Abu Dhabi City Municipality has urged all owners of existing buildings constructed without the required licenses from the relevant authorities to take advantage of the grace period granted by Circular No. (4) of 2024 issued by the Department of Municipalities and Transport. Owners are encouraged to work towards rectifying their buildings' status to comply with the requirements and standards related to building regulations in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.
The municipality clarified that the issuance of this circular is driven by the Department of Municipalities and Transport’s commitment to ensuring the structural safety of buildings, providing standards for security and safety, and protecting the community to maintain their well-being.
Article 1 of the circular grants owners of buildings constructed without a license a two-year grace period to submit their regulation applications starting from the date this circular was issued in June 2024.
The circular indicated that no financial penalties would be imposed during this grace period on existing buildings constructed without building permits, provided they were built before this circular's issuance date. However, this is contingent upon no existing building violation notices being issued for these buildings prior to the start of the grace period.
The circular, according to Article 2, advises all owners of the buildings to proceed with the following steps to submit their applications for regulating their status:
1. Engage an engineering office in the emirate to apply and regulate the status of existing buildings constructed without building permits to the relevant department according to the established procedures.
2. All engineering offices in the emirate must attach all required documents and plans to the application for regulating the status of buildings constructed without building permits by Article 14 of the Executive Regulations of the Building Regulation Law No. (4) of 1983.
3. Suppose the attached technical study shows that the buildings or parts do not comply with the current planning regulations or those applicable during construction. In that case, the relevant department will refer the application to a specialized committee to assess the possibility of approval and whether it meets security, safety, structural standards, and overall appearance according to the established regulations.
4. Suppose the technical study reveals that the buildings or parts are unsuitable for occupancy or the committee does not approve the application due to non-compliance with current planning regulations or those in effect at the time of construction. In that case, the building owner must rectify the situation or remove the reasons for the violation to meet safety and public interest standards. Otherwise, the relevant municipality will remove the building by Article 45 of the Executive Regulations of the Building Regulation Law No. (4) of 1983.
Article 3 of the circular states that if a building violation is detected and documented during inspection campaigns conducted by the relevant department, the building owner will be granted a one-year grace period to apply to regulating the status of existing residential units and their annexes. A grace period of six months will be provided for all other types of buildings.
Suppose the building owner does not submit the regulation application within the abovementioned period. In that case, a financial penalty will be imposed, and the owner will be required to rectify the violation according to the procedures and regulations.
Article 4 of the circular stipulates that in all cases, buildings that are found to have been constructed without building permits after the issuance of this circular or those for which owners have not submitted regulation applications within the two-year grace period or the one year mentioned will be considered in violation of the Building Regulation Law. Their status will not be regularized, and the Building Regulation Law's Executive Regulations will take action. The municipality noted that the implementation and effect of this circular will commence from its issuance date on 4 June 2024.