Data-center law in Hungary

National jurisdiction · as of 2026-09-06

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Hungary has no data-center-specific siting, permitting, or utility statute, though the Energy Efficiency Act (Act LVII of 2015) gives data centres a reporting chapter; a data center is otherwise a construction and industrial project governed by the general regimes that apply to any large facility. Building permits and land-use planning run through the Hungarian Architecture Act, which replaced the 1997 Building Act.

A separate Priority Investment Acceleration Act lets the Government designate a project of national economic importance for expedited administrative handling, a route Hungary has used for major industrial and technology investments.

Environmental review runs through a 2005 government decree that triggers a full environmental impact assessment, an integrated pollution permit, or both, depending on which of the decree's annexes a facility or activity falls under and whether its expected effects are significant; a data center is not named as such in any annex, so which category and threshold reach a given project is decided facility by facility.

Grid connection is governed by the Electricity Act's general principle of objective, transparent, and non-discriminatory network access, with no data-center-specific connection rule.

01

Instruments on record

5 instruments on record, grouped by the family of approval each one governs.

Land use

Who decides whether a data center may occupy a site, and through what approval?

Act C of 2023 on Hungarian Architecture

In force

2023. évi C. törvény a magyar építészetről

Applies to both

Act C of 2023 is Hungary's current building and land-use planning act, replacing the 1997 Building Act (Étv.), and governs the construction permitting process any data-center building project runs through. It was adopted by the National Assembly on 12 December 2023 and promulgated on 22 December 2023. Section 226(1) brings the Act into force on the eighth day after promulgation, except for the provisions that subsections (2) to (4) date later.

Section 226(2) sets 1 October 2024 for the First Part, Chapters IV to XII and a long list of further provisions. Section 226(3) sets 1 January 2026 for a further group of provisions. Section 226(4) sets 1 July 2027 for another group of provisions.

Source: Full text of law

Act LIII of 2006 on Accelerating and Simplifying the Implementation of Investments of Priority National Economic Importance

In force

2006. évi LIII. törvény a nemzetgazdasági szempontból kiemelt jelentőségű beruházások megvalósításának gyorsításáról és egyszerűsítéséről

Applies to both

This Act lets the Government designate an investment of priority national economic importance for expedited administrative treatment, including shortened procedural deadlines and a single first-instance authority for the associated permitting matters. Section 1(1) reaches a listed set of investment types outright, including one planned by an economic organization of strategic national-economic importance that has concluded a strategic agreement with the Government.

As a catch-all, it also reaches any other investment costing at least HUF 10,000,000,000 and creating at least 50 new jobs.

Source: Full text of law

Environmental review

What impact review must precede approval, and who leads it?

Government Decree 314/2005 (XII. 25.) on Environmental Impact Assessment and Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control Permitting

In force

314/2005. (XII. 25.) Korm. rendelet a környezeti hatásvizsgálati és az egységes környezethasználati engedélyezési eljárásról

Applies to both

This decree, issued under the Environmental Protection Act, sets which activities and facilities listed in its Annexes 1 to 3 need a full environmental impact assessment, an integrated environmental-use (pollution) permit, or both, and which trigger only a screening decision on whether their effects are significant enough to require one.

Source: Full text of law

Energy and grid

What authorizations govern grid connection and onsite generation?

Act LVII of 2015 on Energy Efficiency Section 21/F, Reporting by Data Centres

In force

2015. évi LVII. törvény az energiahatékonyságról (Ehat.) 21/F. §

Effective 2025-01-16 · Applies to both

In the Act, the Hivatal is the Hungarian Energy and Public Utility Regulatory Authority. Section 21/F(1) requires the owner of a data centre with an installed information technology power demand of at least 500 kW, or its operator where the owner does not operate it, to report by 15 May of the year to the European database of data centres the data and performance indicators for the previous year that a Government decree sets.

A data centre that has operated for less than a year reports for the period of its operation, stating the period. The Hivatal checks compliance with the duty. For non-compliance or improper compliance, the Hivatal calls on the operator in writing, with a deadline, to comply, and may impose a fine of up to HUF 1,000,000. For late performance of the duty, the Hivatal may impose a fine of up to HUF 100,000. The consequences may be applied together. A fine may be imposed repeatedly.

The duty applies to the spaces and equipment that mainly or exclusively serve data-related functions, including the necessary related equipment. The duty does not apply to data centres used for the core activities of the military national security, national law-enforcement and judicial bodies and the defence organizations, or serving only those purposes.

Installed information technology power demand is the sum of the nominal power demand, in kW, of the networks, servers and storage equipment installed on the floor area of the data centre machine room. The Act defines a data centre by reference to point 2.6.3.1.16 of Annex A to Regulation (EC) 1099/2008. Act LXXXVII of 2024 inserted Chapter VII/A, which contains Section 21/F, through its Section 57. Section 57 of Act LXXXVII of 2024 took effect on 16 January 2025.

Source: Full text of law

Every entry cites the instrument it describes. None of it is legal advice: verify a citation before relying on it. Full sourcing: read the methodology. The rest of the record: all jurisdictions.