Icheon City Eases Criteria for Building Demolition Permits

Distance to crosswalks and other facilities changed from 20 meters from exterior wall to height of building

Icheon City in Gyeonggi Province will ease the criteria for requiring permits when demolishing buildings.

On July 7, Icheon City announced that, effective July 8, it will implement and promulgate a revised version of the "Icheon City Building Management Ordinance," which centers on these changes.

The revised ordinance adjusts the distance requirements for facilities specified by ordinance as part of the criteria for demolition permits, making them more realistic. The facilities subject to these criteria include: bus stops, entrances to urban railway stations, crosswalks, and entrances to overpasses and underpasses.

Previously, if any of these facilities were located within 20 meters of the exterior wall of a building slated for demolition, a permit was required before starting demolition work. Under the revised ordinance, this requirement has been eased so that the relevant distance is now defined as "within the height of the building."

For example, if a crosswalk is located within 15 meters of a building that is 4 meters tall, a permit was previously required to proceed with demolition. Going forward, this requirement will only apply if the crosswalk is within 4 meters?the height of the building?allowing demolition work to proceed with only a notification, rather than a permit.

Icheon City expects that this revision will reduce unnecessary administrative procedures and alleviate both the time and economic burdens on residents.

Kim Kyunghee, Mayor of Icheon, stated, "By improving local regulations to reflect real-world conditions, we will reduce inconvenience for citizens and enhance the credibility of our administration. We will continue to pursue balanced urban governance by rationally improving regulations and further strengthening safety."