Violations of the Public Facilities Protection Law and their penalties
Disclaimer: This is a legal article that provides information that does not replace consulting a competent lawyer to help you and for more accurate information.
Did you know that trespassing on or damaging public facilities may expose you to regulatory penalties?
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been keen to protect public facilities from practices that threaten their safety or impede their access, through the Public Facilities Protection System, which specifies violations and the penalties resulting from them.
What are the most prominent violations of the public facilities protection system in Saudi Arabia? What are the penalties for each violation?
Find out the details, and hire a specialized administrative lawyer from the office of Lawyer Abdul Majeed Al Rashid now or visit the website to understand your legal situation and learn about the appropriate procedures.
What is meant by facility protection?
Public utility protection refers to a set of procedures and measures taken by competent government agencies to protect vital facilities and installations against any risks or threats that may lead to their damage, sabotage, disruption of operation, or harm to people.
What are the types of public facilities?
Article 1 of the law explains the types of public facilities to which the system applies, which include:
- Water, sewage and flood drainage.
- Electricity and telephone.
- Public roads and railways.
- King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology facilities.
- Mosques and their facilities.
What is the penalty for attacking public property under the Public Facilities Protection Law?
What is the penalty for attacking public property under the Public Facilities Protection Law?
Punishment for assault on public property
According to Article 5 of the Public Utilities Protection Law, anyone who destroys public utility extensions or facilities, or intentionally cuts them off or disrupts them, shall be punished with imprisonment for a period not exceeding two years and a fine not exceeding 100,000 Saudi riyals, or one of these two penalties.
Penalty for illegally using public facilities
Anyone who commits the acts stipulated in Article 7 of the system shall be punished with a fine not exceeding 50 thousand Saudi riyals, which are:
- Encroachment on public utility facilities or networks with the aim of benefiting from their services in an illegal manner.
- Trespassing on railways or public roads, usurping part of them, erecting facilities on them, or creating holes.
Punishment for tampering with water and electricity meters
Punishment for tampering with water and electricity meters
Anyone who tampers with water or electricity meters, public telephone devices, or their extensions with the intention of disrupting or disrupting their function shall be punished with a fine not exceeding 3,000 Saudi riyals, in accordance with the text of Article 8 of the Public Utilities Protection System.
Penalty for facilitating the use of public facilities by others through illegal means
Article 9 of the law stipulates that anyone who benefits from public utility services and facilitates the illegal benefit of them for others shall be punished with a fine not exceeding 2,000 Saudi riyals.
Are you facing a violation related to the public facilities protection system or do you need to object to an administrative decision? A specialized administrative lawyer from the office of Lawyer Abdul Majeed Al Rashid helps you study the details of your case, clarify your legal rights, and provide legal advice on objection procedures and ways to claim your rights.
Does the violator of the law and executive regulations of the Public Utilities Protection Law require compensation for the damages he caused?
Article 11 of the law obliges the perpetrator of the violation to compensate for damage to the public facility or others, including:
- Costs of repairing the damage that caused it.
- Compensation for the benefit lost by the facility or others.
The executive regulations of the Public Utilities Protection Law also specify the amount of financial fines, repair costs, and compensation required for each violation, for example:
The fine for damaging the road or flood drainage channels is estimated at 75% of the value of the repair costs for any damage and does not exceed 100,000 Saudi riyals, according to Article 5 of the regulations.
What are the procedures for detecting and proving violations of the Public Facilities Protection Law?
Violations are detected and investigated by a committee composed of the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs, the Ministry of Agriculture and Water, the Ministry of Transportation and the General Authority for Roads.
The committee estimates compensation to determine the amount of the fine for each violation, and then the committee issues its decision.
Anyone against whom a violation has been issued may file a grievance before the Board of Grievances within 60 days from the date of notification, in accordance with Article 13 of the Law.
Compliance with the provisions of the Public Utilities Protection Law and its executive regulations represents an essential step to preserve public property and avoid violations and the penalties resulting from them.
If you encounter a violation or wish to know your legal rights and ways to object to administrative decisions related to it, hiring a specialized administrative lawyer from the office of Lawyer Abdul Majeed Al Rashid will help you understand your legal position and determine the appropriate procedures.
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