Contens:
- What does rural mean in Italy?
- What does the term to ”de-ruralize” mean in Italy?
- Who pays the costs of de-ruralization in Italy?
1- What does rural mean in Italy?
In Italy, the term ”rural” (rurale in Italian) generally refers to a farm/ranch still in business or still zoned at the
land registry for agricultural use.
2- What does ”de-ruralize” mean in Italy?
In the context of Italy, ”de-ruralize” (or ”de-ruralization”) refers to the process where a formerly rural or
agricultural area experiences a decline in its traditional agricultural activities and a shift towards other forms
of economic activity, often involving urbanization, industrialization, or the growth of tourism and services.
We want to give you some information about a very relevant regulation. It is important to know it, especially
when you decide to sell or purchase a country estate.
In short, deruralization allows the transformation of a building originally intended for agriculture into a
structure usable for non-agricultural purposes, with the related fiscal and urban planning consequences.
The change in the designed use of rural property concerns its loss of rural qualifications, i.e. it is not more
functional to agriculture. By discerning the property changing of use for tax or urbanistic proposals, a brief
clarification is needed.
The first one consists in the property registration at the Land and at the Building Register Offices. It became
compulsory when, a few years ago, the Rural and Urban Register Offices were transformed into the Land
and Building Register Offices, imposing so to present a notification to the Italian Agenzia Delle Entrate –
Ufficio Del Territorio.
The urbanistic change of use, instead, consists in making the rural property urban, i.e. redeeming the
property from the rural lands for which it was built.
In order to change the use of a rural property, the fees required by Law “Bucalossi” and corresponding to
the total amount of the urbanization fees and building costs have to be paid. Which are the bases of the law
and the differences between the urbanization fees and the building costs?
The payment rules of these fees are regional. Therefore, it will be possible to express a precise opinion
according to the property location only. For instance, regarding the property urbanistic change of use,
Tuscany requires a differentiation between the properties which have a:
– property appendant of more than a hectare.
– property appendant of less than a hectare.
Appendant means the property external and directly connected area where the normal rural activities are
carried out. Normally, this area is delimited by the garden, but there can also be areas connected to the
buildings and designated to be service areas or, in any case, not farmed.
In the first case, when paying the fees, it is also possible to stipulate an agreement for which the owner
commits him/herself, as an alternative to the cash payment, to do some eco-friendly interventions on
his/her own lands.
In the second case, the primary and secondary urbanization fees must be paid (Law Bucalossi), according
to the town tabs. Their amount does not have to be lower than the maximum sum identified for the
renovation works, as well as it has not to be higher than the minimum sum identified for the new
construction works.
Regarding the building cost related to the interventions for the changing property of use, it is applied to
some specific necessary works only. Article 185, paragraph 5, Legge Regionale Toscana no. 65/2014,
establishes a percentage to be paid to the Municipality. Usually, according to a survey done by the
appointed specialist, it is between 6-8% of the work’s total amount.
3- Who pays the costs of de-ruralization in Italy
The costs of de-regularizing a property depend on what the buyer wherefore to buy and use the property
for. These can be contractually agreed in advance between buyer and seller, depending on the
negotiations.
The costs associated with de-ruralization in Italy are primarily borne by the individuals or entities
undertaking the process, often involving changes in land use and property classification. These costs can
include taxes, fees, and investments related to urbanization and potential infrastructure development.
Additionally, there may be costs associated with complying with regulations and obtaining necessary
permits.
Who pays these costs depends on the agreements between buyers and sellers. This also affects the sales
price.
If the buyer plans to buy a property and keep it for agricultural activities or to start an agriturismo, it is wise
to keep the agricultural destination. This can be very advantageous and ensures that much less transfer tax
has to be paid on the purchase.
If the buyer intends to buy the property and use it only privately or for holiday letting, the destination will
have to be changed later. He/she will then have to pay the taxes and fees due and hire an expert to change
the destination with the various authorities.
The cost can be calculated by a surveyor or accountant after the terms have been agreed. However, there
are costs associated with the surveyors. The purchase price can then be negotiated with the seller and
agreements made about who will organize the deruralization.
Please note that changing a zoning plan in Italy can take a long time, sometimes 5-9 months. This means
that until the zoning plan change is arranged, the transfer of the title deed cannot take place.
Should you require any further clarification, please don’t hesitate to email us.
Any information we provide during the conversations, via e-mail, by mail, online services or any other form
of information provided based on voluntary advice, the client is not required in any way to follow our advice
and no rights may be derived from or on this basis hold us liable for any claim or liability for any financial
damage, disinformation, or any form of legal liability.
Updated: 8 September, 2025
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