Elevator Requirements for Apartment Buildings in Turkey: How Many Floors Trigger the Rule?
🇹🇷 This article describes regulations and processes specific to Turkey. Requirements differ in other countries.
Elevator requirements don't hinge on a single threshold. They scale in stages with floor count. From 3 floors up, an elevator shaft is required; from 4 floors up, the elevator itself; and past a certain size, a second elevator becomes mandatory.
Decision guide
Is an elevator mandatory in your building?
Does the building contain only one independent unit (a detached single-family house)?
Yes: An elevator is not mandatory; you may still install one (Article 34/1).
How many floors, basement included? A basement counts if it contains an independent unit, an annex or a shared space other than technical rooms.
1 or 2: An elevator is not mandatory, but may be installed (Article 34/1).
3: You must reserve space for an elevator; installing it is not mandatory (Article 34/1).
Is the building 10 or more floors under the zoning plan, or does it have more than 20 residential units above the ground floor?
Yes: At least 2 elevators are mandatory. One must be able to descend to the ground floor and open its doors during a power cut, be fire-resistant and run on an uninterruptible power supply (Article 34/4). In buildings of 10 floors or more, one must also be suitable for goods and stretchers (Article 34/5).
No: An elevator is mandatory (Article 34/1). With a single elevator, the cabin's short side must be at least 1.20 m, its area at least 1.80 m², and the clear door width at least 0.90 m (Article 34/2).
This guide covers residential buildings in Turkey. Public buildings are also subject to Article 34/4.
The information in this article applies to Turkey. The answer to "is an elevator mandatory?" changes in stages depending on how many floors a building has. It's not a single threshold, but a logic built around three separate ones.
3 floors: an elevator shaft is mandatory
In a building with 3 floors, basement included, the elevator itself isn't yet mandatory, but the architectural plan must reserve space for one so it can be added later (Article 34/1)[1]. That decision makes a major difference if the need for an elevator arises down the line.
4 floors and above: the elevator itself is mandatory
In a building with 4 or more floors, basement included, installing an elevator is mandatory (Article 34/1)[1]. A basement counts as a floor if it contains an independent unit, an annex or a shared space other than technical rooms such as the boiler room or water tank. Buildings with a single independent unit, i.e. a detached single-family house, are exempt. This threshold needs to be built into the floor plan from the earliest stage of the architectural project. Adding it afterward is both costly and a major intervention that reshapes the plan layout.
10 floors / 20 units: a second elevator is mandatory
Buildings with 10 or more floors, or with more than 20 residential units above the ground floor, require at least two elevators. At least one of these elevators must be able to descend to the ground floor and open its doors during a power cut, and must be fire-resistant and run on an uninterruptible power supply (Article 34/4)[1]. If you're planning a taller project, it's worth factoring this threshold in from the start.
How the elevator decision affects the floor plan
The elevator shaft isn't just a technical requirement. It's a planning decision that needs to be considered together with the stairwell, shared corridor width, and the position of unit entry doors. Trying to add an elevator after the floor plan has already matured usually reduces the efficiency of shared spaces.
Our process at MEEZ Mimarlık
In apartment and residential projects, we factor the elevator requirement into the floor plan as soon as the floor count is set, and optimize shared-space and unit efficiency around that decision.
Sources
- [1]Planned Areas Zoning Regulation (Planlı Alanlar İmar Yönetmeliği), Article 34 (elevators). Official Gazette of the Republic of Turkey, 3 July 2017, No. 30113; Article 34/1 last amended in Official Gazette No. 33297 of 1 July 2026Last checked: 29 September 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
From how many floors is an elevator mandatory?
In buildings with 3 floors, space (a shaft) must be reserved for an elevator; in buildings with more than 3 floors, the elevator itself is mandatory.
Which buildings require 2 elevators?
Buildings with 10 or more floors, or with more than 20 residential units above the ground floor, are required to have at least two elevators (Article 34/4).
Is a building that reserves an elevator shaft but doesn't install an elevator non-compliant?
No. For a 3-floor building, reserving the shaft is enough; actually installing the elevator isn't required at that threshold. The elevator itself only becomes mandatory from 4 floors up.
