Judicial principles and studies
Subject-matter Jurisdiction in Compensation Claims for Road Opening/Expansion and Property Damage
Subject-matter jurisdiction is a public-order rule that courts may raise sua sponte; damages from opening or widening an adjacent road are treated as expropriation-related harms outside the expropriated area under Property Ownership Law No.13/2019.
Updated: 10 September 2026
Prepared and reviewed by: Ashraf Al-Khawaja
Subject
The claimant alleges damage caused by opening, widening, reconstructing and paving a road adjacent to the land in dispute. Judicial precedent holds that harm arising from opening or widening a road that lowers or raises the level of the adjacent land so as to affect its use qualifies as damage resulting from expropriation works outside the expropriated area. Articles 2 and 190(z) of Property Ownership Law No.13/2019 constitute the applicable legal framework. Such damage is deemed to occur on completion of the works; where completion has been confirmed by the Ministry of Public Works and Housing, Property Ownership Law No.13/2019 applies as of 14/9/2019. Subject-matter jurisdiction is a public-order matter that a court may raise at any stage even if the parties do not rely on it, and the court of first instance is competent to hear compensation claims of this type regardless of the amount of compensation under Article 2.
Summary
- Subject-matter jurisdiction is a public-order rule and may be invoked by the court sua sponte at any stage. - Damage from opening or widening an adjacent road is classified as expropriation-related harm outside the expropriated area under Article 190(z) of the Property Ownership Law. - The date of damage is the completion date of the works; the applicable law for the described facts is Property Ownership Law No.13/2019, effective 14/9/2019. - The court of first instance is competent to hear such compensation claims irrespective of the compensation value per Article 2.
Practical significance
The practical effect is that courts must verify subject-matter jurisdiction on their own initiative, and confirmed completion of road works brings the dispute under Law No.13/2019 for compensation arising from expropriation-related impacts beyond the expropriated area. This summary is an educational overview and does not constitute a judicial text or legal advice.
Sources and references
Verify the official text and latest amendments before relying on this material professionally.