Problematic Case Law of the Constitutional Court of the Czech Republic on the Legal Nature of the Pavement – Is It a Separate Immovable Thing or Part of the Land? Commentary on the Decision of the Constitutional Court of 25 June 2019 (no. III. ÚS 2280/18)

• Published in: Studia Iuridica Lublinensia (Online) Vol. 33; no. 1; pp. 361 - 379
• Main Author: Široký, Roman
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 28.03.2024
• ISSN: 1731-6375; 2449-8289
• DOI: 10.17951/sil.2024.33.1.361-379

The legal nature of construction is a popular topic in Czech case law practice and legal literature. The basic problem of the whole concept of determining what is and is not a building is the prevalence of private law thinking and the disregard of building as a public concept, especially in the light of construction law. The legal nature of pavements has been highly debated. The legal nature of the pavement has already been the subject of some debate in the past, and it is not possible to decide whether it can be regarded as an immovable property under Czech law without knowing specific facts. According to the judgment of the Supreme Administrative Court of the Czech Republic of 24 January 2018 (no. 6 As 333/2017), the character of a pavement is determined by the factual situation on the ground. The Constitutional Court of the Czech Republic also raised the question of the legal nature of the pavement in the context of the dispute over ownership. The commentary rejects the legal opinion adopted in the commented judgment, according to which the pavement constitutes a separate thing, not a part of another thing, in this case, the land.