The translation of this document is outdated.
Translation validity: 05.04.2012.–11.01.2024.
Amendments not included:
14.12.2023.
Text consolidated by Valsts valodas centrs (State
Language Centre) with amending laws of:
21 March 2002 [shall come
into force on 23 April 2002];
10 October 2002 [shall come into force on 7 November
2002];
4 November 2004 [shall come into force on 1 January
2005];
19 December 2006 [shall come into force on 1 January
2007];
1 December 2009 [shall come into force on 1 January
2010];
15 March 2012 [shall come into force on 5 April
2012].
If a whole or part of a section has been amended, the
date of the amending law appears in square brackets at
the end of the section. If a whole section, paragraph or
clause has been deleted, the date of the deletion appears
in square brackets beside the deleted section, paragraph
or clause.
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The Saeima 1 has adopted and
the President has proclaimed the following law:
State Forest Service Law
Chapter I
Structure and Functions of the State Forest Service
Section 1. State Forest Service
(1) The State Forest Service (hereinafter - the Service) is an
institution of direct administration subordinated to the Minister
for Agriculture.
(2) [4 November 2004]
(3) [4 November 2004]
(4) [4 November 2004]
[10 October 2002; 4 November 2004; 15 March 2012]
Section 2. Functions of the
Service
(1) Within the scope of its competence, the Service shall
supervise compliance with the laws and regulations governing
forest management and use and hunting, supervise and implement
fire-fighting in a forest and participate in the development and
implementation of the State forest policy. Other functions
thereof are determined by the laws and regulations governing
forest management and the competence of the Service.
(2) When performing the functions determined by the law, the
Service may cooperate with institutions of direct and indirect
administration of the State, non-governmental and international
institutions and organisations, and also other representatives of
society and institutions.
[15 March 2012]
Chapter II
Rights and Legal Protection of Officials of the Service
[4 November 2004]
Section 3. Officials of the
Service
(1) The Service shall be managed by the Director General.
(2) The officials of the Service responsible for the
performance of the functions of the Service shall be the Director
General, chief foresters, directors, and also other officials of
the Service.
(3) The Director General shall appoint heads of territorial
units and other officials of the Service to office.
(4) [15 March 2012]
[21 March 2002; 10 October 2002; 15 March 2012]
Section 4. Duties of Officials of
the Service
(1) Officials of the Service have the duty to ensure
compliance with the requirements of laws and regulations
governing forest management and use and hunting, to discontinue
and prevent violations of laws and regulations governing forest
management and use and hunting, and also any other activities
harmful to forests and forest land.
(2) Taking into account the specific characteristics of work,
the duration of working time of the officials of the Service
shall not be measured or determined in advance.
[10 October 2002; 15 March 2012]
Section 5. Director General of the
Service
[4 November 2004]
Section 6. Head of Territorial Units
of the Service (Chief Foresters, Directors)
[4 November 2004]
Section 7. Rights of Officials of
the Service
In monitoring compliance with the laws and regulations which
govern forest management and use, officials of the Service within
the scope of their competence, have the right:
1) to check on site, without hindrance, compliance with the
requirements of the laws and regulations governing forest
management and use;
2) to suspend or prohibit the activity of those legal persons
and natural persons who violate laws and regulations and also to
stop any other activity harmful to the forest and the environment
that is specified in laws and regulations;
3) to check personal identity documents of violators, convey
violators to the premises of the police or local government
authorities, and also to transfer materials regarding forest
offences to law enforcement institutions in order to hold the
persons at fault liable in accordance with procedures laid down
by law;
4) in accordance with the procedures laid down in laws and
regulations, to check the locations of acquisition, storage,
processing, and sale of products, vehicles, tools for the
acquisition of products, personal property of the violators and
to remove and confiscate illegally acquired forest resources,
hunting products, tools for committing violations, documents, and
other evidence;
5) to take decisions, provide opinions and issue orders,
prepare reports (statements), examine materials regarding
violation of laws and regulations within the competence of the
Service and, if necessary, hold the persons at fault
administratively liable and perform other activities laid down in
by laws and regulations;
6) to request and receive, free of charge, written and oral
information from legal persons and natural persons, and also to
become acquainted with the relevant documents and the condition
of the forest on site;
7) to cancel illegally obtained or used permits, certificates,
licences, and certifications;
8) to check transportation records of timber, to suspend or
prohibit the activities of those legal persons and natural
persons who violate the requirements of the laws and regulations
regarding the transportation of timber;
9) if the requirements of the laws and regulations governing
forest management and use are violated, to stop vehicles on the
roads of forestry and agricultural enterprises, and the vehicles
used for the transportation of timber - also on municipal roads.
The officials who stop vehicles shall wear a uniform;
10) examine administrative offence matters and impose
administrative sanctions for such offences which are subject, in
accordance with laws and regulations, to the jurisdiction of the
Service.
[10 October 2002; 4 November 2004; 15 March 2012]
Section 8. Legal Protection of
Officials of the Service
(1) For preventing officials of the Service from exercising
their lawful rights, for infringement of their honour, for
threats or violence directed towards officials, and also for
endangering the life of officials in the course of their official
duties, persons at fault shall be held liable as determined by
law.
(2) The officials of the Service have the right to acquire,
store, carry, and use weapons and special means of self-defence
for the purpose of self-defence and also to carry and use hunting
firearms registered with the State Police.
[10 October 2002]
Chapter III
Compliance with Decisions Taken by Officials of the Service and
Procedures for Contesting Thereof
[4 November 2004]
Section 9. Compliance with the
Requirements of Officials of the Service
Decisions taken and instructions given by officials of the
Service within the scope of competence specified by law shall be
mandatory for legal persons and natural persons subject to the
control and supervision of the Service which are engaged in
forest management, logging, timber transportation and the conduct
of recreational events in forests, hunting or holding in
captivity of wild game animals.
[10 October 2002]
Section 10. Procedures for
Contesting and Appealing Administrative Acts Issued by and Actual
Action of Officials of the Service
Administrative acts (except for decisions in administrative
offence matters) issued by and actual action of officials of the
Service may be contested and appealed in accordance with the
Administrative Procedure Law according to the following
procedures:
1) decisions taken and orders issued by officials of
territorial units of the Service shall be contested to the head
of the relevant territorial unit (chief forester, director);
2) decisions taken and orders issued by the heads of the
relevant territorial units (chief foresters, directors) shall be
contested to the Director General;
3) decisions taken and orders issued by the Director General
shall be appealed to the court.
[4 November 2004; 15 March 2012]
Chapter IV
Service Provisions
Section 11. Social Benefits for
Officials (Employees) of the Service
[1 December 2009]
Section 12. Service Provisions
(1) The financial resources of the Service shall comprise:
1) a grant from the general revenue of the State budget;
2) income from the paid services provided by the Service and
other own income.
(2) For the performance of its tasks, the Service shall be
provided with the necessary technical means (transport,
communications).
(3) The Service shall be exempted from the payment of court
expenses regarding claims for the compensation of such losses
arising from the violation of the laws and regulations governing
forest management and use if such losses are recovered to the
benefit of the State.
[4 November 2004; 15 March 2012 / Amendments to
Paragraph two shall come into force on 1 January 2013. See
Paragraph 4 of Transitional Provisions]
Section 13. Identification Documents
and Identification Insignia of Officials of the Service
(1) Officials and employees of the Service shall have a
service identification document.
(2) During performance of service duties the officials of the
Service shall wear the service uniform or identification
insignia. The uniform and identification insignia samples and
procedures for wearing thereof shall be determined by the State
Forest Service.
[10 October 2002]
Transitional Provisions
1. By 1 February 2000, the Cabinet shall adopt regulations
with respect to the implementation of this Law.
2. With the coming into force of this Law, the State Forest
Service shall be the successor of such duties and obligations of
the State Forest Service as the State Forest Service had up to
the day of coming into force of this Law, except for:
1) duties with respect to State forest management, sale of
forest resources in State forests and forest regeneration in
State forests;
2) obligations arising from logging contracts entered into up
to 28 May 1998 in accordance with Cabinet Regulation No. 335 of 7
November 1995, Regulations Regarding the Procedures for Entering
into Long-term Logging Contracts;
3) obligations arising from purchase contracts entered into in
accordance with Cabinet Regulation No. 319 of 25 August 1998,
Regulations Regarding Tendering Procedures for Felling Areas and
Individual Trees;
4) obligations arising from forest regeneration works secured
with a security deposit in accordance with Cabinet Regulation No.
25 of 24 January 1995, Regulations Regarding Forest
Regeneration;
5) obligations arising from lease contracts of hunting areas
entered into in accordance with Cabinet Regulation No. 251 of 6
August 1995, Hunting Regulations.
3. The obligations determined in Paragraph 2 of Transitional
Provisions which are not taken over by the State Forest Service
shall be taken over by valsts akciju sabiedrība "Latvijas
valsts meži" [State stock company Latvian State Forests] in
accordance with the procedures laid down in laws and
regulations.
4. The amendment to Section 12, Paragraph two of this Law
which provides for deletion of the words "and officials of the
Service shall be provided with service firearms" shall come into
force on 1 January 2013.
[15 March 2012]
The Law comes into force on 1 January 2000.
The Law has been adopted by the Saeima on 25 November
1999.
President V. Vīķe-Freiberga
Rīga, 15 December 1999
1 The Parliament of the Republic of
Latvia
Translation © 2022 Valsts valodas centrs (State
Language Centre)