Iceland estimates property boundaries across 83% of its land

Iceland’s Housing and Construction Authority has estimated property boundaries for about 1,150 farms in the country’s northeast and east, bringing coverage to roughly 83% of Iceland’s land area, mbl.is reported.

The farms cover about 20,000 square kilometres. Draft boundaries were published on Thursday, and landowners have six weeks to submit comments or additional information, the authority said.

About 2,550 landowners will be notified through their inboxes on Ísland.is. Around 2,200 are individuals; the rest include companies, institutions and estates of deceased people.

The work is part of a nationwide project to estimate farm boundaries where no coordinate-based delineation is available. Over the past three years, the authority has estimated boundaries for about 3,500 farms across a total of 43,000 square kilometres. It had previously mapped about 2,350 farms in the Westfjords and North Iceland.

The authority says the estimates do not alter ownership or registered rights. Clearer boundary information may help with farm sales, land-use planning and preparations for construction. Landsnet and the Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration have already used the data to identify landowners and prepare consultations about projects.

The authority aims to publish the results around or after the turn of the year. It plans to continue the work in southeast and west Iceland next year, subject to funding, and expects to complete the mapping in 2028 or 2029. Information on estimated boundaries and properties nationwide is available through the authority’s land register map.