Law No. 7579 introduced periodic fire safety inspections for buildings in use; soil surveys are tied to authorised firms and concrete oversight is tightened.
Law No. 7579, which entered into force on 22 May 2026, made important changes on building safety in the Zoning Law and the Law on Building Inspection. The regulation concerns both owners of existing buildings and those about to buy a new home.
Periodic inspection for fire safety
Under the provision added to Article 28 of the Zoning Law, in buildings that have an occupancy certificate, periodic fire safety inspections will be carried out on the building owner's application within the time limit. The inspections will be done by municipal fire departments or by fire safety experts who have passed training and exams given by the Ministry or the institutions it authorises, and a fire safety report will be issued.
- Deficiencies found in the inspection will be remedied within a period given by the authority, not exceeding six months, and a valid report will be obtained.
- Deficiencies requiring substantial alteration will be carried out with a permit or authorisation; the period will start from the date of that authorisation.
- Which buildings will be subject to inspection, the inspection periods and the fees to be charged will be set by a regulation to be issued by the Ministry.
Soil surveys to authorised firms
Under the article added to the Law on Building Inspection, soil and foundation surveys of buildings covered by the law are to be carried out by soil and foundation survey firms that have obtained a permit from the Ministry. The service fee will be paid into an escrow account opened at provincial accounting units. The permit of a firm that gives a report contrary to the facts or causes structural calculations to be made incorrectly will be cancelled. The first paragraph of this provision will enter into force on 31 December 2026 and the application will start in a pilot province to be determined by the Ministry.
Heavy penalties for concrete and unauthorised buildings
- An administrative fine of 500,000 TL for a concrete producer whose core test results do not meet the standard.
- A fine of 250,000 TL for concrete that has no mixer label or QR-coded delivery note, or where they do not match.
- A fine of 500,000 TL for those who sell ready-mixed concrete for use in unlicensed buildings.
- In buildings built with a forged or false contractor certificate, the building will be sealed and the certificate number will be cancelled for five years.
For homeowners and buyers
Which buildings the fire inspections will cover will become clear with secondary legislation. It is important for estate and apartment managers to follow this regulation. For those buying a new home, asking for the building's soil survey report, building inspection records and occupancy certificate before purchase carries extra importance for the Edremit Gulf, which lies in an earthquake zone.
The law also provides that the inspectors working at building inspection firms, and in which buildings and on which dates they work, will be tracked through the Ministry's electronic system; their names and signatures will no longer appear on the building permit.
The record-keeping obligation on construction sites has also widened: the site chief must keep a record of the daily work carried out on the site and of the workers with authorisation certificates in line with a procedure to be set by the Ministry.
