Municipalities of Kosovo

A municipality (Albanian: komuna; Serbian: општина / opština) is the basic administrative division in Kosovo and constitutes the only level of power in local governance.^[1] There are 38 municipalities in Kosovo; 27 of which have an Albanian ethnic majority, 10 Serb and 1 Turkish. After the 2013 Brussels Agreement, signed by the governments of Kosovo and Serbia, an agreement was made to create a Community of Serb Municipalities, which would operate within Kosovo's legal framework. Since 2013, the agreement has not been fulfilled by Kosovo's authorities, calling upon its constitution and territorial integrity.

Kosovo's municipalities

List of municipalities

Emblem Stema Amblem	Municipality Komuna Opština[2]	Area[3]	Map Location	Settlements Vendbanimet Naselja[4]	Population (2011)[5][6]	Population (2024)[7]	Change (2011-2024)	Mayor Kryetar/e Gradonačelnik[8]	Party
	Deçan Dečani / Дечани	293.97 km2 (113.50 sq mi)		37	40,019	27,775	−30.60%	Bashkim Ramosaj		AAK
	Dragash Dragaš / Драгаш	433.85 km2 (167.51 sq mi)		36	33,997	28,896	−15.00%	Bexhet Xheladini		LDK
	Ferizaj Uroševac / Урошевац	344.61 km2 (133.05 sq mi)		45	108,610	109,255	+0.59%	Agim Aliu		PDK
	Fushë Kosova Kosovo Polje / Косово Поље	84.09 km2 (32.47 sq mi)		16	34,827	63,949	+83.62%	Burim Berisha		LDK
	Gjakova Đakovica / Ђаковица	586.62 km2 (226.50 sq mi)		88	94,556	78,699	−16.77%	Ardian Gjini		AAK
	Gjilan Gnjilane / Гњилане	391.84 km2 (151.29 sq mi)		49	90,178	82,980	−7.98%	Alban Hyseni		VV
	Drenas Glogovac / Глоговац	275.63 km2 (106.42 sq mi)		35	58,531	48,079	−17.86%	Ramiz Lladrovci		PDK
	Graçanicë Gračanica / Грачаница	122.41 km2 (47.26 sq mi)		17	10,675	18,486	+73.17%	Srđan Popović		LS
	Hani i Elezit Elez Han / Елез Хан	83.11 km2 (32.09 sq mi)		11	9,403	8,533	−9.25%	Mehmet Ballazhi		PDK
	Istog Istok / Исток	454.36 km2 (175.43 sq mi)		50	39,289	33,008	−15.99%	Ilir Ferati		LDK
	Junik / Јуник	77.78 km2 (30.03 sq mi)		3	6,084	3,943	−35.19%	Ruzhdi Shehu		LDK
	Kaçanik Kačanik Качаник	211.28 km2 (81.58 sq mi)		31	33,409	27,716	−17.04%	Besim Ilazi		PDK
	Kamenica Kosovska Kamenica / Косовска Каменица	416.61 km2 (160.85 sq mi)		58	36,085	22,868	−36.63%	Kadri Rahimaj		VV
	Klinë Klina / Клина	309.02 km2 (119.31 sq mi)		54	38,496	30,503	−20.76%	Zenun Elezaj		AAK
	Kllokot Klokot / Клокот	23.39 km2 (9.03 sq mi)		4	2,556	3,041	+18.97%	Božidar Dejanović		LS
	Leposaviq Leposavić / Лепосавић	539.05 km2 (208.13 sq mi)		75	13,773	3,185	−76.88%	Lulzim Hetemi		VV
	Lipjan Lipljan / Липљан	338.41 km2 (130.66 sq mi)		62	57,605	55,044	−4.45%	Imri Ahmeti		LDK
	Malisheva Mališevo / Малишево	306.42 km2 (118.31 sq mi)		44	54,613	43,888	−19.64%	Ragip Begaj		NISMA
	Mamusha Mamuša / Мамуша	10.94 km2 (4.22 sq mi)		1	5,507	5,607	+1.82%	Abdulhadi Krasniç		KDTP
	Mitrovica Kosovska Mitrovica / Косовска Митровица	329.35 km2 (127.16 sq mi)		47	71,909	64,742	−9.97%	Bedri Hamza		PDK
	North Mitrovica Severna Kosovska Mitrovica / Северна Косовска Митровица	6.83 km2 (2.64 sq mi)		1	12,326	2,326	−81.13%	Erden Atiq		VV
	Novobërda Novo Brdo / Ново Брдо	203.98 km2 (78.76 sq mi)		26	6,729	4,493	−33.23%	Svetislav Ivanović		LS
	Obiliq Obilić / Обилић	104.84 km2 (40.48 sq mi)		20	21,549	22,815	+5.87%	Xhafer Gashi		LDK
	Partesh Parteš / Партеш	28.67 km2 (11.07 sq mi)		3	1,787	3,240	+81.31%	Dragan Petković		LS
	Peja Peć / Пећ	602.63 km2 (232.68 sq mi)		79	96,450	82,745	−14.21%	Gazmend Muhaxheri		LDK
	Podujevë Podujevo / Подујево	632.59 km2 (244.24 sq mi)		77	88,499	70,975	−19.80%	Shpejtim Bulliqi		VV
	Prishtina Priština / Приштина	523.13 km2 (201.98 sq mi)		43	198,897	227,466	+14.36%	Përparim Rama		LDK
	Prizren / Призрен	626.86 km2 (242.03 sq mi)		76	177,781	147,246	−17.18%	Shaqir Totaj		PDK
	Rahovec Orahovac / Ораховац	275.90 km2 (106.53 sq mi)		36	56,208	41,799	−25.64%	Smajl Latifi		AAK
	Ranillug Ranilug / Ранилуг	77.62 km2 (29.97 sq mi)		13	3,866	2,481	−35.83%	Vladica Aritonović		LS
	Skenderaj Srbica / Србица	374.37 km2 (144.55 sq mi)		49	50,858	40,664	−20.04%	Fadil Nura		PDK
	Suhareka Suva Reka / Сува Река	361.04 km2 (139.40 sq mi)		41	59,722	45,749	−23.40%	Bali Muharremaj		AAK
	Shtërpca Štrpce / Штрпце	247.70 km2 (95.64 sq mi)		16	6,949	10,771	+55.00%	Bratislav Nikolić		LS
	Shtime Štimlje / Штимље	134.42 km2 (51.90 sq mi)		23	27,324	24,308	−11.04%	Qemajl Aliu		VV
	Vitia Vitina / Витина	269.69 km2 (104.13 sq mi)		39	46,987	35,566	−24.31%	Sokol Haliti		LDK
	Vushtrri Vučitrn / Вучитрн	344.85 km2 (133.15 sq mi)		67	69,870	61,528	−11.94%	Ferit Idrizi		PDK
	Zubin Potoku Zubin Potok / Зубин Поток	334.38 km2 (129.10 sq mi)		61	6,616	763	−88.47%[a][b]	Izmir Zeqiri		PDK
	Zveçan Zvečan / Звечан	123.01 km2 (47.49 sq mi)		35	7,481	434	−94.20%[a][b]	Ilir Peci		PDK
—	38	10,905.25 km2 (4,210.54 sq mi)	—	1,468	1,780,021	1,585,566	−10.92%	—	—

Powers of municipalities

All municipalities have the following competences, as regulated by Law Nr. 03/L-040 of the Constitution of Kosovo:^[14]

1. Local economic development.
2. Urban and rural planning.
3. Land use and development.
4. Implementation of building regulations and building control standards.
5. Local environmental protection.
6. Provision and maintenance of public services and utilities, including water supply, sewers and drains, sewage treatment, waste management, local roads, local transport and local heating schemes.
7. Local emergency response.
8. Provision of public pre-primary, primary and secondary education, including registration and licensing of educational institutions, recruitment, payment of salaries and training of education instructors and administrators.
9. Provision of public primary health care.
10. Provision of family and other social welfare services, such as care for the vulnerable, foster care, child care, elderly care, including registration and licensing of these care centers, recruitment, payment of salaries and training of social welfare professionals.
11. Public housing.
12. Public health.
13. Licensing of local services and facilities, including those related to entertainment, cultural and leisure activities, food, lodging, markets, street vendors, local public transportation and taxis.
14. Naming of roads, streets and other public places.
15. Provision and maintenance of public parks and spaces.
16. Tourism.
17. Cultural and leisure activities.
18. Any matter which is not explicitly excluded from their competence nor assigned to other authorities.

Community of Serb Municipalities

The planned Community of Serb Municipalities in Kosovo

Municipalities with Serb majorities have additional powers over the appointment of local police commanders, religious and cultural heritage sites within their boundaries; some of them have competences over universities and secondary health which in non-Serb-majority municipalities are a matter for central government (and, through the right of association of municipalities, even those Serb-majority municipalities which are not specifically given these powers may exercise them in association with those that do).

The 2013 Brussels Agreement signed by the Government of Kosovo and the Government of Serbia contains provisions for the formation of a Community of Serb Municipalities^[15] (Serbian: Заједница српских општина / Zajednica srpskih opština; Albanian: Asociacioni i komunave serbe) It was expected to be created in 2015, but its formation has been postponed over conflicts about extent of powers.

Former municipalities

Between 1990 and 2000, in the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija, there were the following additional municipalities:

• Gora
• Opolje (1990–1992, later part of Prizren)

In 2000 both were merged into the new municipality of Dragash. The number of municipalities remained at 30 until 2005, when the new municipality of Malisheva was formed, by taking territories from the municipalities of Rahovec (District of Gjakova), Suhareka (District of Prizren), Klina (District of Peja) and Drenas (District of Pristina).

See also

• Administrative divisions of Kosovo
• Districts of Kosovo
• Cities and towns in Kosovo
• Populated places in Kosovo
  • Populated places in Kosovo by Albanian name
• Community of Serb Municipalities

Notes

1. Due to the boycott by most municipalities in the north in the 2011 Kosovo census, the exact number of the population of Leposavić, North Mitrovica, Zubin Potok and Zvečan is unknown. Estimates are taken according to a 2014 OSCE report.^{[9][10][11][12]}
2. Due to political tension the Northern Municipalities of Kosovo saw a boycott of the population registration in 2024 ^[13]