The Saudi Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing has updated requirements for residential building construction, aiming to streamline procedures and align new building permits with the Saudi Building Code, Invest-Gate reports.

This initiative seeks to ensure public safety and health and improve the urban landscape.

In a press release today, the Ministry highlighted that the new regulations are designed to meet beneficiaries’ expectations by adopting international best practices to enhance the quality of life, stimulate investment, and improve urban aesthetics.

The Ministry asserted that these regulations would contribute to controlled development and positively impact Saudi cities’ urban environment and fabric.

The updated requirements align with the developmental goals of strategic and structural plans for all cities in the Kingdom. They encompass all technical and municipal standards that must be applied to various residential buildings.

The new regulations include several provisions to facilitate beneficiaries’ needs while ensuring their safety and risk protection. Notable changes include increased building ratios for residential villas and residential-commercial buildings, reduced setbacks in residential villas, and heightened building elevations.

Specific updates allow for increased heights of residential villas, side fences, and rooftop structures, with higher building ratios for all floors, including upper annexes. Additionally, the regulations permit construction up to the boundaries on all sides of the ground floors of residential villas, adhering to Saudi Building Code requirements for public health and safety, material specifications, and quality standards.

One significant update allows the ground and first-floor building ratios in residential villas to increase from 70% to 75%. Each villa floor can now be a separate unit with an independent entrance, and the front walls can be removed to create parking spaces.