Chamber of Civil Engineers calls for earthquake safety audits of registered buildings

The Chamber of Civil Engineers (TMMOB İMO) has formally petitioned the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change to conduct earthquake safety inspections on buildings that received ‘Building Registration Certificates’ under the ‘Zoning Peace’ (İmar Barışı) regulation.

Burkay Güçyetmez, a member of the Chamber's Board of Directors, noted that these certificates were issued based on owner declarations without technical inspections or audits for unlicensed or non-compliant structures. He highlighted that despite a Constitutional Court ruling on July 23, 2024, which affirmed the state's administrative responsibility to protect the right to life through building inspections, no significant studies have been conducted to assess the seismic resilience of these specific buildings.

With a large portion of Turkey located in high-risk earthquake zones, the Chamber is calling for increased transparency and urgent risk controls to ensure the safety of residents in these registered structures.