Article 46 of the Saudi Municipalities Law

This article establishes the right to file a grievance against municipal acts:

• Who has the right? Anyone harmed; the condition is that harm has been suffered by the person filing the grievance.
• Against what? Against the actions and decisions of:
  • the municipal council, or
  • the head of the municipality.
• To whom? To the Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs.

Note that the article covers 'actions' as well as 'decisions', so a grievance is not limited to written decisions.

The article does not set a deadline for filing the grievance, its form, a period for deciding it, or what follows if it is rejected or not answered. Nor does it address other ways of objecting, so it should not be understood that a grievance to the Minister is the only route or a precondition for any other.

This article is connected to the one before it; Article 45 allows the head of the municipality to suspend licenses and permits temporarily if their holder violates their contents, and to cancel them after the municipal council's approval. Someone harmed by such a decision may, under this article, file a grievance with the Minister. It is followed by Article 47, which makes the heads of municipalities, their employees and staff subject to the General Civil Service Law, the Staff Law and the Civil Retirement Law, except as excepted by the regulations issued to implement Article (40).

Anyone harmed by a municipal decision who wants to know the deadlines and competent bodies for objecting should consult a lawyer specialized in administrative cases.