Annotation

The article examines the criteria for classifying capital construction projects subject to the establishment of sanitary protection zones and analyzes the significance of such classification. Drawing on current sanitary regulations and normative legal acts, the study substantiates the necessity of applying sectoral, technological, chronological, and methodological criteria that enable the systematic differentiation of these projects according to the nature of their impact on the human environment and the specific features of their legal regime. It is demonstrated that classification serves not only a systematizing function but also possesses substantial practical value, ensuring the correct selection of methodologies for determining the size of sanitary protection zones and enhancing the predictability of law‑enforcement decisions. The study concludes that the proposed system of classification criteria constitutes a key instrument for improving the quality of legal regulation in the field of establishing sanitary protection zones and contributes to the more effective realization of the right to a favorable environment.