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The amendment to Türkiye's Planned Areas Zoning Regulation (Planlı Alanlar İmar Yönetmeliği), published in the Official Gazette No. 33297 on 1 July 2026, introduces significant changes for property owners and investors. Its most notable provision, Provisional Article 7, allows office units to be converted into residential units — but only until 1 July 2027.
The amendment also redefines the mandatory elevator rules by including basement floors in the storey count, excludes ornamental pools and pergolas from the floor-area (FAR) calculation, and clarifies the regime applicable to building permit renewals. This guide reviews each change and its legal implications.
What Changed on 1 July 2026?
The Planned Areas Zoning Regulation is the principal secondary legislation governing construction conditions in areas covered by a zoning plan in Türkiye. The amendment prepared by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change entered into force on its publication date, 1 July 2026, and touches nine separate points of the regulation.
The main pillars are: a time-limited possibility to convert office/bureau units into residences, a broader elevator obligation that now takes basement floors into account, new exemptions from the floor area ratio (FAR/emsal) calculation, a clarified permit-renewal regime, and transitional provisions protecting acquired rights in ongoing projects.
Office-to-Residence Conversion: Provisional Article 7
Provisional Article 7 permits buildings that hold an office or bureau construction permit — whether under construction or already holding an occupancy permit — to be converted to residential use through an alteration permit (tadilat ruhsatı), provided three conditions are met:
1. Zoning plan condition: The implementation zoning plan applicable to the parcel must contain a provision allowing residential use. If the plan permits only commercial or office use, conversion is not possible.
2. The 60% cap: After conversion, the residential use ratio across the entire parcel may not exceed 60 percent. The cap is calculated on the parcel as a whole, not per unit.
3. Deadline: The alteration permit must be finalised within one year of publication — that is, by 1 July 2027 at the latest.
A critical detail: the regulation requires the permit to be finalised, not merely applied for, within the one-year window. Since the permit process involves project preparation, fees, parking obligations and municipal review, starting the process early is essential to avoid losing the right.
In cities such as Antalya, where a considerable stock of "home-office" and "residence-office" units is de facto used as housing despite an office title, this provision offers a lawful way to align the title deed with actual use. For foreign investors holding office-titled units, conversion may affect both the marketability and the practical usability of the property. The conversion decision also interacts with condominium law (Law No. 634), management plans, parking obligations and tax aspects, so it should be planned as a whole.
New Elevator Rules
Under the amended Article 34, basement floors containing independent units, annexes or common areas (other than purely technical rooms such as boiler rooms, water tanks or generator rooms) are now included in the storey count. Based on this count, buildings with 3 storeys must reserve an elevator space, and buildings with 4 or more storeys must install an elevator. Detached single-unit houses remain exempt.
Previously, basements were generally excluded from the count, so the common "basement + ground + 2 floors" typology escaped the elevator requirement. Under the new rule, the obligation will apply earlier, with direct consequences for construction costs and for the allocation balance in construction-in-return-for-land-share (kat karşılığı inşaat) contracts.
Transitional protection: buildings for which permit application documents were filed before 1 July 2026, urban transformation projects with a notarised construction contract under Law No. 6306, and public projects with a tender decision remain subject to the previous rules.
A separate new provision also allows existing detached single-unit houses of up to 3 storeys (excluding basement) to retrofit an elevator or an accessibility lifting platform with municipal approval and structural safety measures.
Floor Area (FAR) Calculation Changes
The amendment introduces a formal definition of the ornamental pool (a pool created for visual and aesthetic purposes, not usable for swimming). Ornamental pools and pergolas that are not annexes of an independent unit and are not integrated with the load-bearing system are excluded from the FAR calculation up to 20 percent of the garden area, together with certain other garden uses. Entrance canopies, garden and retaining walls, and non-accessible roof/base areas are also excluded.
In public-use buildings, non-commercial common facilities — children's play and care areas, prayer rooms, parking areas and unused terrace roofs — are now treated as common areas for FAR purposes.
For parcels where the zoning plan does not specify coefficients: the building coverage ratio (TAKS) may not exceed 40 percent; where no FAR is given, development proceeds according to setback distances, with coverage capped at 60 percent.
Permit Renewal Regime
Where construction started within 2 years of the permit date, a renewed permit applies current legislation only for fire safety, earthquake, heat and water insulation, environment and energy efficiency; all other matters remain governed by the legislation in force at the original permit date. If construction did not start within 2 years, an entirely new permit under current plans and legislation is required.
Furthermore, buildings that already hold an occupancy permit may complete substantial alteration works under the regulation in force at their original permit date, provided the FAR, use purpose, land shares of unaffected units, eaves level and setbacks are not violated and current safety standards are met.
Summary Table
| Topic | Before | After 1 July 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Office → residence conversion | No special time-limited mechanism | Allowed via alteration permit; 60% parcel cap; deadline 1 July 2027 |
| Elevator storey count | Basements generally excluded | Basements with units, annexes or common areas included |
| Ornamental pool / pergola | Not defined | Defined; excluded from FAR up to 20% of garden area |
| Common areas in public buildings | FAR treatment disputed | Play areas, prayer rooms, parking, unused terrace roofs excluded from FAR |
| Parcels without coefficients | Inconsistent municipal practice | Coverage capped at 40%; setback-based development capped at 60% |
| Permit renewal | Former paragraph 13 | Mixed regime if construction started within 2 years; otherwise fully current rules |
