Survey decision

A survey decision is an accredited technical document and also an official decision. It takes the form of a printed map of the land showing its orientation, dimensions, area, angles and points shared with neighbouring buildings or plots, as well as the adjoining streets and the property boundaries. The decision is made on the basis of the field studies and analyses needed to gather and analyse the survey data involved, and it includes the procedures for carrying out the survey work required. A survey decision is requested when dealing with government bodies and is one of the requirements for issuing a building permit. It is issued for residential and commercial buildings.

The land survey is the field work the engineering office carries out on the plot intended for building. It covers measuring, photographing and establishing the plot's dimensions, orientation, neighbours and coordinates, so that a survey decision can be issued for the plot.

How do you get a survey decision?

Application steps

• Identify the owner and the applicant.
• State the purpose of the survey decision.
• Enter the details of the ownership document.
• Select the municipality, the local municipal office and the district.
• Choose the engineering office (classified for surveying) to carry out the land survey.
• Choose a classified surveyor (fast track).
• Send the application to the engineering office.
• Once the fees are paid, the survey decision is issued and can be printed from the beneficiary's account.

Requirements (documents required)

• A contract with an engineering office classified for surveying.
• An updated title deed from the Ministry of Justice, a housing contract or an ownership document.
• Payment of the service fees.
• A contract with an accredited surveyor (for the fast track).

Conditions and government approvals

• The conditions and government approvals vary with the purpose of the survey decision.

Notes and alerts

• You can watch a video explaining the steps to obtain a survey decision for building purposes at this link.

How much does a survey decision cost?

The fees for a residential survey decision vary with the area of the land. They are charged per square metre of land, plus an inspection fee, and the rate per metre varies with the building classification. Please visit the Balady platform to find out more.

Who carries out the land survey?

The engineering office designing the building carries out the land survey. There are no offices dedicated to surveying alone; it is usually part of an engineering office's services. The engineering office you deal with must be accredited by the municipality the land falls under, officially registered with it and hold a Balady account. The exception is some areas where the municipalities still handle the stages of building in the traditional way rather than through Balady, and even these areas will move to working online through the platform over time.

The land survey procedure

When the owner or applicant chooses an engineering office to issue the survey decision through, a notification reaches the office's Balady account. The office approves it and starts the survey work. So how is a plot of land surveyed?

The survey is done on a site visit to the plot. A technical team from the engineering office visits the land with surveying instruments and tools, which are engineering devices used to measure and to establish the coordinates, position and orientation of the land.

The team surveys the land and records every detail it obtains from these steps using the instruments and equipment made for the purpose. When the field work on the plot is finished, it returns to the office and draws the plan of the land according to the survey's results.

Once the plan of the land and all its details, such as its coordinates, position, orientation and neighbours, are complete, the engineering office uploads these documents to the Balady platform. As soon as they are uploaded, the landowner or building owner who applied for the survey decision can download it and print it from their Balady account. The survey decision fees must of course be paid at this stage, as mentioned above.

This completes the survey work, and the survey decision for the land can be issued. So what are the steps after the decision is issued?

After the decision is issued, you will need a soil test for the land at this stage. The engineering office can then start the design work for the building.

Can a survey decision be amended after it is issued?

Yes, survey decisions can be amended after they are issued, but there is no direct service for requesting an amendment. You must visit the branch of the municipality or local municipal office the building falls under or, as a second option, contact Balady's technical support. An amendment request may take some time to complete, and some people have reported waiting nearly a month for it in certain areas.

Where do I find the survey decision number?

The survey decision number and year of issue are usually printed at the top left of the decision. The issued decision also contains all the details of the land, its area and its dimensions.

Sources and references

• Ministry of Municipal, Rural Affairs and Housing
• Saudi Vision 2030
• The Balady e-platform
• Saudi Council of Engineers
• Unified National Platform