Earthquake-Resistant Buildings in Istanbul: What to Check

19 October 2026

Earthquake-resistant building in Istanbul: check the permit year, 2018 code, AFAD hazard map, high-risk status on e-Devlet and an engineer's report.

There is no single label or document that tells you whether a building in Istanbul is earthquake-resistant; you have to put several signs together: the year the construction permit was issued and the code the building was designed to, whether it was built under a building inspection company (Yapı Denetim), the site's position on the earthquake hazard map, the building's record in the "high-risk building" system, and finally the report of an independent engineer. In this article we explain these signs one by one, so that before you sign the contract you know what to ask and which documents to request.

Istanbul lies near the North Anatolian Fault, and the question of a building's resistance is a serious one for any buyer, especially after Turkey's recent earthquakes. The good news is that Turkey's construction regulations have become stricter several times since 1999, and today's buyer has more tools for checking.

Why Is the Year of Construction So Important?

The year of construction is not a guarantee in itself, but it shows which rules the building was designed and built to. Remember three main milestones:

• Before the 1999 Marmara earthquake: Many buildings from this period were built without independent technical supervision. The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB), in its free building assessment program, gives priority to buildings constructed before 2000.
• The 2007 code: The "Regulation on Buildings to Be Built in Earthquake Zones" (DBYBHY-2007) introduced new methods for designing new buildings, and a section for assessing the performance of existing buildings was added to it.
• The 2018 Turkey Building Earthquake Code (TBDY-2018): This code was published in the Official Gazette, issue 30364, on March 18, 2018, and came into force on January 1, 2019. Turkish academic studies describe it as using more realistic models and newer approaches than the 2007 code.

An important point: what counts is the date of the construction permit, not the delivery date. A project delivered in 2019 may have had its permit issued before the new code came into force. Ask for the permit date from the municipality's records.

Building Inspection (Yapı Denetim) and the Completion Certificate

Law No. 4708 on building inspection placed construction under independent inspection companies. It was first implemented in 19 pilot provinces, including Istanbul, and from January 1, 2011 was extended to all 81 provinces of Turkey. One of the duties of these companies is to check the soil study report (zemin etüdü), which examines how the ground under the building behaves in an earthquake.

So for buildings in Istanbul, these questions matter:

• Was the building built under a building inspection company, and is that company's name in the file?
• Is the soil study report in the municipality's file?
• Does the building have a completion certificate or occupancy permit (iskan)? A building without a completion certificate may differ from the approved project.
• Has any change been made to the structure? Removing a wall or column on the ground floor for a shop is one of the common dangerous alterations.

We explain the difference between the red and blue tapu (before and after completion) in the article Red vs Blue Tapu.

The Land: AFAD Earthquake Hazard Map

Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) revised the "Turkey Earthquake Hazard Map"; the new map was published in the Official Gazette at the same time as the 2018 code and has been in force since January 1, 2019. This map no longer uses "first and second degree earthquake zones" and instead shows the peak ground acceleration for each point.

On the site tdth.afad.gov.tr you can enter the coordinates of the building's location and see the ground acceleration value. Do not forget two points:

• This map shows hazard, not risk. Risk also depends on the quality of the building itself; a good building in a high-hazard zone can be safer than a weak building in a low-hazard zone.
• The type of soil at the site (rock, or sedimentary and soft) is determined in the building's soil study report and is just as important for the assessment.

"High-Risk Building" Inquiry on e-Devlet

Under Law No. 6306 (the Law on the Transformation of Areas Under Disaster Risk, known as the urban renewal law), buildings officially identified as "high-risk" (riskli yapı) have this status recorded in their file. On the government portal turkiye.gov.tr there are two related services:

• Tapu Bilgileri Sorgulama (title deed information inquiry), to see the information and notes recorded on the deed
• Riskli Yapı Tespiti (high-risk building determination), to see the registered high-risk building files

But the limit of this inquiry is important: these services do not assess the building. If no record is registered for a building, it only means no one has officially examined it so far, not that the building is safe. Conversely, if a building has been officially identified as high-risk, it may be subject to demolition and renewal, and this has serious financial and time consequences for the buyer.

Engineering Report: Three Different Kinds of Assessment

If the building is old or you have doubts about it, an engineering assessment is the best way. Do not confuse the three kinds of assessment:

Istanbul Municipality Rapid Screening

The Istanbul Municipality has a free building assessment program, and applications are made online. In this method the building's dimensions are recorded and, in some columns, concrete hardness and the condition of the reinforcing bars are measured, but no core samples of the concrete are taken. The result of this assessment is for prioritization and on its own does not make a building subject to the urban renewal law. Because the queue for this program has been long, it usually cannot be relied on for a purchase decision.

Private Analysis with Core Testing

In a more detailed assessment, cylindrical concrete samples (karot) are taken from the columns and their compressive strength is measured in a laboratory. There is no fixed cost for this, and it depends on the size of the building, the number of floors and the tests required. Note that taking samples from the building's shared columns usually requires coordination with the building management and the other owners.

Official High-Risk Building Assessment

For an official assessment, the owner or their legal representative applies in writing, with an up-to-date deed status certificate and a copy of an identity document, to one of the institutions licensed by the Ministry. Even a single owner can start this process. This assessment is usually the current owner's job, not the buyer's; so if its result matters to you, ask the seller before buying whether such an assessment has been done and see its report.

A Short Checklist for the Buyer

1. Ask for the construction permit date and see which code the building falls under.
2. Check the name of the building inspection company and the existence of the soil study report in the municipality's file.
3. Make sure the building has a completion certificate and that the current plan matches the approved project.
4. Look up the building's high-risk record and the notes on the deed on e-Devlet or at the Land Registry.
5. Check the property's coordinates on the AFAD hazard map.
6. For an old building, get a report from an independent engineer.
7. Do not forget compulsory earthquake insurance (DASK); you can read its details in the DASK earthquake insurance guide.

For the in-person viewing, also bring the apartment viewing checklist. An official valuation report (SPK expertise) assesses the price and does not judge the structure's resistance; we explain the difference in the SPK valuation article.

New Building or Old?

For this reason, many foreign buyers turn to newly built projects whose permits were issued after 2019. This is a reasonable choice, but a new building must also be checked with the same care: the permit, the inspection company, the soil report and the completion certificate. An older building is not necessarily ruled out either; if it has a valid engineering report or has been strengthened, it can be an acceptable option. For a general comparison of new and ready projects, read the article off-plan or ready, and see current projects on the properties page.

Laws and regulations may change; before any decision, check the up-to-date position with the ALO TURKEY advisors and an independent engineer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are buildings built after 2019 definitely earthquake-resistant?

Not automatically. The 2018 code has stricter criteria, but the quality of execution, inspection and compliance with the approved project also matter. Look at the permit, inspection and completion documents.

Can you find out on e-Devlet with an ID number or address whether a building is resistant?

No. e-Devlet only shows registered records, such as a high-risk building file. The absence of a record does not mean the building is safe.

Is Istanbul Municipality's free assessment enough for a buyer?

Usually not for a purchase decision. This assessment involves no concrete sampling and is for prioritization; it does not have the standing of an official high-risk building assessment.

How much does an engineering report cost?

There is no fixed rate; it depends on the size of the building, the number of floors and the tests. Get quotes from several firms before starting.

Free Consultation with ALO TURKEY

If you have a property in mind and want to check its construction documents, completion certificate and records before buying, the Persian-speaking advisors of ALO TURKEY are with you. Get in touch via WhatsApp or the contact page.

Sources: Official Gazette of Turkey (Turkey Building Earthquake Code, issue 30364, March 18, 2018); AFAD and the Turkey Earthquake Hazard Map system; the turkiye.gov.tr portal; Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change (text of Law No. 4708); Turkish parliamentary questions on the implementation of Law No. 4708; Turkish academic repositories (Dicle, Balıkesir) on comparing the 2007 and 2018 codes; Cumhuriyet (February 2023) and Milli Gazete (2026) newspapers on building assessments. Information checked as of October 2026.