The Svalbard Act of 17 July 1925 (in Norwegian: Lov om Svalbard or colloquially Svalbardloven), is a law of Norway that regulates the main aspects of the Svalbard archipelago. The law was passed by the Parliament of Norway on July 17, 1925, and establishes the Norwegian sovereignty of the island, as well as criminal law, civil law and procedural law applied on the islands. The law further established the policy of the administration, including the creation of the figure of the Governor of Svalbard, and since 2002, of the Community Council of Longyearbyen. The law also sets standards for real estate and environmental protection.
The law was passed as a response to the Treaty of Svalbard of 9 February 1920, which established the Norwegian sovereignty of Svalbard, but limited the archipelago to a demilitarized free trade zone.
The law has been amended several times, and consists of 6 chapters and 46 paragraphs. Chapter One (§§ 1-4) covers relations between Norway and Svalbard, Chapter Two (§§ 5-13) deals with government and the courts; Chapter Three (§§ 14-21) deals with family law; Chapter Four (§§ 22-28) regulates the right to property; Chapter Five (§§ 29-44) establishes the Longyearbyen Community Council, and Chapter Six (§§ 45-46) is made up of various provisions.
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