Article 7 of the Saudi Municipalities Law

المادة 7 من نظام البلديات والقرى

The article makes the Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs the administrative reference of the municipality and lets the Minister specify which municipal council decisions are subject to the Minister's approval or a delegate's.

Official text (Arabic)

This article has not been amended since the law was issued.

أ - وزير الشئون البلدية والقروية المرجع الإداري للبلدية .

ب - يحدد وزير الشئون البلدية والقروية قرارات المجلس البلدي التي تخضع لتصديقه أو تصديق من يفوضه.

This is the official Arabic wording, the only legally binding version. We do not translate the law itself; the explanation below is ours. Official source: Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers

Article 7 explained in plain English

This article sets out the municipality's relationship with the Minister, in two paragraphs:

Paragraph (a): The administrative reference. The Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs is the administrative reference of the municipality. The municipality, with its municipal council and its head, refers administratively to the Minister.

Paragraph (b): Approval of municipal council decisions. The Minister specifies which municipal council decisions are subject to the Minister's approval, or to the approval of a delegate. This means:

Not all council decisions need approval, only those the Minister specifies.
Approval may come from the Minister personally or from a delegate.
The article does not itself list the decisions subject to approval, but leaves their specification to the Minister.

This article is connected to Article 6, which gives the municipal council the power of decision and oversight, and the head of the municipality the power of execution with the help of the municipality's bodies. The power of decision the council holds is, for some decisions, subject to this approval. Article 8 moves on to the composition of the council: the Minister specifies by decision the number of council members in each municipality, between 4 and 14 members, and the head of the municipality is among them.

Anyone dealing with a decision issued by a municipal council who needs to know whether it is in force or awaiting approval should check with the municipality or consult a lawyer specialized in administrative cases.

Practical example

A municipal council in Tabuk issued a decision on a matter that the Minister has specified is subject to the Minister's approval. Under this article, the decision needs the approval of the Minister or a delegate, unlike other council decisions that the Minister has not made subject to approval.

Translated from our Arabic explanation with machine assistance. For guidance only; it does not replace advice from a lawyer on your situation.

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