Skip to main content

The owner of the land can apply for compensation for tolerating the following utility networks and engineering structures:

  • 330, 220, and 110 kV overhead lines (exceptions in the City of Narva), 110 kV underground cable lines and 35 kV overhead and underground cable lines (from Virtsu and Rõuste substations to the sea), and EstLink underground cable lines (from converter stations to the sea;
  • category D gas installations and structures.

Landowners can also apply for toleration fees for protection zones on their land even if the actual lines pass outside the limits of their property.

To receive the payment, the owner of an immovable property must submit an application to Elering regardless of whether the toleration obligation stems from legislation, a contract on use of the land has been concluded (agreement establishing personal right of use, agreement under the law of property, easement agreement, land agreement or other agreement on use of land), or compulsory possession has been established.

The person is entitled to receive a payment for the current year if the person has been the owner (or co-owner or joint owner) of the respective immovable as of 1 January of the same year and if the person files the application by 1 May. If there is a change of owner, the new owner of the immovable has the right to receive the payment after a new application is filed, proceeding from the terms established in legislation.

The payment is also paid out in subsequent years based on the application submitted, which means that it is not necessary to re-apply every year. In the case of a change of circumstances constituting the basis for payment (e.g., profit-yielding land within the protection zone of an engineering structure begins to be used for the designated purpose, the proportion of co-owner property changes, or there are changes in the details necessary for the payment to be disbursed – name, bank account, etc.), the owner is obliged to submit the new application with renewed data. 

For more, see the Law of Property Act implementing act.

For more information on toleration payments: info@elering.ee.


Good landowner!

Check with the toleration payment calculator whether the technical facility on your property is owned by Elering. You can also get information about the amount of the toleration payment from the calculator.

The deadline for applying for toleration payments for a utility network is 1 May.

A toleration payment application for the Elering technical facility: 
Submit

 

  • Applications can be submitted by the owner of the registered immovable or a person authorized by the owner. Applications can be submitted electronically and in hard copy to the contact addresses specified below.
  • If the immovable property is encumbered with the right of superficies, usufruct, or any other limited real right, the owner of the immovable property is the one who must apply for the payment. If the toleration payment is applied for by the holder of the right of superficies or usufruct, a relevant document must be appended to the application certifying transfer of the right to apply for the toleration payment.
  • In the case of immovable property in common ownership, the application can be submitted jointly by co-owners or by one co-owner as an authorized representative. The representative must prove their authority by presenting a decision of the co-owners for appointing the representative. If co-owners do not submit a joint application, each co-owner must submit a separate application based on the proportion of the legal share belonging to him or her.
  • In the case of an immovable property divided into apartment property, the application can be submitted by the apartment association.
  • In the case of joint property (such as property acquired during marriage), the application must be submitted by the person entered into the land register as the owner.
  • In the case of joint property, the toleration payment shall be paid for the entire property to the extent outlined in legislation to the person who applied, as the proportion of the shares of the owners is not defined in the case of joint property. The joint owners can divide the payment among themselves as they see fit after the toleration payment is received on the account of the person who applied.

To receive the toleration payment, you can apply electronically here or by letter to Elering AS, Kadaka tee 42, 12915 Tallinn (the form is in attachment).

If you have any questions, please contact info@elering.ee.


The calculation of the toleration payment is based on the data of the Land Board. Information about the amount of the toleration payment can be viewed from the Land Board's toleration payment calculator.

According to the Law of Property Act implementing act, the toleration payment may change by up to 33 percent in 2024 and by up to 66 percent in 2025 of the difference between the toleration payments calculated based on the tax prices of the land determined on the results of the regular assessment of 2022 and the regular assessment of 2001.

The annual toleration payment is 3.5 percent of the taxation price of the land multiplied by the coefficient of the spatial and substantive extent of the restriction. The coefficient of the spatial extent of the restriction is the ratio of the area of the restriction to the area of the cadastral unit. The estimated coefficients for the spatial extent of the restriction are outlined in an annex to the Law of Property Act implementing act.

In addition to the amount outlined in legislation, the owner of the immovable has the right to seek a toleration payment as compensation for expenses borne if said expenses were unavoidable for the owner of the encumbered immovable and amounted to more than one-third of the toleration payment. Elering has the right to request documentation substantiating the expenses borne by the owner of the immovable.

The toleration payment shall not be paid out if the amount is less than five euros for immovable property owned by a person.


The toleration payment for a current year is paid out by 30 September of that year.

The payment is transferred to the account specified in the application.

If the recipient of the toleration payment is an individual, 1/7 of the toleration payment is tax-exempt according to the Income Tax Act (clause 19 (3) 15)). Income tax will be assessed on the remaining 6/7 of the toleration payment and withheld by the authority making the payment.


1. I have already previously submitted an application and my data have not changed. Do I still have to submit a new application?

Applications submitted before 1 January 2019 did not provide a way for the applicant to specify, in the case of land zoned as profit-yielding land, that it is not possible to use the land for that purpose within the protection zone around utility lines. For example, a utility line crosses a stand of forest, and it is not possible to grow trees within the protected zone around the line. By default, lack of such a confirmation on an application automatically means that the land within the protection zone of the technical infrastructure can partially be used (for example for cultivating fields or making hay) and pursuant to the table in the annex to the legislation, a coefficient of 0.5 is applied when calculating the fee.

2. How do I know whether I have co-ownership or joint ownership or both at the same time?

Where applicable, division II of the land register will list the size of the share of co-ownership or include a notation regarding joint ownership. Co-ownership may also be joint ownership if the assets were acquired during marriage or became joint property through succession.

**In the case of co-ownership, the respective shares of the owners are defined and the size of the co-owners’ respective shares are expressed as a fraction (the legal share). Each co-owner may dispose of their respective legal share of the co-owned property.

***Joint ownership arises in instances such as property acquired by spouses during their marriage (excluding what they acquire by succession or as a gift). Joint property also arises upon succession. In the case of joint property, the respective shares jointly owned property are not defined. All transactions with joint property must be executed by the joint owners jointly.


Good landowner!

Check with the toleration payment calculator whether the technical facility on your property is owned by Elering. You can also get information about the amount of the toleration payment from the calculator.

The deadline for applying for toleration payments for a utility network is 1 May.

A toleration payment application for the Elering technical facility: 
Submit

 

  • Applications can be submitted by the owner of the registered immovable or a person authorized by the owner. Applications can be submitted electronically and in hard copy to the contact addresses specified below.
  • If the immovable property is encumbered with the right of superficies, usufruct, or any other limited real right, the owner of the immovable property is the one who must apply for the payment. If the toleration payment is applied for by the holder of the right of superficies or usufruct, a relevant document must be appended to the application certifying transfer of the right to apply for the toleration payment.
  • In the case of immovable property in common ownership, the application can be submitted jointly by co-owners or by one co-owner as an authorized representative. The representative must prove their authority by presenting a decision of the co-owners for appointing the representative. If co-owners do not submit a joint application, each co-owner must submit a separate application based on the proportion of the legal share belonging to him or her.
  • In the case of an immovable property divided into apartment property, the application can be submitted by the apartment association.
  • In the case of joint property (such as property acquired during marriage), the application must be submitted by the person entered into the land register as the owner.
  • In the case of joint property, the toleration payment shall be paid for the entire property to the extent outlined in legislation to the person who applied, as the proportion of the shares of the owners is not defined in the case of joint property. The joint owners can divide the payment among themselves as they see fit after the toleration payment is received on the account of the person who applied.

To receive the toleration payment, you can apply electronically here or by letter to Elering AS, Kadaka tee 42, 12915 Tallinn (the form is in attachment).

If you have any questions, please contact info@elering.ee.


The calculation of the toleration payment is based on the data of the Land Board. Information about the amount of the toleration payment can be viewed from the Land Board's toleration payment calculator.

According to the Law of Property Act implementing act, the toleration payment may change by up to 33 percent in 2024 and by up to 66 percent in 2025 of the difference between the toleration payments calculated based on the tax prices of the land determined on the results of the regular assessment of 2022 and the regular assessment of 2001.

The annual toleration payment is 3.5 percent of the taxation price of the land multiplied by the coefficient of the spatial and substantive extent of the restriction. The coefficient of the spatial extent of the restriction is the ratio of the area of the restriction to the area of the cadastral unit. The estimated coefficients for the spatial extent of the restriction are outlined in an annex to the Law of Property Act implementing act.

In addition to the amount outlined in legislation, the owner of the immovable has the right to seek a toleration payment as compensation for expenses borne if said expenses were unavoidable for the owner of the encumbered immovable and amounted to more than one-third of the toleration payment. Elering has the right to request documentation substantiating the expenses borne by the owner of the immovable.

The toleration payment shall not be paid out if the amount is less than five euros for immovable property owned by a person.


The toleration payment for a current year is paid out by 30 September of that year.

The payment is transferred to the account specified in the application.

If the recipient of the toleration payment is an individual, 1/7 of the toleration payment is tax-exempt according to the Income Tax Act (clause 19 (3) 15)). Income tax will be assessed on the remaining 6/7 of the toleration payment and withheld by the authority making the payment.


1. I have already previously submitted an application and my data have not changed. Do I still have to submit a new application?

Applications submitted before 1 January 2019 did not provide a way for the applicant to specify, in the case of land zoned as profit-yielding land, that it is not possible to use the land for that purpose within the protection zone around utility lines. For example, a utility line crosses a stand of forest, and it is not possible to grow trees within the protected zone around the line. By default, lack of such a confirmation on an application automatically means that the land within the protection zone of the technical infrastructure can partially be used (for example for cultivating fields or making hay) and pursuant to the table in the annex to the legislation, a coefficient of 0.5 is applied when calculating the fee.

2. How do I know whether I have co-ownership or joint ownership or both at the same time?

Where applicable, division II of the land register will list the size of the share of co-ownership or include a notation regarding joint ownership. Co-ownership may also be joint ownership if the assets were acquired during marriage or became joint property through succession.

**In the case of co-ownership, the respective shares of the owners are defined and the size of the co-owners’ respective shares are expressed as a fraction (the legal share). Each co-owner may dispose of their respective legal share of the co-owned property.

***Joint ownership arises in instances such as property acquired by spouses during their marriage (excluding what they acquire by succession or as a gift). Joint property also arises upon succession. In the case of joint property, the respective shares jointly owned property are not defined. All transactions with joint property must be executed by the joint owners jointly.