The Tashkent Khokimiyat and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry have been instructed to conduct a broad public discussion of the design code

Tashkent Hokimiyat and Chamber of Commerce and Industry Instructed to Organize Broad Public Discussion on Design Code

Territorial design codes regulating relations in the advertising sector must be developed and updated only after broad public discussion, including on the portal for the discussion of regulatory legal acts. This requirement is established by a decision of the Cabinet of Ministers of Uzbekistan dated October 13.

The document also provides that design codes can enter into force only three months after their publication. Amendments have been made to the government decision on the regulation of the outdoor advertising market dated February 20, 2020.

The Hokimiyat of Tashkent, together with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry and other interested agencies, has been instructed to hold a broad discussion on the capital's design code rules with the participation of entrepreneurs and the media by December 10 of this year.

Proposals to update the design code must take into account the received comments and be submitted for approval to the city Kengash of People's Deputies.

When developing the design code, the possibility of using registered trademarks of enterprises and organizations must be taken into account.

The resolution also introduces requirements for the procedure for the forced dismantling of outdoor advertising structures.

Dismantling is allowed only on working days and during working hours — from 9:00 to 18:00.

During dismantling, an act is drawn up in the presence of the owner, indicating the date, time, and reason for the dismantling, accompanied by photographs and the address to which the structure will be sent for storage.

The information is entered into the "Tashqi reklama" system.

If the owner of the structure is unknown, a notice of dismantling is placed directly on the advertising structure itself.

Public control over the placement of outdoor advertising structures should be carried out through the "Xalq nazorati" ("People's Control") portal.

In February, the Tashkent Kengash of People's Deputies approved a document on the implementation of the design code, which defines the types and boundaries of public spaces, instructions for their planning, rules for placing urban design elements and commercial real estate objects, the formation of visual identity, and even the selection of trees and shrubs (Gazeta wrote about the presentation held in April).

The document entered into force on May 17, but as early as November 2025, business signboards began to be removed in the city. The reason cited was the lack of an advertising site passport (although signboards up to 1 sq. m in size are not outdoor advertising structures), as well as the need to bring the facades of commercial and service enterprises into compliance with the design code (this same resolution repealed the requirement for a passport for signboards of companies and organizations).

Since March, hokimiyats have intensified the so-called raids, which sparked widespread discontent among businesses. Entrepreneurs complained of pressure, losses associated with the forced dismantling of signboards, and power outages, which was subsequently confirmed by the Office of the Business Ombudsman of Uzbekistan. In April, the office presented a conclusion calling for a review of the city kengash's decision on the design code.

The business community identified the main problems as the lack of constructive dialogue, advance notifications, and clearly defined rules for placing structures. One businessman recounted that he was forced to change his facade three times in a single day.

In early May, the issue of excluding signboards bearing a company's name and its line of activity from the category of advertising was discussed at a meeting chaired by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

In an October interview with Gazeta, Tashkent Hokim Shavkat Umurzakov admitted to mistakes that led to public discontent. He noted that this was the result of a lack of dialogue with the population.

"On 56 streets, after we started working with people on the design code, 98% supported the changes, saying that this needed to be done. I said: don't touch the 2% for now, work with that 98%, and the rest will see the result themselves over time. Why? According to our observations, where we implement the design code, the value of the territory increases by about 2 times," the hokim noted.