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 the 1st floor), if you undertake any renovation work on the ‘ceiling or walls,’ you must apply for a permit. Your building is 10 stories high, so even though your unit is on the 3rd floor, you still need to apply for a ‘simplified interior renovation’ permit.”

This confusing exchange is the biggest nightmare for renovation professionals and homeowners across Taiwan. What you might assume are universal renovation regulations across the country can immediately fail when encountering Taipei City’s specific rules for ‘simplified interior renovations.’ As the capital, Taipei has established its own set of independent, significantly stricter regulations compared to **other counties and cities**. This article will delve into this regulatory revolution, explaining just how different the ‘Taipei City standard’ truly is.

The Challenge of Taipei’s Simplified Interior Renovations: Why ‘Out-of-Town Experience’ Falls into the ‘No-Permit Trap’?

In other counties and cities (like New Taipei, Taoyuan, or Taichung), the scope of ‘simplified interior renovations’ and ‘permit exemptions’ is relatively lenient, with judgment criteria primarily revolving around the ‘floor level’ and ‘whether partition walls are being altered.’ However, this ‘old model’ experience, once replicated in Taipei, can quickly lead to the legal pitfall of ‘unauthorized renovation.’

The Overlooked ‘Total Building Floors’: Taipei’s Unique ‘6-Story Hazard’

This is the fundamental first difference between the ‘Taipei City standard’ and other municipalities. In most areas, the determining factor is ‘the floor you are renovating on.’ For instance, New Taipei City stipulates that ‘residences below the 5th floor’ that do not involve partition wall changes can be exempt from permits. But Taipei City doesn’t look at ‘how many floors your unit is on’; it looks at ‘the total number of floors in your building.’

The ‘Taipei City Regulations for the Review and Inspection of Building Interior Renovations’ clearly state that for renovations in ‘non-public use buildings’ (like general residences), both of the following conditions must be met to be ‘permit-exempt’:

1. The total number of floors in the building is **five stories or fewer**.
2. There is no alteration to ‘partition walls.’

The paradox of this regulation is that a homeowner living on the 2nd floor of an apartment building in Taipei might have a high chance of being ‘permit-exempt’ if their building is only 5 stories tall. However, another homeowner living on the 3rd floor of a luxury high-rise in Xinyi District, because their building has a total of 30 floors, far exceeding the ‘five stories or fewer’ criterion, would theoretically need to apply for a ‘simplified interior renovation’ permit even for simple actions like ‘painting or replacing flooring’ (which are considered renovation activities under the law).

The Paradox of the Cost Myth: When ‘NT Million’ Meets ‘Partition Walls’

In other municipalities, the ‘project cost’ (e.g., NT$12 million in New Taipei City) is often used as one of the thresholds to distinguish between ‘simplified’ and ‘general’ interior renovations. However, in Taipei City, this cost standard is practically ‘null and void.’ As mentioned in the previous section, Taipei City’s review core is ‘public safety,’ and the alteration of ‘partition walls’ (i.e., interior dividing walls) is considered a critical action affecting fire prevention and evacuation.

In Taipei City, regardless of whether your project cost is NT$1 million or NT$10 million, if you ‘demolish or add any partition wall,’ your case is ‘immediately’ upgraded from ‘simplified interior renovation’ to ‘general interior renovation,’ requiring a rigorous drawing review by a licensed architect. This ‘partition wall’ red line is a unique high standard in Taipei City.

How Taipei’s Simplified Interior Renovations Rewrite the Rules: The Roles of ‘Review Scope’ and ‘Professional Endorsement’

Having understood Taipei City’s extremely stringent ‘permit exemption’ standards, let’s look at the differences when you ‘must apply’ for a simplified interior renovation. The answer lies in the ‘breadth of review’ and the ‘professionalism of the endorsement.’

New Core Element: Expanded Review Scope (Drawings vs. Notification)

In many municipalities, ‘simplified interior renovations’ might truly be ‘simple,’ perhaps only requiring basic floor plans and elevation drawings, or even adopting a ‘notification’ system (where you submit for record-keeping without substantive review).

However, in Taipei City, the review for simplified interior renovations retains the rigor of the ‘Taipei City standard’:

• Completeness of Drawings: You still need to provide complete existing condition drawings, floor layout plans, ceiling plans, and material lists.
• Material Specifications: The drawings must clearly indicate whether all materials meet ‘fire resistance ratings’ and if the ‘green building material’ usage ratio meets the standard (Taipei mandates 60%).
• Fire Safety Equipment: The locations of all fire safety equipment (sprinklers, smoke detectors) must be marked, ensuring that renovation activities (like ceiling installations) do not obstruct them.

In other words, Taipei City’s ‘simplified interior renovation’ is not far from ‘general interior renovation’ in terms of the ‘items’ reviewed, only the process is more streamlined.

Key Difference: Who Can ‘Endorse’ Your Application?

This is another significant difference. Applying for an interior renovation permit requires endorsement by a ‘professionally qualified’ individual who takes responsibility. Across Taiwan, those typically qualified are:

1. Licensed architects.
2. Interior renovation companies holding an ‘Interior Renovation Business Registration Certificate’ (which must employ professional technical personnel).

In Taipei City, while both of the above can apply for ‘simplified interior renovations,’ in practice, due to the rigor and complexity of the review (such as calculating green building material ratios and determining fire compartments), many homeowners and designers prefer to have a ‘licensed architect’ handle the endorsement. This ensures the drawings meet the strict standards of the Building Administration Office from the outset, avoiding delays from back-and-forth corrections. This also effectively raises the professional threshold for ‘simplified interior renovations’ in Taipei City compared to other areas.

Beyond ‘Intuitive Judgment’: 3 Key Indicators for Determining ‘Taipei City Simplified Interior Renovations’

In summary, you can no longer rely on ‘intuition’ or ‘out-of-town experience’ to determine Taipei City’s interior renovation permit requirements. You must use the ‘Taipei City standard’ dashboard for self-assessment.

Core Indicator 1: Total Building Floors (The 6-Story Hazard)

First, obtain your building’s ‘Certificate of Occupancy’ to confirm the ‘total number of floors.’ For any multi-story residential building that is ‘six floors or higher,’ you can practically say goodbye to the possibility of ‘permit exemption.’ Any renovation activity (including ceilings and walls) will require at least a ‘simplified interior renovation’ application.

Core Indicator 2: Alteration of ‘Partition Walls’

Second, review your design plans. If your design involves ‘demolishing’ or ‘adding’ any interior partition wall, regardless of the cost, it will be ‘immediately’ upgraded to a ‘general interior renovation’ review in Taipei City, no longer applicable to simplified renovations.

Core Indicator 3: ‘Public Use’ Designation

Third, confirm the ‘intended use’ of your space. If you are renovating a space that is not a ‘residence’ (H-2 category) but an ‘office’ (G-2), ‘shop’ (D-5), or other ‘public use’ facility, the review standards will be even stricter, leaving almost no room for ambiguity. Applications will be required, and most will fall under the ‘general interior renovation’ category.

In Taipei City, ‘simplified interior renovation’ is not a ‘benefit’ but a ‘privilege.’ It is a streamlined process for a very small number of ‘low-risk’ sites after a strict screening, certainly not standard equipment for the majority.

Below is the ‘Taipei City vs. Other Municipalities Simplified Interior Renovation Difference Dashboard’ to help you quickly clarify the distinctions:

Comparison Dimension	Taipei City Standard (Most Strict)	Other Municipalities (Common Standards, e.g., New Taipei)
‘Permit Exemption’ Threshold	Building total 5 floors or less + No partition wall alteration	Renovation floor 5 or less + No partition wall alteration (or more lenient)
Simplified/General Renovation Distinction	Alteration of ‘partition walls’ (Yes, upgrades to general renovation)	Project cost (e.g., NT$12 million) + partition alteration + floor level
Key Drawing Review Points	Mandatory 60% green building material ratio; Fire safety equipment must not be obstructed.	Varies by municipality; most do not have mandatory green building material ratios.
Review Philosophy	Extremely strict, with ‘public safety’ as the highest principle.	Relatively flexible, balancing ‘convenience’ and ‘safety.’

The Future of ‘Taipei City Simplified Interior Renovations’: A Choice Between ‘Capital Safety’ and ‘Professional Threshold’

The complexity and strictness of ‘Taipei City simplified interior renovations’ reflect the capital’s unwavering determination on public safety issues. The future of these standards will only become more refined with increasing urban density, fundamentally raising the ‘professional threshold’ for undertaking interior renovations in Taipei City.

Will you choose to rely on ‘out-of-town experience,’ gambling on the slim chance of ‘not being reported,’ only to face fines and work stoppages for ‘unauthorized renovation’? Or will you, from the start, acknowledge the uniqueness of the ‘Taipei City standard,’ seek out a professional architect or contractor familiar with local regulations, and obtain a legal ‘simplified interior renovation’ permit for your project? Ultimately, this is a choice between ‘speculation’ and ‘professionalism,’ and more importantly, a choice between ‘personal convenience’ and ‘capital public safety.’