What the amendment introduces
The Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change has made a comprehensive amendment to the Regulation on the Demolition of Buildings, published in the Official Gazette of 12 August 2026, issue 33338.
The changes fall under four headings: the definitions were rewritten, technical supervision was assigned to civil engineers, engineers responsible for explosive demolition must now be present on site, and a new section on the demolition of high-rise buildings was added.
The rules apply directly to buildings within urban transformation schemes, buildings identified as at risk, and apartment blocks being rebuilt.
For owners and contractors the amendment matters because it determines which engineer signs which document in the demolition permit process.
Two different commencement dates
The commencement provision sets two dates, and confusing them leads to the wrong rule being applied.
The paragraph added to article 7 by article 5 of the amendment, together with articles 14 and 15, entered into force on the date of publication, 12 August 2026.
All the remaining provisions enter into force one year after publication, that is on 12 August 2027.
The rules on technical supervision and high-rise demolition therefore apply only after a one-year transitional period allowed for the sector to adapt.
The only substantive provision in force immediately is that no contractor or site manager is required for demolitions carried out by public bodies under law no. 6306. In that case the public body must itself assume all technical supervision for every demolition requiring a demolition plan.
Technical supervision now rests with a civil engineer
Article 5(3) was rewritten. Technical supervision for the demolition of buildings within the scope of the Regulation is now assumed by a civil engineer.
An exemption follows: no technical supervision is required for the demolition of buildings whose building height is less than 18.50 metres. Building height is measured from the point at which the building takes its level to the eaves.
The exemption is not absolute. Where the building is of attached construction, has a mixed structural system, displays structural irregularity in plan or elevation, or is near a health or education facility or cultural or natural heritage, and in comparable situations posing risk, the administration may require technical supervision even below 18.50 metres.
In two cases it is always mandatory: demolition using explosives, and any building with more than two basement floors.
Explosive demolition: two engineers on site
In demolition using explosives, an engineer responsible for the blast and a shot-firer are appointed in addition to technical supervision.
The engineer responsible for the blast must be a graduate of civil, mining, environmental, geological or geophysical engineering holding either a certificate issued by a body authorised by the Ministry in the use of explosives, or at least a master's degree with thesis in demolition using explosives.
A paragraph added to article 6 imposes an express duty of presence: in all demolitions using explosives, the engineer responsible for the blast and the author of the demolition plan are together present on the site.
The author is the civil engineer who satisfies the requirements for structural design authorship in article 57(6) of the Planned Areas Zoning Regulation, prepares the demolition plan and assumes responsibility for it.
Both are responsible, within their respective fields, for the analyses and reports relating to demolition using explosives.
A new section for high-rise buildings
A new Fifth Section, Special Rules on the Demolition of High-Rise Buildings, was added to the Regulation.
The definition of a high-rise building was also rewritten: buildings with a building height above 21.50 metres or a structure height above 30.50 metres. Those above 51.50 metres in building height or 60.50 metres in structure height are very high-rise buildings.
Under article 13/A the technical and administrative principles for the full or partial demolition of high-rise buildings are governed by Annex 5. Limit values for dust, vibration and noise are set in accordance with Annex 5 and with environmental and occupational safety legislation.
The site perimeter is protected by screening, covered walkways and protective fans. Where scaffolding is envisaged, internal and external façade scaffolding must comply with TS EN 12810 and TS EN 12811, and mobile access and working towers with TS EN 1004-1.
Article 13/B adds requirements for explosive demolition: the engineer responsible for the blast must document their expertise, the shot-firer must hold a class (B) competence certificate, and no blast may be carried out without assessing meteorological conditions.
Permit duration and acoustic report
A sentence added to article 7 allows the duration of a demolition permit to be extended.
Where the building is of attached construction, falls within the high-rise class and site conditions make mechanical demolition difficult, or where force majeure arises, the permit may be extended by up to three months on a single occasion, at the contractor's request and with the administration's approval.
The reference for the acoustic report was updated. It is now prepared by persons holding the expertise specified in the Environmental Noise Control Regulation.
Documents evidencing their qualifications are annexed to the report: diploma, evidence of training in fields such as demolition and blasting, and any certificates held.
Transitional rule for public works already tendered
The new provisional article 2 protects tenders already under way.
Where a public body has, before the article entered into force, taken a tender decision or fixed a tender date, or completed the tender, but no demolition permit has yet been issued, the permit procedure is completed under the previous version of the Regulation.
The test is not the date the demolition is carried out but whether the tender decision or tender date had been taken.
No comparable transitional rule is provided for demolitions commissioned by private persons; for them the general commencement dates apply.
What owners and contractors should do
In an apartment block that has resolved on urban transformation, the first question is the building's building height. Below 18.50 metres technical supervision will as a rule not be required, though the administration may still require it for attached construction.
The second question is the number of basement floors. Technical supervision is mandatory in every case for buildings with more than two basements, a common situation in coastal developments.
The third question is the demolition technique. If explosives are to be used, the author, the engineer responsible for the blast and a shot-firer must be appointed, and the first two must be present on site.
Recording in the contract with the builder who is to provide and pay for these engineering services prevents later disputes. For general information on urban transformation and construction contracts in return for a share of land, see our real estate and lease law page.
The one-year transitional period also makes the timing of the permit application important: different rules will apply before and after 12 August 2027.
Resources
- Regulation Amending the Regulation on the Demolition of Buildings — Official Gazette of 12 August 2026, issue 33338
- Regulation on the Demolition of Buildings — Official Gazette of 13 October 2021, issue 31627
- Law no. 6306 on the Transformation of Areas at Risk of Disaster
- Planned Areas Zoning Regulation, art. 57(6) (requirements for structural design authorship)
You can access the current versions of legal texts via mevzuat.gov.tr.