The Constitutional Court is trying to challenge the cancellation of water meter checks in apartments 0 8

The court will assess whether the provisions of the rules approved on June 3 by the Cabinet of Ministers regarding the list of measuring instruments subject to state metrological verification comply with the Constitution.

The contested provisions stipulate that mechanical, electromagnetic, and ultrasonic water meters are subject to state metrological verification, except for those installed in the apartments of multi-apartment buildings.

The applicant is engaged in entrepreneurial activities related to the replacement of water meters in multi-apartment buildings and is also accredited as an inspection body in the field of re-verification of water meters.

According to the contested norms, water meters installed in the apartments of multi-apartment buildings are no longer subject to state metrological verification.

Operating under long-standing legal regulations, the applicant has invested in his entrepreneurial activities. In his opinion, the contested norms violate the constitutional right to property and the principle of protecting legal certainty, as the Cabinet of Ministers did not provide for a smooth transition to the new legal regulation, for example, by establishing a transitional period or compensation.

Moreover, the Cabinet of Ministers, according to the applicant, did not adequately assess the necessity of the contested norms and did not justify the benefits for society, nor did it listen to the opinion of the industry.

The court has invited the government to submit a written response outlining the factual circumstances of the case and the legal justification by February 2026. The deadline for preparing the case is May 2026. The court will decide on the form and date of the hearing after the case is prepared.

It was previously reported that the government supported the cancellation of the requirement for water meter checks starting January 1, 2026, on June 3.

The Ministry of Economics (ME) has prepared amendments to the Cabinet of Ministers' rules from May 14, 2024, regarding the list of measuring instruments subject to state metrological verification, which stipulate that in the future, apartment owners will no longer have to conduct re-verification of water meters. Residents will be able to continue using the already installed meters without mandatory re-verification.

The ME previously indicated that re-verification of water meters installed in apartments is impractical — the cancellation of this requirement will reduce the administrative burden and costs for the population.

Until now, regulations required re-verification of mechanical water meters every four years, and electromagnetic and ultrasonic meters every six years. From 2020 to 2023, 975,809 water meters were verified, costing residents 19.5 million euros, or about 5 million euros per year.

Board member of the plumbing services company OB serviss, Vladislav Eydimt, stated in June to the LETA agency that the amendments providing for the abandonment of water meter checks in residential buildings were adopted without the involvement of the industry and professional discussion.

Eydimt called on the ME to reconsider the decision made, to stop the selective approach, and to start a dialogue with the industry before promoting significant changes affecting thousands of households.

He also emphasized that if the decisions are not reconsidered, "the industry is ready to appeal to the Satversme Court."