Investors in Koh Samui and Koh Phangan should be aware that new regulations
have been enacted affecting the region, roughly translated as the Regulations of
Resource and Environment, enacted 30th May 2557 (2014) (hereinafter the
“Environmental Regulations”).
The new Environmental Regulations do not replace the zoning regulations
applicable in Koh Samui and Koh Phangan. Rather the rules arising from the
Environmental Regulations apply in addition to the zoning regulations, and
therefore the new Environmental Regulations add an additional regulatory layer
to the zoning regulations.
We are currently preparing a full English translation of the Environmental
Regulations, which we can provide on request once ready. In the meantime, if
anyone wishes to learn more about the new Environmental Regulations, please
schedule an appointment with Jeffrey Martin by calling Limcharoen Legal’s Koh
Samui office at 084 714 8800, or [email protected]
What follows is a brief summary of the basic rules arising from the new
Environmental Regulations, relevant to the real estate industry, and is not a
detailed discussion. The new Environmental Regulations contain prohibitions
against mining, oil extraction and similar activities at and above sea level, which
the below summary does not address in detail, choosing instead to focus on the
rules which more directly pertain to real estate.