Taipei’s Simplified Interior Renovation Rules: A Capital City’s Unique Challenge
A homeowner, Mr. Chen, recently completed renovations on his house in New Taipei City. He clearly recalled, “For residences below the 5th floor, if you don’t alter partition walls, you can skip the interior renovation permit.” He happily shared this ‘experience’ with a friend who was about to buy an older home in Taipei’s Daan District, advising him, “Your place is only on the 3rd floor; as long as you don’t change the layout, you definitely won’t need a permit, saving you money!”However, after consulting an architect in Taipei, his friend received a completely opposite answer: “No. In Taipei City, for any multi-story residential building that is ‘6 floors or higher,’ regardless of which floor your unit is on (even…