Saturday 12 / April / 2025
Muscat: Within its efforts to promote digital transformation, Muscat Governorate, representing the municipal sector, has been raising media campaign to introduce the ‘Issuance of a minor building permit to authorise landscaping outside the boundaries of the residential building.’
This campaign aims to raise awareness of the service and the technical and organisational guidelines associated with it.
Organisational Guidelines to ensure Safety and Consistency.
The regulations stipulate that a permit must be obtained before implementing landscaping works outside the boundaries of the residential land. It is only allowed on ribs overlooking streets or valleys, with the obligation to leave pedestrians and services’ corridors at least 3 metres wide, according to the approved plans of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning.
If the residential building is located within an entire landscaping project, an approval must be obtained from the project management or supervising entity.
With a minimum separation distance of 1.5 metres as a corridor to the street, to ensure the movement of pedestrians, bicycle paths and wheelchairs, with a minimum separation distance of 0.5 metres between the external building fence and the and the planting pool, to avoid the irrigation water impacting the fence.
The requirements stipulate that the total distance between the external fence and the street must be at least 3 metres, and if 6 metres or more is available, the landscaping area must not exceed 4 metres. If the available distance is 2 metres, only green spaces and seasonal flowers are allowed.
Prohibited landscaping locations
The regulations prohibit landscaping in various locations. They include car entrances, areas near railways or public utilities, the paths of public services or close to electricity complexes, and the common front space between two neighbouring lands at right angles to each them. It is also prohibited in open areas that are not identified in the cadastral drawing and the ribs overlooking the intersection of two streets in corner lands (replacing them with green spaces and seasonal flowers).
The regulation prohibits using stable materials to fence trees, and only side barriers of carbstone or similar materials not exceeding 20 centimetres high, from the floor level tiled with interlocking tiles (interlock) or others. Plant fencing not exceeding 50 centimetres, or metal mesh fence not exceeding 1.5 metres for each tree. to protect them, in particular areas where stray animals increase.
The guidelines stipulate that plantations must be suitable for local environmental conditions such as high summer temperatures, lack of rainwater, low soil fertility and high salts in some areas, and it is prohibited to plant trees with long roots or with a harmful environmental impact that could affect the safety of the building and public service lines. It is also allowed to install ground lighting on paths and between trees, taking into account the safety of road users, while the licensee must bear legal responsibility for any damage to any of the service lines due to the necessary works for tree planting, as digging for tree planting must be done manually, and the licensee must commit to pruning trees, cleaning the site, ensuring that water does not leak into the street or adjacent buildings, and maintaining the general view of the residential neighbourhood.
The licene is not a reason to acquire ownership or any right in kind to the site on which the landscaping work is implemented.
The Municipality may request the licensee to remove the plantations in violation of the municipal guidelines and requirements, or to pass service lines from the concerned authorities or for any reason required by the public interest, and in case of failure to remove them within the specified period, the Municipality may remove the plantings at the licensee’s expense, without the right to claim any compensation.
Steps to apply for a permit
To get the permit, the application is submitted online via the Muscat Municipality’s website www.mm.gov.om or through Sanad Services offices. It starts with updating the cadastral drawing through the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning website, where the phrase ‘Landscaping is allowed according to the standards of the relevant municipality’ is automatically inserted in the plan. A request letter addressed to the municipality and a promise to remove the landscaping upon the municipality’s request without claiming compensation. The application must be submitted with a copy of the identity card, land ownership, cadastral drawing (updated), an illustrative planning of the proposed landscaping, and approvals from the concerned entities (drainage, water, or electricity).
The specialist will review the application, register it online, and appoint a date for the field visit. Following completion, the site is inspected by specialists to ensure commitment to the municipality’s requirements, and the permit is issued within two to five working days.
This service is free of charge, with an insurance payment of OMR50.
Muscat Governorate stresses the importance of getting a permit before implementing any landscaping works. Violators are slapped with an administrative fine of OMR100, a daily fine of OMR10 (to a maximum of OMR200), and an obligation to remove the landscaping or rectify the situation.
The Municipality may request the modification or removal of existing landscaping before issuing these requirements, giving a two-month allowing period to comply with the new regulations.
For further information and applications, please visit Muscat Municipality’s official website: www.mm.gov.om
