the Riyadh Region Infrastructure Projects Center announced the Regulatory Framework Initiative for the Infrastructure Sector, which includes regulations governing licensing and permitting procedures for infrastructure projects in the Riyadh region, as well as a schedule of violations and procedures for monitoring and enforcing them. This initiative falls within the Center’s regulatory and supervisory role to organize the sector’s operations, enhance the efficiency of infrastructure project implementation, and ensure quality and safety standards, and to protect public assets and facilities, thereby helping to reduce conflicts and duplication and improve the urban landscape and quality of life in the Riyadh region.
Regulations for Infrastructure Project Work Permits
The Center clarified that the regulations governing licensing and permitting procedures for infrastructure projects constitute a regulatory document and a legal reference, covering the procedures for issuing licenses and permits related to infrastructure projects, including the classification of planned and unplanned licenses, types of permits, the requirements for obtaining them, and the mechanisms for submitting, processing, issuing, and renewing applications, as well as regulating the suspension, revocation, or cancellation of licenses, and the procedures for closing licenses and work sites, thereby contributing to the standardization of procedures, improving implementation efficiency, and ensuring compliance with technical and regulatory requirements.
He explained that the regulations specify 10 types of permits, including: general excavation permit, self-excavation permit, roadwork permit, self-roadwork permit, road project permit for implementing a traffic detour, a main stormwater drainage network works permit, a main utility lines works permit, a horizontal drilling permit, an emergency public excavation works permit, and a public excavation works permit for service connection, with the maximum duration of each permit specified according to its type, and the possibility of renewal upon fulfillment of regulatory and technical requirements, in addition to (5) types of permits, including the supervising authority permit, the contractor permit, the consulting firm permit, the quality laboratory permit, and the general maintenance permit.
Classification of License Violations
Regarding the classification of violations, the Center explained that they have been divided into nine main categories, including violations related to licensing, qualification, and accreditation; violations related to the quality of work execution; violations of construction practices; occupational safety and worker safety violations, construction site violations, identity and urban landscape violations, as well as encroachment violations, with minimum and maximum penalty thresholds specified to enhance transparency and improve compliance.
He emphasized that the regulatory framework is an extension of his efforts to build an integrated regulatory system for infrastructure projects in the Riyadh region, in line with the objectives of the «Asul» program, which contributes to improving implementation efficiency, minimizing the negative impacts of project works, and enhancing the sector’s sustainability. He noted that the regulatory framework and its detailed provisions have been published on the Center’s official website to make them available to all relevant parties.
