المملكة: Engineering plans and insurance documents… new requirements for building and renovating mosques

The Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Call and Guidance stressed the importance of adhering to the new standards and requirements for building, restoring and expanding mosques in all cities of the Kingdom.
This step aims to ensure the application of the highest standards of quality and safety in the homes of God, in accordance with the Saudi building code.
The Ministry explained that mosques are classified in the Saudi Building Code as gathering buildings used to gather 50 people or more for civil, social or religious purposes, and the building code’s requirements and stipulations apply to them.

Organizing donations

The requirements specify that mosques affiliated with the Ministry will be built, restored, expanded and developed from its budget or through donors, and the Ministry and its branches undertake follow-up and coordination with the relevant authorities to issue the required approvals, certificates and licenses according to the procedures of the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing.
The donor or his representative must submit – via the Ministry’s website – a request to build a mosque with the residence of the imam and the muezzin on land owned by the Ministry or vacated to it, with a copy of the partial plan showing the location, surrounding streets, plan number, and name of the neighborhood.
The donor or his agent also submits a certificate of financial solvency and a pledge not to collect donations to build the mosque. The Ministry is responsible for reviewing the documents submitted by the donor and contacting the municipality to issue a survey report for the site and determine the direction of the Qibla. After that, the donor will be notified of the approval and provided with the cadastral decision and the direction of the Qibla to prepare engineering plans.

Providing architectural plans

The donor must contract with a certified or classified designer – supervisor – contractor through the Baladi platform at the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing. The donor-designer also submits the architectural plans for the Ministry’s approval before submitting them on the Baladi platform. The donor-contractor shall submit to the Ministry an insurance document against background defects after the issuance of the occupancy certificate.
She pointed out that the Administrative Requirements Guide specified and clarified all the steps and procedures required to build, restore and develop mosques in accordance with the requirements and requirements of the Ministry and in accordance with the requirements of the Saudi Building Code and the approved technical standards and reference specifications.