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Building administration

Building Use Change Permit, Report and Building Indication Change Application — Checking the Building Register Use Before Food Manufacturing or Factory Registration

To change the use of a building that has received use approval, first check which of the 9 facility groups the use moves to under Article 19 of the Building Act. A change to a higher facility group requires a permit from the mayor, county head or district head, a change to a lower group requires a report, and a change within the same group requires an application to change the entries in the building register. The registration authority for food manufacturing and processing businesses checks the building register through shared administrative information, so a business preparing for business registration or a factory use conversion should align the register use before registering. Under the forms, the processing period is 5 days for a use change report (20 days if consultation is needed) and 7 days for a building indication change application. Changing the use without a permit or report in an urban area is punishable by imprisonment of up to 3 years or a fine of up to 500,000,000 won.

Written by Hwang Yunsang, Administrative Agent · Published 2026-10-12 · Updated 2026-10-12

Procedure

  1. 1. Check the current building register use and the intended use

    Check the current use of the floor or unit in the building register and whether it is marked as an unlawful building. Decide which item of Annex 1 of the Enforcement Decree of the Building Act the intended use falls under; for example, a manufacturing shop as a Class 2 neighborhood living facility applies only where the total floor area for that use in the same building is under 500㎡ and the facility is not subject to permit or report as an air, water or noise discharge facility, or all wastewater is entrusted for treatment. Beyond this range, the use is treated as a factory.

  2. 2. Distinguish permit, report and indication change

    A change toward a smaller-numbered facility group (higher group) requires a use change permit, and a change toward a larger-numbered group (lower group) requires a use change report. Changing from the neighborhood living facility group to a factory in the industrial facility group is a change to a higher group and requires a permit. A change within the same facility group requires a building register entry change application, but changes within the same item of Annex 1 or between Class 1 and Class 2 neighborhood living facilities are excluded from the application, except for certain uses.

  3. 3. Review building standards and prepare drawings

    A use change must meet the building standards for the new use, so the evacuation, fire protection and equipment standards are reviewed again for the new use. A permit or report is accompanied by the floor plan after the change for the floor whose use changes and a drawing showing changes in fire resistance, fire prevention, evacuation or building equipment, while the permitting authority checks the floor plan before the change through the building register. For a permit case with a total floor area of 500㎡ or more, design documents prepared by an architect are required.

  4. 4. Submit the application and processing

    A permit uses Form 1-4, a report uses Form 6 of the Enforcement Rule of the Building Act, and a change within the same group uses the building indication change application, filed with the building department of the city, county or district office or through Seumteo. Under the forms, the processing period is 5 days for a report (20 days if consultation is needed) and 7 days for a building indication change application, and there is no fee for the indication change application. A permit certificate is issued when a permit is granted, and a report certificate when a report is accepted.

  5. 5. Use approval and business registration

    For a permit or report case where the total floor area of the changed part is 100㎡ or more, use approval must be obtained, but if it is under 500㎡ and involves no major repair work, the use approval provision does not apply. Once use approval is granted, the city, county or district office changes the building register entries ex officio according to the use approval certificate. After the register use is in order, the food manufacturing and processing business registration or factory-related applications follow.

Required documents

  • Application for building, major repair or use change (change) permit (Enforcement Rule of the Building Act, Form 1-4), or for a change to a lower group, report of building, major repair or use change (change) (same Enforcement Rule, Form 6)
  • Application for change of building indication (Rule on the Entry and Management of Building Registers, Form 15, for a change within the same facility group)
  • Floor plan after the change for the floor whose use changes (design documents prepared by an architect for permit cases of 500㎡ or more)
  • Drawing showing changes in fire resistance, fire prevention, evacuation or building equipment
  • Building status drawing (where its contents change in an indication change application)
  • Document proving that the building indication has changed
  • Application for (temporary) use approval (Enforcement Rule of the Building Act, Form 17, where use approval is required)
  • Letter of authorization (when submitted by a representative)

Fees

Industry range of several hundred thousand won to around one million won · We provide a quote after consultation depending on whether the case is a permit, report or indication change, the changed floor area, whether use approval is needed, and whether business registration follows. Government fees and the cost of preparing design documents are separate.

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Legal basis and review date

  • Building Act, Article 19
  • Building Act, Article 22
  • Building Act, Article 108
  • Building Act, Article 110
  • Enforcement Decree of the Building Act, Article 14
  • Enforcement Decree of the Building Act, Annex 1
  • Enforcement Rule of the Building Act, Article 12-2
  • Enforcement Rule of the Building Act, Article 16
  • Enforcement Rule of the Building Act, Form 1-4
  • Enforcement Rule of the Building Act, Form 6
  • Rule on the Entry and Management of Building Registers, Article 18
  • Rule on the Entry and Management of Building Registers, Form 15
  • Enforcement Rule of the Food Sanitation Act, Article 43-2

Checked against the statutes on

Statutes and public notices change, so each case needs to be checked individually. Statute titles are given in English for reference. The Korean statutes are the authoritative text.

Check these first

  • Check the building register use and any unlawful building marking before signing a lease or starting interior work. If the use does not match, business registration may be delayed.
  • For permit or report cases of 100㎡ or more, the register use changes only after use approval, so include that period in the business opening schedule.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a use change to manufacture food in a neighborhood living facility shop?
It depends on size and discharge facilities. If the total floor area used as a manufacturing shop in the same building is under 500㎡ and the facility is not subject to discharge facility permit or report, or all wastewater is entrusted for treatment, it is a manufacturing shop as a Class 2 neighborhood living facility. Beyond this range it becomes a factory, and a use change permit moving from the neighborhood living facility group to the industrial facility group is required.
What is the difference between a building indication change and a use change?
The test is whether the facility group changes. Moving to a different facility group is subject to a permit or report under Article 19(2) of the Building Act, while changing only the detailed use within the same group is subject to a building register entry change application under paragraph (3) of the same Article. The entry change uses the building indication change application, and the processing period on the form is 7 days.
Do I need to apply when changing a Class 1 neighborhood living facility to a Class 2 neighborhood living facility?
In most cases no application is required. Article 14(4) of the Enforcement Decree of the Building Act excludes changes between Class 1 and Class 2 neighborhood living facilities within the applicable use restrictions, and changes within the same item of Annex 1, from the entry change application. However, changes to certain uses set by the Decree, such as public baths, karaoke bars, massage parlors and singing rooms, are not excluded and require an application.
What happens if I change the use without a permit or report?
It is a criminal offense. In an urban area, the building owner and contractor who change the use without a permit or report may face imprisonment of up to 3 years or a fine of up to 500,000,000 won, and outside urban areas imprisonment of up to 2 years or a fine of up to 100,000,000 won. If the building register use does not match, supplementation may also be requested at the business registration stage.
Does an administrative agent handle building use change applications?
Yes. Hwang Yunsang Administrative Office reviews the building register and facility group, determines whether a permit, report or indication change applies, prepares the use change permit application, report and building indication change application, submits them to the city, county or district office on the client's behalf and handles supplementation, and prepares food manufacturing and processing business registration documents after use approval. Design documents such as floor plans are received as documents and attached to the application.

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Contact us

Hwang Yunsang Administrative Office in Songdo, Incheon prepares and submits administrative documents and explains the procedure. If your situation is similar, send us a message.

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This guide is general information based on public sources. Requirements, documents and deadlines differ by case and by the competent agency, so please confirm them before you proceed.