Businesses are prohibited from operating at dachas and rented properties during the harvest season in Russia.
In an effort to preserve the intended use of agricultural lands and prevent illegal commercial activities during the dacha season, new rules have been introduced in Russia. The ban on entrepreneurial activity on land plots of non-profit gardening partnerships (SNT) came into force on September 1, 2025.
According to Natalia Shaluba, managing partner of the legal company Veritas Lex, the ban reinforces the principle that lands with the permitted use "gardening/cultivation" are exclusively for personal use. The ban prohibits activities with entrepreneurial features such as a systematic nature, profit orientation, services to third parties, hiring workers, and regular advertising or booking.
However, the ban does not apply to activities that are not systematic, profit-oriented, or do not involve services to third parties, hiring workers, or regular advertising or booking. Domestic animals (chickens, ducks, rabbits) can be kept on dachas, and agricultural products can be grown for personal consumption.
Surplus crops can be sold at markets and fairs, provided the plot size does not exceed 50 acres, work is done without hiring workers, and the origin of the products is confirmed by the SNT management. The fines for violations of the ban range from 0.5% to 1% of the plot's cadastral value (minimum 10,000 rubles), or from 10,000 to 25,000 rubles if the plot has no cadastral value.
The ban includes the prohibition of hostels and mini-hotels, auto services, production workshops, retail outlets (stores, kiosks, cafes), animal nurseries for sale, paid baths, saunas, gyms, sewing and carpentry workshops, and commercial greenhouse complexes.
The amendments to federal law No. 217-FZ were made to clarify the restrictions on commercial activities on dachas. The new rules aim to ensure that the dacha season is a time for personal use and relaxation, not for commercial exploitation of such plots, which now directly contradicts their intended purpose.
In a separate development, the SNT (critical infrastructures) affected by the new German regulations are operators in sectors such as energy, transport, finance, health, water, social security for jobseekers, information technology and telecommunications, space, and waste disposal. The number of affected operators is expanded from 1,400 to 1,700. The change is set to come into effect following the recent legislative decisions made by the German government in September 2025, with exact enforcement dates depending on the legal process and registration timelines described in the KRITIS-Dachgesetz and related EU directives.
