The mediation committee of a township, town, city or district office can mediate civil matters and criminal matters prosecuted only upon complaint (告訴乃論) free of charge; apply to the district office where the other party lives (or the district where both parties live together) (details below). Under the Township and County-Administered City Mediation Act (《鄉鎮市調解條例》, "the Act"), no fee of any kind may be charged apart from inspection fees that the parties bear at actual cost; after the application is accepted, the mediation date may not be later than 15 days from the date of acceptance, and a party's application for postponement can extend it by 10 days; and if the other party does not appear without a proper reason, mediation is deemed unsuccessful. After mediation succeeds, a civil mediation approved by the court has the same effect as a final civil judgment. Home disputes such as leaks, noise, security deposits, parking spaces and neighbor damage from renovation can be considered for this channel as long as they are civil matters or offenses prosecuted only upon complaint. This article is based on the law verified on 2026-11-07 and the public pages of district offices in Taipei City and New Taipei City, and sets out separately where the practices of the two cities differ.
Which cases can be mediated
Article 1 of the Act provides that township, town and city offices shall set up mediation committees to handle the mediation of civil matters and criminal matters prosecuted only upon complaint; Article 35 provides that mediation committees of the districts of special municipalities and cities apply the Act mutatis mutandis. The table below summarizes what can be mediated and what cannot or should not be.
| Situation | Explanation (source) |
|---|
| Can: civil matters | Article 1 of the Act. The page of the Shilin (士林) district office of Taipei City gives examples: disputes over debts, leases, property rights, kinship, inheritance and commercial matters can all be applied for mediation |
| Can: criminal matters prosecuted only upon complaint | Article 1 of the Act; criminal matters can be mediated only with the victim's consent (Article 11) |
| Cannot: oral argument has already closed in the first-instance court | Article 10, paragraph 3 of the Act: an application for mediation may not be made once oral argument has closed in the first-instance court |
| Both sides must agree | Article 11 of the Act: civil matters require the consent of the parties; criminal matters prosecuted only upon complaint require the consent of the victim, before mediation can proceed |
| Better to find a dedicated agency | The mediation platform of the New Taipei City Government legal affairs department (新北市政府法制局) reminds that consumer disputes, labor-management disputes, farmland tenancy disputes under the rent reduction scheme (三七五減租耕地租佃爭議), pollution disputes, apartment building and condominium disputes, building disputes, copyright disputes, real estate disputes under the land law, urban land consolidation disputes, government procurement disputes, sexual harassment incidents, medical disputes and the like are better applied for mediation or conciliation to the dedicated agencies established under special laws and regulations |
| Not suitable: family matters, content that cannot be enforced | Page of the Sanchong (三重) district office of New Taipei City: family matters such as divorce by agreement and the invalidity or revocation of a marriage should apply for mediation to the family court of the court; the content of the mediation must be lawful, specific, possible and certain |
The New Taipei platform uses "better to" (宜) apply to the dedicated agencies, not "may not" apply to the district office; home disputes such as leaks, noise and parking spaces may overlap with the dedicated channels if they are matters of apartment building and condominium management, and the comparison table below covers only damages, lease and sale disputes between private parties. For the complaint and mediation channels on consumer disputes, see How to complain about a consumer dispute? The 1950 hotline, online complaints, the mediation process and processing time limits.
Which district office to apply to, and how
Jurisdiction: decide which district first
Article 13 of the Act: where both parties live in the same township, town or city, the mediation committee of that township, town or city mediates; where the parties do not live in the same township, town or city, civil matters are mediated by the mediation committee at the other party's domicile, residence, business office or office, and criminal matters by the mediation committee at the other party's domicile or residence or at the place of the offense; with the consent of both parties and of the mediation committee that receives the application, that committee may also mediate. The explanations of both the Shilin district office of Taipei and the New Taipei City Government legal affairs department point out that "the same district" is determined by "where one lives" (the Shilin district office page notes that it is not based on where the household is registered).
Taipei City: each district office receives applications itself
In Taipei City the mediation committee of each district office accepts applications. The table below covers the two district office pages actually opened for this article. The Beitou (北投) district office directs applicants to upload online through the platform 臺北服務通, while the Shilin district office says that applying online or by telephone is a booking only (預約性質); the practices differ, so defer to the page of your district office.
| Item | Beitou district office (page data updated 2026-11-02) | Shilin district office (page data updated 2025-08-28) |
|---|
| Acceptance hours | Monday to Friday 8:30 to 12:00 and 13:30 to 17:30; it is recommended to arrive no later than 17:00 | Monday to Friday 8:30 to 17:30, closed 12:30 to 13:30; no service on national holidays and on days when work is suspended due to natural disasters |
| Method of application | Written application: fill in the form at the counter, mail the application for mediation form (聲請調解書), or upload online through the 臺北服務通 "application for mediation of civil and complaint-only criminal matters" (filled in, signed by hand, scanned and uploaded) | Written or oral application; the page explains that applying online or by telephone is a booking only, and formal acceptance still requires submitting the relevant supporting materials and documents in person or by mail |
| Fees | No fee | No fee of any kind for applying for mediation |
| Forms | Lists application forms for general matters, construction contract performance disputes, real estate sale disputes, rotating savings club (合會) disputes, traffic accidents, house leaks, tort damages, leases and debt repayment, plus an application for a certificate of unsuccessful mediation | Forms are obtained from the mediation committee, or downloaded from 臺北服務通 |
New Taipei City: a citywide shared online application system
The New Taipei City Government legal affairs department has a "mediation administration management system" (調解行政作業管理系統) that offers online mediation applications for all district offices in the city. The system's notes require applicants, when filling in the online data, to be sure to upload files of both sides of their identity card; if the mediation committee handling the case has any question during review, it will use the contact data you provided to contact you to confirm and to ask you to supplement the evidence. The system page shows service hours of Monday to Friday 8:00 to 12:30 in the morning and 13:30 to 18:00 in the afternoon, closed on Saturdays, Sundays and national holidays. The procedure on the Sanchong district office page (updated 2026-04-23) lists both kinds: a paper application (the party or agent submits to the mediation committee with identity documents, seal and case-related materials, or downloads the application form and mails it to the committee) and an online application, in which the mediation committee reviews it and then notifies you by e-mail whether it is accepted or needs supplements; the two parties may also agree on a time themselves to mediate on site. Acceptance hours differ by district; the Sanchong page states application hours of Monday to Friday 8:30 to 17:00, with a noon break from 12:00 to 13:00.
The process and how long the wait is
- Application: Article 10 of the Act: the party applies to the mediation committee in writing or orally; a written application must be accompanied by copies for the number of the other parties; the application must state the cause of the mediation and the circumstances of the dispute.
- Setting the mediation date: Article 15 of the Act: after accepting the application, the mediation committee shall immediately decide the mediation date and notify the parties or their agents to attend; the mediation date may not be later than 15 days from the date the application is accepted, and where a party applies for postponement it may be extended by 10 days. The actual date still follows each district office's scheduling. The Sanchong district office page says that after a case is received a mediation date will be set and notices sent to both parties by double registered mail.
- Mediation: Article 7 of the Act: at least three mediation committee members shall attend the mediation, but with the consent of both parties one member may mediate directly. Article 17: each party may recommend 1 to 3 persons to attend and assist in the mediation. Article 19: mediation proceedings are not public, unless the parties have agreed otherwise.
- Success: Article 25 of the Act: when mediation succeeds a mediation record (調解書) is made, signed, sealed or fingerprinted by the parties and the attending mediation committee members, and reported to the office within 3 days from the day of success.
- Sent to the court for approval: Article 26 of the Act: the office shall, within 10 days from the day mediation succeeds, send the mediation record and the case file to the competent court for review; if the court considers it should be approved, the judge signs and affixes the court seal and returns it to the office to serve on the parties; if approval is not given because the content of the mediation conflicts with law, violates public order or good morals, or cannot be enforced, the court shall notify the office of the reasons.
Fees and the consequences of not appearing
- Fees: Article 23 of the Act: for mediation, apart from inspection fees that the parties must bear at actual cost, no fee of any kind may be charged and no remuneration received under any name.
- Not appearing: Article 20 of the Act: where a party, without a proper reason, does not appear on the mediation date, mediation is deemed unsuccessful; but if the mediation committee considers there is hope of mediation succeeding, it may set another mediation date. Article 22 also provides that no punishment of any kind may be imposed on the parties in a mediation matter, so not appearing itself carries no penalty; the consequence is that mediation is unsuccessful.
- The difference for criminal matters: Article 31 of the Act: for a criminal matter prosecuted only upon complaint where the person with the right to complain applied for mediation, if mediation is unsuccessful, the office refers the mediation matter at their application to the competent prosecutor for investigation, and the complaint is deemed to have been filed at the time mediation was applied for. Because not appearing is deemed unsuccessful mediation (Article 20), when the other party does not appear after the victim has applied for mediation, the office refers the matter to the prosecutor for investigation, based on the application the applicant made to the mediation committee.
The effect when mediation succeeds, and what follows if it does not
Successful and approved by the court
Article 27 of the Act: after the court approves the mediation, the parties may not again sue, file a complaint or bring a private prosecution on that matter; a court-approved civil mediation has the same effect as a final civil judgment; a court-approved criminal mediation whose subject is the payment of money or a fixed quantity of other fungible things or securities may have its mediation record serve as an enforceable title (執行名義). Article 29: for a civil mediation that succeeded on a party's application, if after approval there is a ground for invalidity or revocation, the parties may bring an action in the original approving court for a declaration of the invalidity or the revocation of the mediation, which must be brought within 30 days after the court-approved mediation record is served.
The paths after unsuccessful mediation
- Article 30 of the Act: if mediation is unsuccessful, a party may apply to the mediation committee for a certificate of unsuccessful mediation, which shall be issued within 7 days after the application.
- If the other party owes you a definite sum of money: Article 508 of the code of civil procedure (《民事訴訟法》) provides that where a creditor's claim is for the payment of money or a fixed quantity of other fungible things or securities, the creditor may apply to the court for a payment order under the payment order procedure.
- If the amount is not large: Article 436-8 of the code of civil procedure provides that litigation for the payment of money or fungible things or securities where the amount or value in dispute is NT$100,000 or less applies the small-claims procedure; where it is NT$500,000 or less, the parties may agree to apply the small-claims procedure, and the agreement must be evidenced in writing.
- Whether court mediation is also required before suing: Article 403 of the code of civil procedure lists several kinds of matters that must go through court mediation before suing, for example disputes between owners of real estate or other users of real estate arising from neighbor relations, and other disputes over property rights where the amount or value in dispute is NT$500,000 or less. Article 406 provides that where the court finds that the application for mediation has circumstances such as "mediation by another statutory mediation body was unsuccessful", it may dismiss it directly by ruling. How the two connect, please confirm with the court's service desk; this article does not judge individual cases.
Common home disputes in Taipei and New Taipei: what to prepare for each
The second column of the table below gives the names of the mediation application forms actually listed on the page of the Beitou district office of Taipei City (when applying, defer to the forms provided by your district office; New Taipei has a citywide online system, the Sanchong district office page also lists paper applications, and for other districts see the page of your district office). The third column, "suggested preparation", is this article's compilation and not an official list; its purpose is to give you something to rely on when explaining "the cause of the mediation and the circumstances of the dispute" required by Article 10 of the Act.
| Dispute | Related form listed by the Beitou district office | Suggested preparation (compiled for this article; not an official list) |
|---|
| Leak | Application for mediation of a house leak | Photos or videos of the leak location and time, repair or appraisal estimates, messages or certified letters (存證信函) exchanged with the other party |
| Security deposit dispute | Lease application form (there is also a debt repayment application form) | Lease agreement, security deposit receipt or transfer record, move-out and handover records, the other party's explanation of the deduction |
| Noise | Lists the tort damages application form and the general application form; which one applies to noise is not confirmed in this article | Records of dates and times, audio or video recordings, records of police reports or of handling by the management committee (管委會) |
| Parking space | Lists the real estate sale dispute and lease application forms; which one applies to a parking space dispute is not confirmed in this article | Sale or lease contract, property ownership certificate (權狀) or parking space number data, records of exchanges between the two parties; the New Taipei platform reminds that when real estate disputes are involved, bring the land and building registration transcripts, the cadastral map or the boundary survey map (all must be within three months) |
| Neighbor damage from renovation | Lists the tort damages application form | Photos of the damage scene, renovation time and contractor information, repair estimates |
For how liability for a leak is determined and the legal basis, see Upstairs leak hitting the unit below? Who pays for repairs, and 3 steps to protect yourself and make a preliminary assessment with the leak liability checker; for noise see What to do when a neighbor is noisy at midnight? Laws and reporting channels for stereo, singing and footsteps; for security deposits see How many months can a rental deposit be at most? When it is refunded, what can be deducted, and what to do if it is not returned; to send a certified letter first, see How to send a certified letter (存證信函)? Post office format, fees, copies and legal effect.
The national laws and regulations database (全國法規資料庫) page for the Township and County-Administered City Mediation Act shows its latest amendment date as January 13, 2023; for the code of civil procedure it is November 29, 2023.
Frequently asked questions
Does applying to the mediation committee cost money?
No. Article 23 of the Act provides that, apart from inspection fees that the parties bear at actual cost, no fee may be charged; the pages of the Beitou and Shilin district offices of Taipei City and of the Sanchong district office of New Taipei City also say no fee is charged.
What if the other party does not go?
Under Article 20 of the Act, where a party without a proper reason does not appear on the mediation date, mediation is deemed unsuccessful; if the mediation committee considers there is hope of mediation succeeding, it may set another mediation date. After it fails, you can apply for a certificate of unsuccessful mediation and then consider a payment order or litigation. For a criminal matter where the victim applied for mediation, unsuccessful mediation is referred to the prosecutor for investigation under Article 31 of the Act, and the complaint is deemed to have already been filed.
Does a mediation record have enforceable force?
A civil mediation approved by the court has the same effect as a final civil judgment, and for a criminal mediation whose subject is the payment of money and the like, the mediation record may serve as an enforceable title (Article 27 of the Act). Before it is approved by the court, it does not yet have such effect.
Can I ask someone else to attend on my behalf?
The mediation platform of the New Taipei City Government legal affairs department explains that a party or responsible person who cannot attend should issue a power of attorney (委任書) appointing an adult aged 18 or over to attend as agent. For other situations, follow the notice from each district office.
Sources
- National laws and regulations database (全國法規資料庫): Township and County-Administered City Mediation Act (verified 2026-11-07) (in Chinese): Articles 1, 7, 10, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 20, 22, 23, 25, 26, 27, 29, 30, 31 and 35
- National laws and regulations database (全國法規資料庫): code of civil procedure (民事訴訟法) (verified 2026-11-07) (in Chinese): Articles 403, 406, 436-8 and 508
- Beitou district office of Taipei City (臺北市北投區公所): mediation and legal consultation, mediation committee services (page data updated 2026-11-02, verified 2026-11-07) (in Chinese): acceptance hours, methods of application, forms
- Shilin district office of Taipei City (臺北市士林區公所): legal consultation and mediation application publicity materials (page data updated 2025-08-28, verified 2026-11-07) (in Chinese): scope of mediation, procedures, fees, acceptance hours
- New Taipei City Government legal affairs department (新北市政府法制局): mediation platform, online application for mediation (verified 2026-11-07) (in Chinese): notes on applying, disputes of special kinds, attendance and agents
- Sanchong district office of New Taipei City (新北市三重區公所): introduction to the mediation committee's services (page updated 2026-04-23, verified 2026-11-07) (in Chinese): review of online applications and e-mail notice, mediation hours
