Government legislation ministry waives forest survey for small Hwaseong land expansion

The Ministry of Government Legislation said Tuesday that property owners in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, do not need to submit a forest survey report when applying to expand an existing mountain land conversion permit into a small adjacent plot. The exemption applies when the additional area is less than 660 square meters and the original permit already included a required survey.

The decision addresses an inquiry from Hwaseong City regarding case number 26-0291, which asked whether a holder of a conversion permit for 660 square meters or larger must file a new survey to convert an adjacent area of less than 660 square meters.

The ministry said a survey report is required only when a change in the conversion area triggers a submission requirement that did not exist initially. Since the original permit covered an area exceeding the threshold, the owner already fulfilled the obligation, and the additional plot does not independently mandate a new document. This interpretation aligns with the 2008 amendment to the Enforcement Rules of the Mountainous Districts Management Act, which aimed to reduce administrative burdens for small-scale conversions by exempting plots under 660 square meters.

Officials noted that concerns about owners splitting projects to avoid surveys are unfounded. Under current regulations, if multiple applications for adjacent land result in a cumulative total exceeding 660 square meters, the requirement to submit a forest survey is triggered regardless of how the applications are divided.

Cho Won-chul, head of the ministry, stated that the agency will continue to perform its legislative coordination functions professionally to realize the constitutional ideal of the rule of law. The ministry also recommended clearer regulations regarding document submission standards for mountain conversion change permits to prevent future ambiguity.