Applying for a Cultural Heritage Alteration Permit — 30-Day Processing for Works in Protection Zones and Historic and Cultural Environment Preservation Areas

Procedure

1. 1. Check whether the site is in a protection zone or preservation area

   First check whether the parcel to be worked on lies within the protection zone of a designated cultural heritage or within a historic and cultural environment preservation area set by city or provincial ordinance. A historic and cultural environment preservation area is in principle set within 500 meters of the outer boundary of the designated cultural heritage (or of the protection zone, if one exists), and specific activity standards within the preservation area are publicly notified for each cultural heritage. Construction works within the scope of the notified activity standards are exempt from the simplified impact assessment by the permitting authority, while works beyond that scope undergo the simplified impact assessment.

2. 2. Distinguish the permit type and the permitting authority

   Newly building, extending, rebuilding or changing the use of buildings, roads, pipelines or structures, planting or removing trees, and excavating, cutting or filling land within a protection zone are subject to an alteration permit (Article 35(1)1). Installing buildings or facilities that may impair the landscape, changing the form and quality of land or forest land, and excavating 50 meters or deeper within a preservation area are subject to a permit for acts that may affect preservation (Article 35(1)2). Restoring a building other than the cultural heritage itself to its original form, new construction or extension within the scale set by the Administrator of the Korea Heritage Service, and acts notified as minor are permitted by the mayor, county governor or district head.

3. 3. Prepare the application, plan and drawings

   For an alteration within a protection zone, attach an alteration plan, related drawings such as a location map and layout plan, and site photos to Form No. 19; for an act in a preservation area, attach an activity plan, drawings and site photos to Form No. 19-2. If the work involves cutting or filling land or installing facilities, a layout plan, floor plan, elevation, section and site cross-section and longitudinal section are required, while drawings may be omitted for buildings subject to report under Article 14 of the Building Act. If building is involved, the plan states the use, location, site area, zones and districts, building area, total floor area, height, number of floors and parking capacity.

4. 4. Submission through the city, county or district and deliberation

   The application goes to the Administrator of the Korea Heritage Service through the competent mayor, county governor or district head, and the city, county or district notifies the mayor or governor of the city or province of the application. The Korea Heritage Service decides based on whether the act affects the preservation and management of the cultural heritage, whether it damages the historic and cultural environment, and whether it conforms to the master plan and implementation plan, with surveys by relevant experts and committee deliberation where necessary. The processing period is 30 days, and if committee deliberation is held, the result is notified within 7 days after the deliberation ends.

5. 5. Receive the permit and apply for changes

   The permit states the permitted matters, permit period and permit conditions and is delivered through the city, county or district, and the work proceeds according to the permit conditions. To change permitted matters, apply for a change permit using Form No. 22. If you are not notified of the permit decision or an extension of the processing period within the set period, the permit is deemed granted on the day after the period ends.

Required documents

• Application for Permission to Alter the Current State of State-Designated Cultural Heritage (Enforcement Rule of the Act on the Conservation and Utilization of Cultural Heritage, Form No. 19) or Application for Permission for Acts That May Affect the Preservation of State-Designated Cultural Heritage (same Rule, Form No. 19-2)
• Alteration plan or activity plan
• Related drawings such as a location map and layout plan (layout plan, floor plan, elevation, section and site cross-section and longitudinal section when cutting or filling land or installing facilities)
• Site photos
• Documents relating to the changes (when changing permitted matters, Form No. 22)
• Letter of authorization (if submitted by an agent)

Fees

Industry range from several hundred thousand won to several million won · We will advise after consultation depending on whether the heritage is state- or city/province-designated, whether the site is in a protection zone or a preservation area, the scope of the plan to prepare and whether committee deliberation must be handled. Government fees are separate.

See fees and official charges for this service →

Legal basis and review date

• Act on the Conservation and Utilization of Cultural Heritage, Article 13
• Act on the Conservation and Utilization of Cultural Heritage, Article 35
• Act on the Conservation and Utilization of Cultural Heritage, Article 36
• Act on the Conservation and Utilization of Cultural Heritage, Article 74
• Act on the Conservation and Utilization of Cultural Heritage, Article 99
• Enforcement Decree of the Act on the Conservation and Utilization of Cultural Heritage, Article 21
• Enforcement Decree of the Act on the Conservation and Utilization of Cultural Heritage, Article 21-2
• Enforcement Decree of the Act on the Conservation and Utilization of Cultural Heritage, Article 21-3
• Enforcement Decree of the Act on the Conservation and Utilization of Cultural Heritage, Article 21-4
• Enforcement Decree of the Act on the Conservation and Utilization of Cultural Heritage, Article 22
• Enforcement Rule of the Act on the Conservation and Utilization of Cultural Heritage, Article 14
• Enforcement Rule of the Act on the Conservation and Utilization of Cultural Heritage, Article 16
• Enforcement Rule of the Act on the Conservation and Utilization of Cultural Heritage, Form No. 19
• Enforcement Rule of the Act on the Conservation and Utilization of Cultural Heritage, Form No. 19-2
• Building Act, Article 11

Checked against the statutes on 2026-10-08

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

• A permit is not granted if the act affects the preservation and management of the cultural heritage or damages the historic and cultural environment, so it is safer to check the notified activity standards and the likelihood of permission before purchasing land or finalizing the design.
• City- or province-designated cultural heritage and cultural heritage materials are permitted by the mayor or governor of the city or province under Article 74 of the same Act, with detailed procedures following city or provincial ordinance, so the application form and the processing authority differ depending on whether the cultural heritage is state-designated or city/province-designated.

Frequently asked questions