Dubai- UAE: To motivate the building quality and safety in the emirate, the Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and the Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has issued Law No. (3) of 2026. Building owners have a big responsibility towards building safety as stipulated by the law. As soon as the construction is completed, the owners have to obtain the Quality and Safety Certificate and make sure that all structural or technical flaws are fixed in time.

The advancement of the new legislation is to provide a guarantee that every building in Dubai should be of great structural integrity, safety, and sustainability. It brings in more rigid inspection, maintenance, and certification requirements to ensure safety of the inhabitants, property, and urban identity of the city.

All Buildings In Dubai Are Subjected To The Law

The new law applies to all buildings within the city of Dubai regardless of their location in the private development areas and even the free zones like the Dubai International Financial Centre.

Notably, the law applies to buildings erected prior to and subsequent to the law enactment, and thus, the law affects both old and new buildings, and should be provided with the same standards of building quality and safety.

Objectives Of The New Law

The law is expected to enhance the building quality and safety with several major goals in mind:

Ensuring the building structure.
Maintaining building systems on a regular basis.
Enhancing the safe functioning of mechanical and electrical and safety systems.
Enhancing occupant comfort
Minimizing accidents and hazards.
Preservation of lives and property.
Conservation of urban identity of Dubai and urban sustainability.

These measures are aimed at the government to ensure that the infrastructure is of the highest level and the overall living conditions within the emirate are improved.

Role Of Dubai Municipality

The law requires Dubai Municipality to provide building quality and safety which are built within the emirate. The municipality will have to establish a computerized building management system, have a single building database, periodically carry out building evaluation and establish standards of sustainability. They should also institute measures to guard structures, people and property, research incidents related to buildings and implement corrective measures, encourage the use of contemporary technologies and building materials and control the online building portal. Such measures will enhance the monitoring system and make the safety standards consistent and effective.

Building Quality And Safety Certificate Requirement

The law states that a building Quality and Safety Certificate shall be issued on a thorough examination of the buildings by an authorized engineering office or firm. This check gauges the condition of the building in terms of structure and technology to assist in the adherence of the building standards of quality and safety. The certificate ascertains that the building is in accordance with the law in regard to safety, maintenance and reliability in operation. The new legislation has a number of obligations to the building owners including unit owners under the Law No. (6) of 2019 on Joint Property Ownership in Dubai.

Owners must get Quality and Safety Certificate upon completion of building, have a certified engineering firm to inspect the building, fix any defects found during inspection and have periodic maintenance and in particular buildings that are below 20 years. They should also mend broken things that can endanger the structural integrity or the surrounding properties, provide the permission to carry out inspections and permit repair and maintain even after certification. These roles are used to provide building quality and safety in its whole life cycle.

Quality And Safety Certificate Validity

There are also specific validity periods of Quality and Safety Certificate in the law:

10 years on buildings which are not older than 40 years.
5 years for buildings 40 years or older.

The renewal of certificates can be done in the same period based on the procedures stipulated by the Chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai. In the case of a building being approved to be demolished, the legislation is the Law No. (26) of 2007 on regulating the relationship between the landlord and tenant in Dubai.

This law will give tenants that move out of the building the first choice to move back to the building in case of reconstruction or repair. They will as well be entitled to revert with the same value in terms of rent that was agreed in the original lease provided that both the parties are willing to do so.

Penalties For Violations

The legislation brings severe punishments on the breaches of building quality and safety. Fines range from Dh100 to Dh1,000,000. A violation of the same in two years can lead to fines of up to Dh2,000,000. Administrative actions that may be used by authorities include:

Holding up building permits.
Stopping of government or private business concerning the building.
Cessation of lease certifications of units until violations are corrected.

Such punishments make sure that safety standards are observed.

The concerned persons or organizations, to which the decisions or punishment provided by the law concern of building quality and safety might issue a written notice to the Director General of Dubai Municipality or the concerned agency within 30 days of the notification. The appeal will be considered by a committee who will give its decision within 30 days and its decision will be final.

Implementation Timeline

The building owners, contractors, and engineering offices have to be in adherence to the law within one year after its effective date. In case of necessity, the Chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai can extend this deadline. The law will be issued in the Official Gazette and it will become effective 60 days after publication.

The law is meant to encourage sustainability and preserve the distinctive urban character of Dubai besides safety. With the mentioned maintenance and safety checking, the authorities expect to lower the number of accidents and to increase the overall building quality and safety in the city.

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