Check the Korean approval route before major repair work begins
A renovation described by a contractor as ordinary interior work can still be a statutory major repair under Korean building law.
The result depends on the structural role of the element, the action being taken, and in several cases the affected area or member count.
Removing even a small part of a load-bearing wall can be treated differently from repairing less than 30 square metres of the same wall.
Starting demolition before the correct permit or report is complete can lead to redesign, delay, restoration orders, and a separate enforcement-charge risk.
This calculator applies Korean statutes and decrees in force on 5 September 2026.
It first screens eight categories in Article 3-2 of the Enforcement Decree of the Building Act, then shows whether the current inputs point to no major repair, a report filing, a permit, or a separate construction-category review.
It also combines the registration licence tax, potential stamp duty, a locally confirmed application fee, and the actual VAT-inclusive professional quotes entered by the user.
It does not invent a nationwide architect fee or construction cost.
This is a Korea-specific pre-check, not a permit decision or legal opinion.
The responsible Korean authority must review the actual building, drawings, work scope, and local ordinance before work starts.
30 m²
Walls and exterior finish
Repair or alteration threshold
3 members
Columns, beams, roof frames
Repair or alteration threshold
Below 200 m² and 3 floors
Small-building rule
Both strict limits must be met
What Korean law means by major repair
Article 2(1)(9) of the Building Act defines major repair by reference to work on major structural elements and exterior form within the scope prescribed by Presidential Decree.
Article 2(1)(7) identifies major structural elements such as load-bearing walls, columns, floors, beams, roof frames, and main stairs, subject to the statutory wording and exclusions.
The label on a contractor quote is not decisive.
A cosmetic finish, a non-load-bearing partition, and a structural wall can look similar before demolition, so drawings and professional identification remain essential.
The eight live categories under Enforcement Decree Article 3-2
Item 1 · Load-bearing walls
Adding or removing any affected area can qualify. Repair or alteration qualifies at 30 m² or more.
Item 2 · Columns
Adding or removing at least one can qualify. Repair or alteration qualifies at three or more columns.
Item 3 · Beams
Adding or removing at least one can qualify. Repair or alteration qualifies at three or more beams.
Item 4 · Roof frames
Adding or removing at least one can qualify. Repair or alteration qualifies at three or more, with the stated hanok-rafter exclusion.
Item 5 · Fire walls and compartments
Addition, removal, repair, or alteration of a fire wall or fire-compartment floor or wall can qualify.
Item 6 · Specified stairs
Addition, removal, repair, or alteration of main, escape, or special escape stairs can qualify.
Item 8 · Walls between dwelling units
Work on a separating wall in multi-unit or multi-household housing can qualify.
Item 9 · Exterior finishing material
For material covered by Building Act Article 52(2), addition or removal can qualify, while repair or alteration uses the 30 m² threshold.
Item 7 has been deleted, which is why the numbering jumps from item 6 to item 8.
There are eight live categories even though the last number is 9.
The decree also requires care where the project is actually an extension, alteration, reconstruction, or another construction category rather than major repair.
Use the separate-review checkbox whenever the work changes floor area, layout, structural form, use, or another fact that could move the project into a different statutory route.
How the likely permit or report route is screened
Building Act Article 11 makes a permit the general route for construction or major repair.
Article 14 allows specified work to proceed through a report instead, and Enforcement Decree Article 11(2) defines an additional repair-only case.
The calculator applies these rules in a safety-first order.
It first stops at separate review if another construction category may apply, then checks whether any Article 3-2 threshold is triggered.
If major repair is triggered and the building has gross floor area below 200 m² and fewer than three floors, the result is a likely report filing.
Both limits are strict.
Exactly 200 m² fails the area condition, and exactly three floors fails the floor condition.
A result can still be a likely report for a larger building when every triggered category is within items 1 through 6 and every action is repair rather than alteration, addition, or removal.
Items 8 and 9 do not enter that repair-only exception in the current wording.
Screening order for Korean major-repair procedure| Displayed result | Input condition | Required follow-up |
|---|
| Separate review | Possible extension, alteration, reconstruction, or change of use | Classify the construction act before relying on a major-repair route |
| Below threshold | No selected work reaches an Article 3-2 threshold | Confirm structural identity and aggregation with other work |
| Likely report | Gross floor area < 200 m² and floors < 3, or eligible items 1–6 repaired only | Confirm report documents and structural attachments |
| Likely permit | Major repair without either report exception | Confirm architect design, permit documents, and timing |
A report is not the same as doing the work without an administrative step.
The authority may still require drawings, calculations, supporting documents, corrections, and confirmation that the report has been accepted before commencement.
What the cost total includes
The total is a preparation budget for approval-related professional and administrative costs, not the construction contract price.
Enter the VAT-inclusive architect design and filing quote, structural review quote, construction supervision quote, and any other professional quote actually received.
The calculator does not apply a price per square metre because private architect compensation is not a single compulsory nationwide tariff.
Building Act Article 17 permits an application fee, while Enforcement Rule Article 10 leaves the major-repair fee to the local ordinance with regard to project scope.
Enter only the amount confirmed for the relevant authority.
Registration licence tax
Local Tax Act Article 34 provides fixed amounts by licence class and jurisdiction.
Enforcement Decree Article 39 and Schedule 1 item 26 classify a building or major-repair permit using floor count and gross floor area.
The higher class triggered by either measure controls.
A building with ten or more floors or at least 2,000 m² is class 1.
Five to nine floors or at least 1,000 m² but below 2,000 m² is class 2.
Two to four floors or at least 500 m² but below 1,000 m² is class 3.
A case outside classes 1 through 3 is class 5 for this item; class 4 is not used here.
Korean registration licence tax amounts used by the calculator| Class | Large city | Other city | County |
|---|
| 1 | KRW 67,500 | KRW 45,000 | KRW 27,000 |
| 2 | KRW 54,000 | KRW 34,000 | KRW 18,000 |
| 3 | KRW 40,500 | KRW 22,500 | KRW 12,000 |
| 5 | KRW 18,000 | KRW 7,500 | KRW 4,500 |
Stamp duty on architect engagement documents
Stamp Tax Act Article 3 sets the amount tiers, and Enforcement Decree Article 2-3 item 16 covers an architect engagement document under Architects Act Article 19.
The calculator applies the tier separately to the design engagement and the supervision engagement when each checkbox is selected.
A stated amount up to KRW 10 million produces no stamp duty.
The successive amounts are KRW 20,000 above KRW 10 million up to KRW 30 million, KRW 40,000 above KRW 30 million up to KRW 50 million, and KRW 70,000 above KRW 50 million up to KRW 100 million.
The duty is KRW 150,000 above KRW 100 million up to KRW 1 billion and KRW 350,000 above KRW 1 billion.
Confirm the actual document classification and cost allocation when the contract is drafted.
Why the National Housing Bond line is zero
Schedule 1 under Article 8 of the Enforcement Decree of the Housing and Urban Fund Act expressly excludes major-repair permits from the building-permit bond-purchase item.
The calculator therefore keeps both the purchase amount and any assumed discount loss at zero for the major-repair permit itself.
If the same project also involves an extension, another licence, or a registration, check whether that separate act creates its own bond obligation.
The total formula
Professional subtotal = design/filing + structural review + supervision + other professional quotes
Preparation total = professional subtotal + local application fee + registration licence tax + stamp duty + other admin costs
National Housing Bond purchase for the major-repair permit = KRW 0
When the authority has confirmed the specific disaster-recovery application-fee exemption, selecting the exemption changes the entered application fee to zero in the total.
It does not erase professional fees, taxes, or costs arising under a different approval.
How to use the calculator
- Check gross floor area and floor count against the Korean building register and available drawings.
Choose the tax jurisdiction deliberately rather than treating every urban address as a large city.
- Review all eight work cards, even if the contractor described the project using only one trade name.
A stair or fire-compartment change can sit inside a broader interior package.
- Select repair, alteration, addition, or removal and enter the measured area or member count where requested.
For a divided project, use the actual combined scope rather than splitting one planned operation into smaller contractual rows.
- Select the separate-review warning if floor area, structural form, building use, or another fact suggests a different construction category.
This prevents a major-repair shortcut from masking a more fundamental approval question.
- Enter VAT-inclusive written quotes from the architect, structural professional, supervisor, and other professionals.
Mark the design or supervision engagement document only when that document is actually expected.
- Enter the local application fee and incidental document costs confirmed for the relevant authority.
Review the displayed criterion, exception reason, tax class, and itemised total together.
- Take the result, building register, existing and proposed drawings, site photos, measurements, and quotes to a Korean architect and the responsible authority.
Obtain final confirmation before demolition or commencement.
Worked decision examples
Example 1 · Removing 5 m² of load-bearing wall in a 150 m² two-floor shop
Removal is not given the 30 m² tolerance used for repair or alteration, so a positive affected area can trigger item 1.
With gross floor area below 200 m² and fewer than three floors, the current facts point to the small-building report route.
The user should still ask whether the project is an alteration or reconstruction and whether structural verification is required.
The small-building architect-design exception is not a promise that drawings or professional assistance will be unnecessary.
Example 2 · Repairing three columns in an 800 m² four-floor building
Three columns meet the exact item 2 threshold for repair or alteration.
The building is not within the small-building exception, but a repair-only operation under item 2 can fall within Enforcement Decree Article 11(2).
The calculator therefore displays a likely report.
If the method replaces or changes the columns rather than preserving and repairing them, the report-only conclusion can change to a likely permit.
Example 3 · Changing a wall between units in a multi-unit building
A wall separating dwelling units is item 8 when the statutory building type and wall facts are met.
Item 8 is outside the item 1–6 repair-only report exception for a larger building.
The likely result is therefore a permit unless the small-building exception applies.
Fire, acoustic, dwelling-boundary, and use requirements can also require professional review beyond the amount shown here.
Example 4 · Repairing 29 m² versus 30 m² of regulated exterior finish
For repair or alteration of exterior finishing material covered by Article 52(2), 29 m² stays below the calculator threshold while 30 m² reaches it.
Confirm that the material and building are actually within the statutory exterior-finish rule.
Do not divide one coherent project into several nominal packages to avoid counting the real affected area.
Frequently asked questions
Can a load-bearing wall under 30 m² be removed without approval?
Do not assume so. The 30 m² threshold applies to repair or alteration, while addition or removal can qualify with any positive area. The element must also be correctly identified, and another construction category may apply.
Does exactly 200 m² qualify for the small-building report exception?
No. The statutory wording is below 200 m², so exactly 200 m² fails that area condition. Check whether the separate repair-only exception for eligible items 1–6 applies.
Does a 100 m² building with three floors qualify as small?
Not under this exception because three floors is not fewer than three. A repair-only operation under items 1–6 may still be reportable, depending on the actual action.
Why is there no automatic architect percentage?
A private owner’s architect fee cannot be fixed by applying one compulsory nationwide percentage. Public-sector compensation standards are not a mandatory private-contract price list. Enter the actual VAT-inclusive quote and its scope.
Is construction supervision always required for major repair?
The answer can depend on building facts, procedure, and related rules. The calculator does not make a universal determination. Confirm appointment, scope, and quote with the architect and authority.
Why is the National Housing Bond amount zero?
The current Enforcement Decree schedule for the Housing and Urban Fund Act expressly excludes major-repair permits from its building-permit bond item. A different approval or registration in the same project can require a separate check.
Does paying registration licence tax complete the permit?
No. It is one cost item, not the approval itself. The application, drawings, structural documents where required, corrections, and authority processing remain separate requirements.
Does the total include construction cost or an enforcement charge?
No. Construction work and post-violation enforcement charges are outside this calculator. The latter depends on a correction order, building value, affected scope, violation type, and local rules.
Can I rely on a contractor’s statement that a wall is non-load-bearing?
Use drawings and a qualified review. Existing conditions can differ from records, and a visual assumption is not a reliable basis for removing a structural or fire-separating element.
Does a likely report result mean I may start immediately?
No. Confirm the filing documents, acceptance, corrections, and lawful commencement date with the authority. A report route is still an administrative procedure.
Documents and questions to take to the consultation
Prepare these materials
- Korean building register and site address.
- Existing plans, structural drawings, and proposed plans.
- Current photographs showing each affected element.
- Area and member-count measurements with calculation notes.
- Written scope from the contractor and VAT-inclusive professional quotes.
- Any earlier approvals, reports, violation notices, or authority replies.
Ask these questions
- Is each selected element legally the element described in Article 3-2?
- Is the action repair, alteration, addition, removal, or a different construction category?
- Which permit or report documents and structural attachments are required?
- Is architect design or construction supervision required for this building?
- What application fee does the local ordinance impose?
- When is approval complete, and on what date may work lawfully commence?
Important limitations and risk controls
- The calculator cannot identify a structural element from a photograph or contractor label.
Existing conditions, concealed members, and discrepancies between the building and its records require professional review.
- Structural-safety verification under Building Act Article 48 and Enforcement Decree Article 32 depends on facts beyond this short input form.
Treat it as a mandatory consultation question, not an automatically included or excluded item.
- Demolition approval or reporting, asbestos surveys, fire-safety procedures, electrical work, lifts, and other specialist approvals can apply independently.
Their costs are included only if the user places an actual quote in the other-professional or admin field.
- Local application fees and document requirements can change by ordinance.
A number entered from an old blog post is not equivalent to confirmation from the responsible authority.
- If work has already begun without the required approval, do not treat this preparation total as an enforcement-charge estimate.
Use the separate illegal-building enforcement charge calculator and seek professional advice about the correction order and legalisation route.
- Save the facts used for the calculation and any written authority response.
If the design or work scope changes, run the check again because a small quantity change can cross the 30 m², three-member, 200 m², or floor-count boundary.
Turn the estimate into a documented decision
Save the triggered criteria, procedure reason, tax class, and itemised cost with the building facts used.
Ask a Korean architect to review the actual element and construction category, then confirm the route and local fee with the responsible authority.
Build the contract schedule around completed approval, not around an informal promise that approval can be fixed after demolition.
Legal basis and verification date
Rules were checked on 5 September 2026 through Korea’s National Law Information Center.
Building Act ID 001823, MST 273437 and Enforcement Decree ID 002118, MST 288339 provide the major-repair, permit, and report framework.
Enforcement Rule ID 006191, MST 283727 supports the local-fee treatment.
Local Tax Act ID 001649, MST 282559 and its Enforcement Decree ID 005077, MST 287223 provide the registration licence tax.
Housing and Urban Fund Act Enforcement Decree ID 012323, MST 281291 provides the bond exclusion.
Stamp Tax Act ID 001568, MST 276139 and its Enforcement Decree ID 004530, MST 280881 provide the engagement-document duty.
Recheck the law and the relevant local ordinance on the actual filing date.
Open Korea's National Law Information Center →