The Secretariat for Communal Affairs told us that the process of naming streets in Podgorica is initiated by the Council for Proposing Names of Settlements, Streets and Squares, a working body of the Assembly of the Capital City.
"The council has a president and twelve members, the majority of whom are members of the Assembly, while four members are professional, scientific and cultural workers, and that the council initiates the procedure based on the data on unnamed streets that it receives from the local government body responsible for planning and spatial planning, but also based on the initiatives of citizens, local communities and other interested entities," they clarified.
As they add, the Council obtains the opinion of the local community on whose territory the street is located, and, if necessary, the opinion of professional, scientific and cultural institutions, after which it proposes to the Assembly the giving or changing of the name.
"The final decision on the naming of streets is made by the Assembly of the Capital City of Podgorica. This is prescribed by the Statute of the Capital City and the Law on Territorial Organization of Montenegro, which stipulates that the decision is made with a previously obtained opinion of the local community," they state in the response submitted to the RTV Podgorica Portal.
As they pointed out, street names, according to the Law on Monuments, are considered memorials if they symbolize values of permanent importance, preserve the memory of important events and prominent personalities, or nurture cultural and historical traditions.
"For the sake of clearer criteria, on July 29, 2025, the Council adopted the Rules for determining the proposed names of settlements, streets and squares in the Capital City area. These rules define guidelines related to the historical, cultural and social significance of the proposed names, and the document is available on the website of the Capital City Assembly," the Secretariat for Communal Affairs stated.
Namely, despite the existence of the prescribed procedure, a large number of streets still have temporary names.
"According to the current decision, 90 streets with temporary names have been registered in the urban part of Podgorica, while there are 109 such streets in suburban and rural settlements. How many streets will wait for the allocation of a permanent name depends on the submitted initiatives, urban planning data and the dynamics of the work of the Council and the Assembly, given that the procedure is initiated based on official data from the competent authorities," explained the city office.
As they told us, citizens and local communities can submit an initiative for naming a street through the application form adopted by the Council in July 2025.
"The form with instructions for filling it out is available on the official website of the Capital City Assembly", they add.
When it comes to mapping new streets on platforms like "Google Maps", the Secretariat said that this does not fall under the jurisdiction of city authorities.
"The competent Secretariat maintains an address register, which is publicly available on the adrese.me portal and represents the official record of street names on the territory of the Capital City", concluded the Secretariat for Communal Affairs of the Capital City.
M. Nikolić
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