TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taipei’s Construction Management Office said Wednesday the city received 2,700 reports of illegal construction last year.

Yu Chi-hsuen (虞積學), the office's director, said that authorities have carried out demolitions or ordered property owners to make improvements within a set deadline for the reported violations. Of these cases, 1,065 structures have been demolished, per CNA.

Yu said the violations included buildings encroaching on fire lanes, rooftop additions converted into more than three rental suites, residential units used as commercial kitchens, and rooftop structures added without residential fire alarms.

The city government has mandated the installation of residential fire alarms in buildings more than 30 years old that have rooftop additions. It said the initiative targets homes with aging electrical wiring that pose a fire risk and aims to reduce the likelihood of serious public safety incidents.

Yu said the office has so far scheduled enforcement action for 430 illegal structures. After the office receives a report, inspectors are sent to verify the violation before ordering the property owner to make corrections or proceed with demolition, Yu said.

The office added that common types of illegal construction in Taiwan include unauthorized mezzanines, extended balconies with iron window grilles, rooftop additions, structures extending into covered walkways, and buildings encroaching on fire lanes.

According to the Construction and Planning Agency under the Ministry of the Interior, nearly 720,000 illegal construction cases were reported in Taiwan last year, an increase of 100,000 compared to 2015. Among the six major cities, New Taipei reported the highest number of cases at 186,000 in 2023, followed by Kaohsiung with 119,000, and Taichung with over 100,000 cases.

In 2023, more than 33,000 illegal structures were demolished across Taiwan’s six major cities. From 2015 to 2023, enforcement rates for demolishing illegal structures in these cities showed that Greater Taipei and Kaohsiung achieved nearly 100%. Taoyuan and Tainan recorded rates above 50%, while Taichung’s stood at around 46%.

Huang Shen-hui (黃勝暉), deputy director of Eastern Realty Company’s research center, added that poorly developed building regulations and a lack of urban planning in earlier years mainly contributed to the widespread emergence of illegal structures in the nation.