What Does the New Shelter Regulation Bring?

The Regulation Amending the Shelter Regulation (“Regulation”), published in the Official Gazette No. 33070 dated 7 November 2025, introduces inspection requirements and certain new standards for existing shelters. We share the key points of the Regulation with you below.

New Regulations Introduced for Residences, Dormitories, and Care Homes

A mandatory requirement to construct shelters has been introduced for new buildings, depending on their capacity. Accordingly, it has become mandatory to construct shelters in residential buildings with more than 10 independent sections; dormitories, barracks, hotels, and other accommodation facilities with more than 50 beds; care homes for the disabled, elderly, or children with more than 25 beds; healthcare institutions providing inpatient services; and all types of manufacturing and industrial facilities with a gross floor area exceeding 2,000 m².

A Shelter Requirement for Stadiums and a New Standard for Schools Have Been Introduced

The Regulation introduces a shelter requirement for new stadiums and similar open or closed sports facilities with a spectator capacity of 5,000 or more and stipulates that the capacity of the shelters to be built must be calculated based on at least 3% of the total spectator capacity.

New conditions have also been added for the construction of shelters in educational buildings. It will now be mandatory for shelters located within educational buildings to be constructed with reinforced concrete ceilings at least 20 cm thick and walls at least 30 cm thick.

Additional Precautions Have Been Introduced for Shelters in Public Buildings

A requirement has been introduced mandating the construction of shelters in all public buildings with a gross floor area of 1,000 m² or more that are included in the floor area ratio calculation.

Additionally, new obligations have been established regarding the implementation of supplementary safety measures in shelters located within public, health, and educational facilities such as the installation of generators capable of providing uninterrupted electricity for at least 24 hours, and the establishment of satellite phone infrastructure and/or emergency Wi-Fi access points in addition to standard communication outlets.

Furthermore, shelters larger than 100 m² must contain a first-aid cabinet with fire extinguishers and basic medical equipment, as well as battery-powered LED lamps, landline telephones, radios, and external video communication and information devices to ensure continuous communication.

Inspection Process Introduced for the Newly Implemented Provisions

Under the provisional article introduced by the Regulation, all private and public shelters are required to undergo inspections to be completed within one year, i.e., by 7 November 2026. Shelters found not suitable for use must be brought into compliance with the legislation in accordance with Article 14 of the Regulation.

You can access the full text of the Regulation (Turkish only) here.