TRNC Earthquake Regulation 2015 and Zones

Short answer: The Northern Cyprus (TRNC) earthquake regulation, officially named “Regulation 2015 on Buildings to Be Constructed in Earthquake Zones of the TRNC”, was published in the Official Gazette on 18 June 2015 with the approval of the Council of Ministers and regulates the earthquake-resistant design of all newly built public and private buildings. According to the map annexed to the regulation, settlements such as Famagusta, Güzelyurt and Lefke are in 2nd-degree earthquake zones, while settlements such as Nicosia, Kyrenia and İskele are in 3rd-degree earthquake zones. The regulation is implemented by the Chamber of Civil Engineers and the Planning and Construction Department.

This article has been prepared for readers considering buying a home in the TRNC and wondering which earthquake rules the building they plan to purchase was designed under. Based on the official text, we explain the scope of the regulation, how earthquake zones are determined and which documents a buyer should request when reviewing a project or a resale property. We covered the general features of an earthquake-resistant building in our article what should an earthquake-resistant building be like.

What is the TRNC earthquake regulation and how did it enter into force?

The regulation was issued by the Council of Ministers under the authority granted by the Cyprus Turkish Chamber of Engineers and Architects Law No. 21/2005 and the 2009 Chamber of Civil Engineers Visa Regulation. According to the foreword of the text published by the Chamber of Civil Engineers (İMO), the regulation was finalised with the participation of the Planning and Construction Department; it was first approved by the KTMMOB Authorisation Board and then by the Council of Ministers, and was published in the Official Gazette on 18 June 2015.

The foreword also summarises the history of earthquake rules in the TRNC. This history is important for understanding which rules buildings constructed in different periods may have been designed under:

The foreword states that the main reference for the regulation is Turkey’s 2007 earthquake regulation (TDY2007) and that an up-to-date earthquake map prepared for the island of Cyprus is used. You can access the full text of the regulation on the Chamber of Civil Engineers’ website.

Which buildings does the regulation cover?

The purpose of the regulation is to determine the necessary rules and minimum conditions for the earthquake-resistant design and construction of all new, modified and extended public and private buildings in earthquake zones, as well as for the assessment and strengthening of the performance of existing buildings before or after an earthquake. We can summarise the scope provisions in the text as follows:

• Types of structures: Reinforced concrete (cast-in-place and prefabricated), steel and masonry buildings, as well as building-type structures.
• Existing buildings: There is a separate section (Chapter 7) for buildings whose intended use or structural system will be changed, whose performance will be assessed or which will be strengthened.
• Reference standards: Provided that they do not conflict with the regulation, European Union design standards (Eurocode), North American and New Zealand regulations may be used as references.
• Structures outside the scope: Bridges, dams, coastal and port structures, tunnels, pipelines and structures entirely underground, as well as seismically isolated buildings, are outside the scope of this regulation; for these, the conditions to be determined by İMO according to contemporary international standards apply.
• Materials and workmanship: Buildings must comply with TS-EN standards, the İMO General Technical Specification for Construction Works and the Technical Specification for Construction Works of the Ministry of Public Works and Transport.

The regulation’s basic design principle has three levels: no damage to the building in low-intensity earthquakes, limited and repairable damage in moderate-intensity earthquakes, and life safety in severe earthquakes. The earthquake taken as the basis for the design of residential buildings is an earthquake with a 10% probability of exceedance within a 50-year period; this corresponds to an earthquake scenario expected approximately once every 475 years.

TRNC earthquake zones: which settlement is in which zone?

The regulation defines earthquake zones through the earthquake map annexed to it and a list prepared on the basis of municipal boundaries. The effective ground acceleration coefficient used in design is given in the regulation’s general table as 0.40 for zone 1, 0.30 for zone 2, 0.20 for zone 3 and 0.10 for zone 4. In the annexed settlement list, the zone number and coefficient are written separately for each settlement. Some of the prominent settlements in terms of the housing market are:

According to the list, there is no settlement in the TRNC located in a 1st-degree earthquake zone; settlements close to the southern and western parts of the island, together with the area around Famagusta, are in 2nd-degree zones, while the northern coast and Karpaz are in 3rd-degree zones. This does not mean that earthquake risk on the northern coast is “non-existent”; it only shows that the ground acceleration used in design is taken as lower. Since the list includes a coefficient of 0.25 for some zone 3 settlements in the table, the most accurate approach is to ask the civil engineer who prepared the project for the value applicable to a specific plot.

The earthquake zone alone is not decisive; the soil on which the building sits is also taken into account. The regulation separately defines local soil classes when calculating earthquake loads and provides for the use of less favourable design spectra on weak soils. For this reason, even on two neighbouring plots in the same village, the results of the soil survey may differ and the structural system is designed accordingly. It is especially important to ask for the details of the soil survey in areas close to the coast, or on fill or alluvial soils.

Building importance factor: why are homes and schools different?

The regulation applies a “building importance factor” in earthquake calculations according to the intended use of the building. Buildings that must be used immediately after an earthquake are designed with a higher safety margin:

• 1,5: Hospitals, healthcare facilities, fire stations, communication and energy facilities, transportation terminals, municipal and district governorate buildings, buildings containing hazardous materials.
• 1,4: Schools, dormitories, boarding houses and similar buildings where people are densely present for long periods, museums.
• 1,2: Sports facilities, cinemas, theatres and concert halls and similar buildings with short-term intensive use.
• Other buildings: For this group, which also includes residential buildings, the design earthquake is defined on the basis of buildings with an importance factor of 1.

In practice, this shows that a residential building is designed under the regulation with the aim of life safety, while critical buildings such as hospitals are designed with higher resistance so that they can continue to function after an earthquake.

Which documents should buyers ask for?

The existence of the regulation is not a guarantee that every building has been constructed in accordance with it; compliance is demonstrated by documents and inspections. When reviewing a project or a resale home, we recommend asking the following questions:

1. Is the structural project visa-approved? Ask whether the structural system project has passed through the İMO visa office and been approved with the construction permit.
2. Has a soil survey been carried out? According to KTMMOB’s soil assessment principles, the soil survey is prepared before the structural project and submitted to the İMO visa office as an annex to the structural project. Ask whether the soil assessment file exists.
3. Who is the supervising engineer? Find out the name of the supervising engineer who inspects every stage of construction and whether the concrete and rebar test reports have been kept.
4. In which year was the building designed? For a resale property, whether the project was approved before 2005, between 2005–2015 or after 2015 gives an idea of which rules it was designed under.
5. Have any alterations been made? Changes such as removing load-bearing walls or adding floors require a separate assessment for existing buildings.

If you would like to have the current condition of an older building assessed, you can see our article how to get an earthquake resistance test, and for other checks to make when buying resale property, see our guide to buying a resale home in Cyprus. We explain how to verify permit documents when buying off-plan in our article on construction permit checks. For financial protection against earthquake risk, our article on earthquake insurance in Cyprus may also guide you.

Frequently asked questions

Which earthquake regulation is valid in the TRNC?

In the TRNC, the earthquake-resistant design of buildings is regulated by the “Regulation 2015 on Buildings to Be Constructed in Earthquake Zones of the TRNC”, published in the Official Gazette on 18 June 2015. As of October 2026, this regulation is listed on the Chamber of Civil Engineers’ legislation page. Confirm with your project engineer whether any new regulation has been introduced.

What degree earthquake zone is Famagusta in?

According to the list in the annex to the regulation based on municipal boundaries, Famagusta is located in a 2nd-degree earthquake zone and its effective ground acceleration coefficient is given as 0.30. Yeni Boğaziçi and Tuzla are also in a 2nd-degree zone in the same list.

Which earthquake zone are Kyrenia and İskele in?

According to the list, Kyrenia, Çatalköy, Lapta, Alsancak, Esentepe and Tatlısu are in 3rd-degree zones with a coefficient of 0.20. On the İskele side, Yeni İskele and Boğaziçi are listed in 3rd-degree zones with a coefficient of 0.25, while Bafra and Boğaz are listed with a coefficient of 0.20.

Are buildings constructed before 2015 unsafe?

No, such a conclusion cannot be reached by looking only at the construction date. Starting in 2005, İMO had begun requiring Turkey’s 1997 earthquake regulation for projects submitted to the visa office. However, in older buildings, design rules, quality of workmanship and later alterations may vary. If there is any doubt, have a structural assessment carried out by a civil engineer.

How can I tell whether a building was constructed in accordance with the regulation?

A visa-approved structural project, soil assessment file, records of the supervising engineer, and concrete and rebar test reports are the most important indicators. For completed buildings, a final or partial approval certificate also shows that the process has been officially completed. Request these documents from the seller in writing and have them reviewed by an independent engineer.

If you would like to review the structural project and soil survey documents of a project together, you can contact the Akol Global team; we will answer your questions based on the documents.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not replace legal, tax or financial advice. Last updated: October 2026.