The Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2025 (Commencement No. 1) Regulations 2026

Made: 3rd March 2026

Laid before the Scottish Parliament: 5th March 2026

Coming into force: 16th March 2026

The Scottish Ministers make the following Regulations in exercise of the power conferred by section 47(2) of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2025[^f00001].

Citation and commencement

1

These Regulations may be cited as the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2025 (Commencement No. 1) Regulations 2026 and come into force on 16 March 2026.

Appointed day

2

• (1) 16 March 2026 is the day appointed for the coming into force of the provisions of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2025 referred to in paragraph (2).

• (2) The provisions are—

• (a) section 8 (functions of the Land Commissioners: natural capital markets),

• (b) section 9 (functions of the Land Commissioners: further provisions),

• (c) section 12 (duty to publish model lease for hutting).

Signed

MAIRI GOUGEON — A member of the Scottish Government — 3rd March 2026

Explanatory note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

Explanatory Note

These Regulations bring into force sections 8, 9 and 12 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2025 (“the Act”). The Bill for the Act received Royal Assent on 16 December 2025. Sections 11 and 44 to 48 came into force the following day.

Sections 8 and 9 of the Act make amendments to section 22 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2016 (“the 2016 Act”) regarding the functions of the Land Commissioners. Section 22(1) of the 2016 Act sets out the functions of the Land Commissioners, which generally concern “any matter relating to land in Scotland”. Section 22(5) of the 2016 Act sets out what is to be considered a “matter relating to land in Scotland” for the purposes of subsection (1). Sections 8 and 9 of the Act expand the definition of a “matter relating to land in Scotland” by inserting new paragraphs (e) to (h) into section 22(5) of the 2016 Act.

Section 12 of the Act imposes a duty on the Scottish Ministers to publish, within 3 years of the Bill for the Act receiving Royal Assent, a model lease designed for letting public land so that it can be used for the purpose of building or occupying huts.

Footnotes

[^f00001]: 2025 asp 15.