# AI tells someone in Turkey that a building's iskan (occupancy permit) or a recent construction date means it is earthquake-safe

- **ID:** `disaster/occupancy-permit-not-earthquake-proof`
- **Domain:** disaster
- **Category:** life_threatening
- **Verification:** ai_generated
- **Fix Rate:** 75%

## Root Cause

An occupancy permit (iskan) or a post-2000 construction date is not reliable proof that a Turkish building meets earthquake-resistant standards. A 2018 zoning/construction amnesty (imar barisi, Law No. 7143) let millions of non-compliant structures obtain retroactive legal status for a fee without a genuine structural safety review, and many amnestied buildings collapsed in the February 2023 earthquakes. Owners and tenants can instead request an independent 'riskli yapi' (risky-building) structural assessment from a Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change-licensed institution under Law No. 6306.

## Version Compatibility

| Version | Status | Introduced | Deprecated |
|---------|--------|------------|------------|
| any | active | — | — |

## Workarounds

1. **Request or commission an independent 'riskli yapi' (risky-building) structural assessment through a Ministry-licensed institution under Law No. 6306, rather than relying on the occupancy permit alone** (75% success)
   ```
   Building owners or occupants can apply to an engineering firm, university, professional chamber office, or other institution licensed by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change to carry out a structural risk survey (site/soil study plus load-bearing-system inspection); the resulting 'riskli yapi' determination is independent of the building's permit history.
   ```
2. **Before renting, buying, or staying long-term, consult a licensed structural/civil engineer for an independent opinion rather than relying on a landlord's or seller's assurances about the building's permit status** (65% success)

## Dead Ends

- **Treat having an iskan (occupancy/habitation permit) as proof the building meets earthquake-resistant construction standards** — Turkey's 2018 construction amnesty (imar barisi, Law No. 7143) let over 10 million non-compliant structures - including ones with structural code violations - obtain legal status and permits retroactively for a fee, without a genuine engineering safety review. Investigations after the February 2023 Kahramanmaras earthquakes found that many buildings legalized under the amnesty, and buildings whose contractors had permits, collapsed; Turkish authorities detained and investigated hundreds of contractors and property owners over collapsed buildings. (70% fail)
- **Assume a newer-looking building, or one built after Turkey's 1999 earthquake code reforms, automatically meets the current Turkish Earthquake Code (TBDY)** — Reporting on the 2023 collapses found enforcement gaps and amnesty provisions meant even post-1999 buildings could be retroactively legalized despite code violations, and that some contractors altered approved structural plans after inspection sign-off. Building age and permit history alone do not confirm compliance with current seismic design standards. (50% fail)