a compensatory fee in favour of the municipality (article 68). After Council of State opinion 135/2025, Presidential Decree 94/2025 (Government Gazette A 196/11 November 2025) was issued for the "Special Plan for the Environmental Equivalent for Upgrading Cities" (text). The fee is 8% or 15% of the value of the additional square metres, depending on the case (GOBHMA).
The matter is not closed. Municipalities, among them Alimos, Kifisia and Marousi, appealed again to the Plenary against the Presidential Decree and the articles of Law 5197/2025; the case was heard on 6 March 2026 (aftodioikisi.gr). As of writing this article we have not found a published decision. In September 2026 the Fifth Section of the Council of State (decision 1176/2026) annulled a permit in the traditional part of Kifisia because of an increase in the building coefficient (ECOPRESS).
What the permits show, month by month
New apartment buildings with a first building permit, from the acts of the TEE on Diavgeia:
| Month | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 61 | 80 | 35 | 73 |
| February | 55 | 86 | 44 | 88 |
| March | 90 | 112 | 49 | 123 |
| April | 74 | 153 | 85 | 85 |
| May | 67 | 76 | 85 | 104 |
| June | 82 | 81 | 108 | 101 |
| July | 70 | 112 | 113 | 97 |
| August | 37 | 76 | 68 | 64 |
| September | 76 | 68 | 85 | 99 |
| October | 106 | 106 | 105 | – |
| November | 79 | 109 | 108 | – |
| December | 82 | 149 | 108 | – |
| Total | 879 | 1,208 | 993 | 834 to 30 September |
Three things stand out:
- The end of 2024. In November and December 2024, 258 new apartment-building permits were issued, almost as many as in the two months of March–April 2024 (265), the biggest two-month period of the four years. The acts do not say why; it coincides in time with the wait for the Council of State decision, which had been heard in October 2024.
- The first quarter of 2025. With 35, 44 and 49 new apartment buildings, it was the lowest quarter of the period. From April 2025 permits rose again, and from June they passed 100 a month.
- 2026. The first nine months of 2026 (834) are almost equal to 2024's (844) and 24% above 2025's (672). March 2026, with 123 new apartment buildings, is the third biggest month of the four years.
ELSTAT (the Hellenic Statistical Authority), which counts all building permits and not only apartment buildings, recorded 30,199 permits for the whole of 2025, 2.6% fewer than in 2024, and 9.7% less floor area (newmoney, 27 March 2026). For new apartment buildings the fall was bigger: −18%, from 1,208 to 993.
What it means for people working in construction
- The projects of the 2025 gap were not all lost: the flow of new permits in 2026 is again like 2024's. For crews that start after the frame (electrical, plumbing, windows and doors, insulation), the 2026 permits mean work in 2027.
- The pending case at the Council of State mainly concerns projects with incentives. Anyone working with a construction company on a project that started with the old bonuses would do well to ask whether the permit has been regularised.
- To see the projects of each month in your area, open the map or read the monthly articles.
How we count
We count only new apartment buildings: buildings with at least 4 levels and dwellings on at least 2 floors, on the date of the first building permit. Revisions and pre-approvals do not count. Source: acts of the TEE on Diavgeia, to 27 October 2026. Permits are counted from November 2022, so a project of 2023 with an earlier permit may count as new. The legal part is a summary of the sources we cite, not legal advice.