JC Master Information | Ministry of Housing and Urban–Rural Development Order No. 61 clearly stipulates: Developers may not hand over properties unless all relevant archival documents are properly prepared; all drawings and documentation shall be permanently accessible; the regulation takes effect on September 1, 2026.
Release Date:
2026-05-21
Introduction : The Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development has issued Notice No. 61. For ordinary citizens, a ministerial order is a tool for safeguarding their rights. In the past, once a house was built, that was considered the end of the matter: developers would toss blueprints haphazardly, bury underground utilities in a chaotic manner, falsify completion documents, or simply lack the necessary paperwork—leaving you, the average citizen… It’s impossible to find or obtain any evidence. Leaky roofs, cracked walls, illegal construction, and reduced‑specification amenities—when you try to defend your rights, it all comes down to verbal claims; without evidence, you’re unlikely to prevail.
Order No. 61 mandates three requirements: 1. Before a property can be handed over, its documentation must be complete; developers are required to compile and finalize all structural drawings, electrical and plumbing plans, utility‑line layouts, fire‑safety diagrams, and planning maps. The housing and urban–rural development authority will first review these records, and only upon approval may the project proceed to completion inspection and issuance of the property ownership certificate. 2. All drawings and related documents must be archived permanently and made accessible to the public. 3. Electronic drawings carry the same legal validity as their paper counterparts and may be used directly in litigation.
In short, In the past, developers could conceal evidence to take advantage of you; now, the state mandates that such evidence be securely stored in archives, thereby safeguarding the rights of ordinary citizens.
Regulations on the Administration of Urban Construction Archives
(Promulgated on April 20, 2026, by Order No. 61 of the Ministry of Housing and Urban–Rural Development of the People’s Republic of China and the State Archives Administration; effective September 1, 2026)
Chapter I General Provisions
Article 1 In order to strengthen the management of urban construction archives (hereinafter referred to as “urban construction archives”), effectively protect and utilize these archives, enhance their level of informationization, and fully leverage their role in urban planning, construction, and governance, in accordance with the Archives Law of the People’s Republic of China, the Construction Law of the People’s Republic of China, and… Regulations on the Quality Management of Construction Projects This Regulation is formulated in accordance with laws and administrative regulations, including the Regulations on Scientific and Technological Archives Work.
Article 2 These provisions apply to Urban Construction Archives The formation, collection, organization, transfer, custody, utilization, and their supervision and administration.
As used in these Regulations, Urban Construction Archives It refers to historical records in various forms—such as texts, drawings, charts, and audiovisual materials—that are directly generated during urban planning, construction, and governance activities and possess archival value for the nation and society.
Article 3 The housing and urban–rural development authority under the State Council is responsible for the nationwide management of urban construction archives and, in its professional work, is subject to the supervision and guidance of the national archives administration.
The competent department designated by the people’s governments at or above the county level to oversee urban construction archives management (hereinafter referred to as the urban construction archives management department) shall, in accordance with its duties, be responsible for the administration of urban construction archives within its administrative jurisdiction and, in terms of professional matters, shall be subject to the supervision and guidance of the archival administration department at the same level.
Article 4 The Urban Construction Archives is responsible for collecting and preserving urban construction archives within its administrative jurisdiction, as well as providing professional guidance and access services related to these archives.
Urban construction archives institutions, together with the specialized agencies responsible for urban construction archives in cities and counties that have not yet established such archives, are collectively referred to as urban construction archives institutions.
Article 5 The urban construction archives administration may, in light of local conditions, formulate and implement a development plan for the urban construction archives sector, and, in accordance with the law, apply for and secure funding to support the sector’s development.
Article 6 Urban construction archives institutions shall, in accordance with relevant state regulations on archives management, accept the following urban construction archives:
(1) Urban surveying and planning archives;
(2) Urban construction project archives, including those generated by industrial and civil engineering projects, municipal infrastructure projects, public utility infrastructure projects, transportation infrastructure projects, landscape and greening projects, scenic and historic site development projects, urban appearance and environmental sanitation facilities construction projects, as well as urban flood control, seismic‑resistant, and civil defense projects;
(3) Urban construction research archives;
(4) Relevant basic urban construction data generated by the competent authorities responsible for urban planning and development in the course of urban planning, construction, and governance;
(5) Other archives that, in accordance with laws and regulations, shall be accepted.
Article 7 Urban construction archives shall be managed in a centralized and unified manner, ensuring their completeness, accuracy, systematic organization, standardization, security, and effective utilization.
Archives for urban construction projects shall be managed throughout their entire lifecycle.
Article 8 Urban construction archives institutions shall formulate detailed rules on the scope of archive collection and work plans, submit them to the urban construction archives management department for review, and implement them only after obtaining approval from the archival administrative authority at the same level.
Article 9 The urban construction archives management authorities shall strengthen the cultivation of professional talent in the field of urban construction archives, create favorable conditions for the education and training, professional title evaluation, and post appointment of archive personnel, and build a professional, high-caliber workforce dedicated to urban construction archives.
Technical personnel at urban construction archives institutions shall possess specialized knowledge in engineering, archival science, and electronic information, among other fields.
Article 10 Units and individuals that have made outstanding contributions to urban construction archival work shall be commended and rewarded in accordance with the law.
Chapter 2: Archiving
Article 11 The entities responsible for the creation of urban construction archives shall, in accordance with the law, implement an accountability system for archival work, establish and improve a sound management system for urban construction archives, and promptly collect, organize, and file documentary materials in compliance with the prescribed scope of archiving. They shall also, in accordance with relevant national regulations, provide the necessary facilities and equipment for archive preservation to ensure the security of the archives. The archived documents and materials must be complete, accurate, systematic, and standardized.
Article 12 The project construction entity shall include archive‑related expenses in the project’s total cost, promptly collect and organize documentation at each stage of the construction process, and ensure that the archiving schedule remains synchronized with the project’s construction progress.
Units engaged in surveying, design, construction, and supervision of construction projects shall, in accordance with the project’s progress, concurrently carry out the collection and organization of project documentation and materials, and, as required, submit engineering archives that meet archival standards to the project owner. The project owner shall, on a regular basis, supervise and verify the status of archive submission.
Article 13 The project construction entity shall designate the organization responsible for preparing as-built drawings and determine the associated costs, and shall coordinate with the design, construction, and supervision entities to complete the preparation of as-built drawings in accordance with the actual conditions of the project prior to its completion acceptance.
Article 14 When issuing a construction project planning permit or a construction permit, the urban construction archives administration shall, in a single notification, inform the project developer of the relevant requirements for collecting, organizing, and transferring the project’s archival records.
Urban construction archives institutions shall provide services such as business consultation and technical training related to urban construction archives.
Article 15 When entrusting an archival services provider to carry out tasks such as archive arrangement, digitization, development and utilization, and storage, the commissioning party shall select a qualified service provider. The commissioning party shall provide comprehensive guidance and oversight throughout the entire service process to ensure both the security of the archives and the quality of the services.
Article 16 Urban construction archives institutions are encouraged to collect archives in various formats—such as textual records, drawings, charts, and audiovisual materials—that document the history of urban development, through means including donations and purchases.
Chapter 3: Transfer
Article 17 The filing, acceptance, and handover of engineering archives shall comply with relevant national regulations and standards.
Article 18 The project construction entity shall complete the organization and filing of project archives prior to convening the project completion acceptance, ensuring that the archives are complete, accurate, systematic, standardized, and secure.
The urban construction archives management department shall conduct acceptance inspections of engineering archives that are required to be transferred and issue an Engineering Archives Acceptance Opinion. The specific tasks related to the acceptance of engineering archives may be entrusted to urban construction archives institutions. During the filing of the completion acceptance for construction projects, the housing and urban–rural development authorities shall verify the Engineering Archives Acceptance Opinion.
The acceptance of archives for major construction projects in the fields of transportation, water conservancy, energy, railways, and civil aviation shall be conducted in accordance with relevant regulations.
Article 19 The project construction entity shall, in… Project Completion Acceptance Filing Forward the project archives to the urban construction archives authority. Project archives generated after the completion acceptance and filing shall be transferred within three months following such filing.
For construction projects that are lengthy and large in scale, engineering archives may be subject to phased acceptance and phased handover.
Digital archival resources, such as electronic archives and building information models (BIM), shall be transferred. The digitized versions of paper-based archives shall accurately reflect the original archival content.
Article 20 For projects involving reconstruction, expansion, or the repair of critical components, the project owner shall organize the design and construction entities to collect, compile, and transfer the project archives in accordance with applicable regulations.
Article 21 Archives of projects that have been suspended or put on hold shall, for the time being, be kept by the project‑implementing entity. If such projects remain suspended or on hold for more than two years and the implementing entity lacks the conditions to preserve them, the project archives shall be transferred to the urban construction archives authority for safekeeping. In the event of an organizational change, dissolution, merger, or other similar circumstances involving the project‑implementing entity, it shall, in accordance with applicable regulations, transfer the project archives to the relevant authorities or to the urban construction archives authority.
Chapter 4: Custody and Utilization
Article 22 Urban construction archives institutions shall establish and improve systems for the security and protection of urban construction archives, provide dedicated storage facilities that comply with relevant national regulations, and equip such facilities with necessary equipment and measures to prevent fire, theft, water damage, light exposure, dust, harmful gases, and pest infestation, as well as to regulate temperature and humidity.
Received archives shall be promptly registered and organized, with appropriate finding aids prepared. Proper measures must be taken to ensure the safekeeping and preservation of the archives, with regular inspections of their storage conditions and timely restoration of any damaged records.
Article 23 Urban construction archives shall be made publicly accessible in accordance with the law. With respect to archives pertaining to national security or significant interests, as well as other archives that are not suitable for public access, their release shall comply with the relevant laws and regulations.
Article 24 Urban construction archives institutions shall establish and improve urban construction… Archival Access System In accordance with relevant national regulations, provide public access to urban construction archives and ensure the security and smooth availability of these archives.
Units and individuals holding valid documentation may access urban construction archives that have already been made available. For access to urban construction archives that remain closed, procedures shall be followed in accordance with relevant national regulations.
The use of urban construction archives shall not jeopardize national security and interests, nor shall it infringe upon the legitimate rights and interests of others.
Article 25 Urban construction archives institutions should actively develop and utilize their collections to provide support for urban planning, urban renewal, the protection and utilization of historical and cultural heritage, disaster prevention, mitigation, and relief efforts, as well as the City Information Modeling (CIM) platform.
Encourage urban construction archives institutions to organize thematic exhibitions, public lectures, media campaigns, and other activities to preserve and pass on the city’s historical and cultural heritage.
Article 26 The management and utilization of urban construction archives containing state secrets shall be conducted in accordance with the provisions of relevant laws and administrative regulations on the protection of state secrets.
Chapter 5: Informationization Development
Article 27 The urban construction archives management authorities shall incorporate the digitalization of urban construction archives into their own information‑technology development plans, establish and improve systems for managing the digitalization of such archives, refine relevant standards and specifications, promote the application of Building Information Modeling (BIM), and facilitate the cross‑regional and cross‑departmental sharing of digital resources in urban construction archives.
Article 28 Urban construction archives institutions shall strengthen the collection, preservation, and utilization of digital resources in urban construction archives, equip themselves with facilities and equipment that meet the requirements of archive informatization and management, and ensure the secure preservation and effective use of these digital resources. They should also accelerate the digitization of traditionally stored archives, promote end-to-end management of electronic archives—covering their creation, collection, organization, transfer, storage, and use—and achieve interoperability and data sharing with relevant business systems.
Article 29 Electronic archives collected by urban construction archives institutions shall be of reliable origin, processed in accordance with standardized procedures, and conform to prescribed metadata requirements, thereby meeting the criteria for effective preservation. Electronic archives have the same legal validity as traditionally stored archives and may be used as evidence in electronic form.
Article 30 Urban construction archives institutions shall implement heterogeneous, off-site, multi‑copy backups for critical electronic records such as as‑built drawings, and conduct regular inspections of the preservation status of these electronic archives to ensure the security and long-term accessibility of digital archival resources, as well as their rapid deployment in emergency situations.
Chapter VI Legal Liability
Article 31 Any organization or individual that violates these Regulations in the course of the creation, collection, arrangement, transfer, custody, or utilization of urban construction archives shall be subject to penalties in accordance with the Archives Law of the People’s Republic of China, the Implementing Regulations of the Archives Law of the People’s Republic of China, the Regulations on Quality Management of Construction Projects, and other relevant laws and regulations.
Article 32 The urban construction archives management authorities shall establish and improve mechanisms for the collection, evaluation, and application of credit information related to urban construction archives; in accordance with applicable regulations, they shall aggregate such credit information into the public credit information platform and, in accordance with the law, implement measures to incentivize good faith and sanction breaches of trust.
Chapter VII Supplementary Provisions
Article 33 These Provisions shall enter into force on September 1, 2026. The original provisions were promulgated by the former Ministry of Construction on December 23, 1997, first amended on July 4, 2001, and subsequently amended for the second time by the Ministry of Housing and Urban–Rural Development on January 26, 2011, and for the third time on March 13, 2019. Regulations on the Administration of Urban Construction Archives 》It is hereby repealed simultaneously.
(Source: Comprehensive Compilation of Housing and Urban–Rural Development Laws)
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