On 6 October 2026, Monaco’s National Council received government bill 1134 on protecting the Rocher, the historic district of Monaco-Ville. It brings together three separate issues: property transfers, the use of premises and building works.

As of 9 October, it remains a bill subject to an urgency declaration. Urgent consideration does not mean the proposed rules are already in force. This article examines the published bill, not the final wording of a future law.

Which addresses would be covered?

The proposed area is Monaco-Ville, including its ramparts, slopes, cliffs, gardens and the chemin des pêcheurs path below the Rocher. A plan is to define the perimeter more precisely through a sovereign ordinance. A property partly within it would be covered as a whole.

This is a proposed regime for the old town, not an explanation of the rules throughout the Principality. It would not apply to neighbouring French municipalities.

Buying: the State could have priority

The bill would introduce a right of pre-emption, allowing the State to buy before the proposed private buyer. It could be used only for specified purposes, such as conserving a historic building, maintaining permanent housing or providing necessary public space. A decision to acquire would have to explain its grounds.

The scope would include transfers of property for consideration and certain company transactions: transfers of shares for consideration giving the acquirer, directly or indirectly, a majority of capital or voting rights where property within this area accounts for more than half the value of the company’s assets. Article 5 lists exclusions, including specified family transfers. The legal form of the transaction therefore matters.

The owner or notary would have to notify the State of the terms and proposed buyer in advance. The bill’s basic response period is one month, but a request for documents or a visit would suspend it; the remaining period would become one month when it resumes. This is not a promise to complete the entire purchase within a month. Silence at the end of the applicable period would mean the State declines to pre-empt.

If the State offered a different price, the bill provides a valuation procedure and allows the owner to withdraw from the sale. The mechanism does not amount to automatic seizure of the property.

Use: purchasing would not replace permission

Prior permission would be required to change a property’s use category, convert permanent housing to short-term furnished letting, or combine or divide residential premises. The ability to buy and the ability to use the property as intended are separate checks.

For a change of use, administrative silence would mean refusal. This should not be confused with silence in the pre-emption procedure.

Lawful uses and activities existing when the future law is published could continue and be transferred while unchanged. A specific rule would apply to certain commercial premises after prolonged inactivity. For an apartment, establish its lawful use and check any intended change, rather than assuming future letting is automatically permitted.

Works: alteration and routine maintenance differ

The bill would require permission for construction, demolition and specified works to existing buildings, including changes to façades, roofs, windows and other exterior features. Heritage features inside buildings identified in future architectural prescriptions could also be covered.

Routine maintenance that changes neither appearance nor materials would require a prior declaration, rather than the same permission procedure. It would therefore be inaccurate to say that all renovation is prohibited.

Separate planning rules and architectural prescriptions are to define requirements building by building. Owners would be able to comment on the draft prescriptions; they would apply to applications submitted after publication.

What about existing contracts and permissions?

Article 49 proposes excluding transactions from the new pre-emption regime where a promise or preliminary sale agreement acquired date certaine before the future law’s publication. This means a legally established certain date. Simply dating a document yourselves does not establish that the exclusion applies: a local notary should verify the legal basis.

The provisions on use and works would apply to applications submitted after the law is published. Previously issued permissions would remain effective for their period of validity. The bill’s receipt on 6 October does not itself trigger these provisions.

What should a buyer check now?

Before committing, review the address and property’s legal regime, occupants, lawful use, intended letting or works, and the status of signed documents and existing permissions with the notary. Then agree the offer, deposit and timetable under the law applicable at that point.

Which documents and contract terms are needed for your purchase? Our guide to buying property in Monaco brings together these checks before an offer and the review of complete costs. If you have already found an apartment, the listing, intended use and any discussions with the seller give IMMO BTC the context for an initial conversation.

Sources

Status checked on 9 October 2026. Before a transaction, recheck the enacted text and its implementing measures.

Monaco’s old town: proposed property rules for the Rocher