The Ministry of Municipalities and Housing approves updates to the list of penalties for building violations and the division of buildings into unlicensed units.

Monday 08 June 2026
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The Ministry of Municipalities and Housing has approved updating the list of penalties for municipal violations, by adding the violation of dividing a building into units that violate the building permit, as part of its efforts to regulate the urban environment, ensure the safety of facilities, and comply with approved municipal regulations and licenses.

She explained that the penalties include imposing a financial fine ranging from 5,000 to 25,000 riyals for the violating unit, with the violator being obligated to remove the violation at his own expense. In cases where it is impossible to remove the violation from a structural standpoint due to its impact on the safety of the building, the violator is penalized by paying half the cost of the building in question, with the obligation to correct it and remove the damage, provided that he submits a certificate from a qualified engineering office accredited by the Ministry proving the safety of the erected structures.

The ministry pointed out that this practice leads to negative effects on the urban fabric of cities, and causes a confusing increase in population densities, in addition to the direct impact on basic services and parking spaces in the streets surrounding those buildings.

She explained that the violator is given a grace period of 60 days to rectify the situation after being notified of the violation, in accordance with the approved regulatory procedures to ensure that violations are addressed without harming the safety of buildings or their residents, stressing the need to expedite the correction of building subdivision violations to avoid incurring fines.

It stated that updating the regulation aims to reduce irregular practices that result in the subdivision of buildings or residential apartments without obtaining the required licenses, which contributes to improving the urban environment, reducing harm to residents, and ensuring the quality of implementation and structural safety.

It is noted that updating the list of penalties for building violations and the division of buildings into unlicensed units comes within the framework of ongoing efforts to develop municipal and regulatory systems, seeking to raise the level of compliance and improve the urban environment in cities, calling on owners and investors to comply with the regulations before carrying out any division or modification work in buildings.

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The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia