«عكاظ» تنشر الجدول التفصيلي الجديد للمخالفات البلدية

The Ministry of Municipalities and Housing has adopted a detailed schedule of penalties for violations to tighten control over commercial and service activities, and to raise the level of compliance with regulatory, technical, and health requirements, with a precise specification of the ranges of fines according to the type and severity of the violation, ensuring the protection of public facilities and improving the urban landscape.

The ministry imposed fines ranging from 10,000 to 50,000 Riyals for engaging in any activity without obtaining a license, or continuing to operate after the license has expired, or engaging in an activity that is not covered by the license.

This category includes operating an activity without obtaining a license from the supervising authority, or conducting activities outside of the regulated hours without permission, in addition to the absence of the licensed establishment in reality, or using power generators or cooling devices that cause visual distortions.

The second category of penalties included fines ranging from 1,000 to 5,000 Riyals, covering a long list of violations related to operations and equipment within establishments; the most notable being engaging in an additional activity not included on the license, using unauthorized delivery methods, and the establishment's area not matching what is approved in the license. Among the fines are placing unauthorized stickers on facades, the absence or lack of clarity of the QR code, the absence or tampering of the health monitoring record, and the non-compliance of commercial signs with licensing data or technical requirements, or neglecting their maintenance. Violations also include aspects of design and construction, such as violating flooring, wall, and ceiling requirements, failing to maintain them, or not adhering to the installation of glass facades according to the requirements, or having defects in the glass, or constructing non-compliant stairs.

The requirements also included not separating activities within the establishment, or the absence of air curtains in health activities, or violating requirements for doors, chimneys, air conditioning, ventilation, and lighting, in addition to the non-compliance of shelves and accounting units with the requirements.

Prohibiting printed materials in prayer areas and violations included not providing tools or means for their preservation, or failing to maintain equipment, or improperly storing customer tools, or not providing waiting areas, or violating requirements for surveillance cameras and designated areas for women, or not adhering to measurement device standards and calibration.

The update included the acknowledgment of violations for not providing insect traps or compliant waste containers, or placing products on the ground, or violating restroom requirements, or having unauthorized printed materials in prayer areas within complexes.

Where are the waste bags?

Regarding public health violations, the regulations imposed fines for not cleaning tools or devices, or not applying sterilization and disinfection, or not providing waste containers with bags, or the accumulation of waste and not disposing of it promptly.

Violations included not adhering to comprehensive cleanliness rules, or water leaks from air conditioning or sewage systems, or poor cleanliness of water tanks, or placing means that prevent standing in front of shops, or not displaying required data inside the establishment. It also included unauthorized individuals entering work areas, displaying goods on accounting tables, or having writings and stickers on facades in violation.

The schedule specified violations with fines ranging from 200 to 1,000 Riyals, including operating outside the scope of the license, or using sidewalks without permission, or violating accessibility requirements for people with disabilities, or violating water, electricity, and gas installations and not maintaining them.

Additional Service Requirements

The regulations stipulated fines ranging from 6,000 to 30,000 Riyals for closing streets without permission, not adhering to service pathway requirements, or executing excavations with unqualified contractors. Fines ranged from 4,000 to 20,000 Riyals for disposing of excavation waste, or placing temporary facilities outside the scope of the license, and from 3,000 to 15,000 Riyals for tampering with road signs. Violations also included not reinstating traffic signs after project completion, the absence of regulatory signs, not providing warning lighting, or not clearly marking road and pedestrian pathways.

The ministry stated that the regulation differentiated between serious and non-serious violations in the processing mechanism, where penalties are applied directly to violations that have an impact on safety or public health or require urgent intervention, while violations that can be remedied are given a corrective period before completing the regulatory procedure, with a gradual application of penalties upon repeated violations, according to the governing provisions.