Legal basis: Regulations on Expropriation and Compensation of Houses on State-owned Land Article 8 In order to safeguard national security, promote national economic and social development and other public interests, if it is really necessary to expropriate houses under any of the following circumstances, the people's government at the city or county level shall make a decision on the expropriation of houses: (1) National defense and diplomatic needs; (two) the needs of the government organization and implementation of energy, transportation, water conservancy and other infrastructure construction; (three) the needs of public utilities such as science and technology, education, culture, health, sports, environmental and resource protection, disaster prevention and mitigation, cultural relics protection, social welfare, and municipal utilities organized and implemented by the government; (four) the needs of the construction of affordable housing projects organized and implemented by the government; (five) the needs of the old city reconstruction organized and implemented by the government according to the relevant provisions of the Urban and Rural Planning Law; (six) the needs of other public interests as prescribed by laws and administrative regulations.