المملكة: 365 days is a deadline to correct the conditions of car workshops according to the new regulation
The Ministry of Municipalities and Housing approved the New regulatory and technical requirements for transportation repair workshops in the Kingdom, aiming to bring about a qualitative shift in the quality of services and safety standards, as the Ministry obligated investors to obtain licenses through the “Baladi” platform and link them to valid commercial records and civil defense approvals, while granting existing establishments a one-year corrective period, in A strategic step that supports the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 in improving the urban landscape and raising the quality of life within cities.
The new regulations classified workshops into five main categories covering all needs, starting from comprehensive maintenance centers for engines and chassis, through quick service workshops, all the way to shops that sell and change tires and batteries, to ensure the accuracy of the specialization and professionalism of the work provided to the beneficiaries.
Strict requirements for services
The Ministry imposed unprecedented transparency standards, Workshops are required to provide an air-conditioned waiting area that allows customers to see their vehicles during repair through glass windows. If this is not engineeringally impossible, surveillance cameras must be installed that transmit a live broadcast of operations inside the waiting room, to enhance confidence and eliminate tampering.
The requirements set strict spatial controls, allowing the establishment of specialized maintenance centers on commercial streets and in logistics areas, while heavy work such as plumbing and painting was restricted to industrial zones and approved service centers, to reduce noise and pollution in Urban and residential areas.
The new legislation has provided investment flexibility by allowing the practice of additional supporting activities, such as cafes or self-service machines, provided that their area does not exceed 50% of the total area of the workshop, and is not less than 6 square metres, while fully maintaining the minimum area of the main activity to ensure that services are not overcrowded.
Operational controls and environmental standards
The Ministry has set precise technical standards for operational spaces, It is obligatory to allocate a minimum of 35 square meters for each crane in mechanical workshops, and 150 square meters for each truck in heavy transport workshops, to ensure the smooth flow of movement and the safety of technicians and vehicles within the work area.
The controls stressed the elimination of visual distortions, obliging workshop owners to design civilized facades compatible with the urban code of the region, and preventing the installation of electrical extensions or air conditioning units visibly on the facade, while permanently prohibiting work on Sidewalks or outside the boundaries of the workshop.
The regulations obligated establishments to apply advanced environmental standards, including providing systems to separate oils and prevent their leakage into drainage networks, and contracting with approved agencies for waste recycling, in addition to using hard floors that do not absorb liquids and are easy to clean.
The requirements focused on human efficiency, requiring that workers obtain specialized professional certificates accredited to practice the activity, and that they adhere to a clean uniform, to ensure the provision of appropriate professional services. With the aspirations of the beneficiaries.
The Ministry stressed the necessity of providing electronic payment methods and not refraining from accepting them, while placing a quick response code “QR” on the facade of the facility that allows observers and beneficiaries to have immediate access to the licensing data and verify the regularity of the facility.
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