Article 7 of the Saudi Public Utilities Protection Law
المادة 7 من نظام حماية المرافق العامة
The article punishes with a fine of up to SAR 50,000 anyone who encroaches on public utilities to use their services unlawfully, or who encroaches on public roads and railways or their protected zones.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
يعاقب بغرامة لا تتجاوز خمسين ألف ريال كل من يتعدى على منشآت المرافق العامة أو شبكاتها بقصد الاستفادة من خدماتها بطريقة غير مشروعة، وكذا كل من يتعدى على السكك الحديدية أو الطرق العامة أو حرمها باغتصاب جزء منها أو إقامة منشآت عليها من أي نوع كانت أو إحداث قطع أو حفر في سطحها أو أكتافها أو ميولها أو مواقفها أو أخذ أتربة منها أو إتلاف الإشارات أو العلامات الكيلومترية الموجودة بها أو الأعمال الصناعية المنفذة لها كالجسور والأنفاق وغيرها .
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 combines two forms of encroachment and gives them a single penalty: a fine of up to SAR 50,000.
First form: unlawful use of utilities
This is encroaching on public utility facilities or networks with the intent of benefiting from their services unlawfully, such as connecting an electricity or water line directly to the network without a proper subscription.
Second form: encroaching on public roads and railways or their protected zones, which includes:
- Taking over part of them.
- Erecting structures of any kind on them.
- Making cuts or excavations in their surface, shoulders, slopes or parking areas.
- Taking soil from them.
- Damaging the signs or kilometer markers on them.
- Damaging the engineering works built for them, such as bridges, tunnels and others.
This article differs from Article 6, which punishes anyone who causes damage to, or the cutting or disabling of, utility lines with a fine of up to SAR 100,000, and from Article 8, which punishes with a lighter fine of no more than SAR 3,000 tampering with meters and some forms of encroachment on roads, such as flooding them with water.
Anyone accused of violating this article may consult a lawyer specializing in criminal cases.
Practical example
The owner of a rest house on the outskirts of Qassim extended his fence until part of it entered the protected zone of a public road, and took soil from the side of the road to level his land. These acts are forms of encroachment punished by the article with a fine of up to SAR 50,000.
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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Frequently asked questions about Article 7 of the Saudi Public Utilities Protection Law
What is the penalty for stealing electricity or water from the public network?
Anyone who encroaches on public utility facilities or networks with the intent of benefiting from their services unlawfully is punished with a fine of up to SAR 50,000.
Is building on a road's protected zone a violation?
Yes. Erecting structures of any kind on public roads or their protected zones is a form of encroachment punishable by a fine of up to SAR 50,000.
Is taking soil from the side of a road a violation?
Yes. Taking soil from public roads, railways or their protected zones is among the acts mentioned in the article.
More articles on Penalties for Attacking Public Utilities
- Article 5Amended by M/38
The article punishes anyone who deliberately damages, cuts or disables public utility lines or facilities with up to two years' imprisonment and a fine of up to SAR 100,000, or either, with the possible publication of the penalty.
يعاقب بالسجن مدة لا تزيد على سنتين وبغرامة لا تتجاوز مائة ألف ريال، أو بإحدى هاتين العقوبتين؛ كل من تعمد إتلاف أي من تمديدات أو منشآت المرافق العامة، أو تعمد قط
- Article 6
The article punishes anyone who causes damage to, or the cutting or disabling of, public utility lines with a fine of up to SAR 100,000, and allows a contractor responsible to be barred from future contracting.
يعاقب بغرامة لا تتجاوز مائة ألف ريال كل من تسبب في إتلاف أي من تمديدات المرافق العامة أو قطعها أو تعطيلها. فإن كان المتسبب في ذلك مقاولا فإنه يجوز منع التعاقد م
- Article 8
The article punishes with a fine of up to SAR 3,000 anyone who tampers with water or electricity meters or public telephones, or who floods, disables or endangers traffic on roads or railways.
يعاقب بغرامة لا تزيد عن ثلاثة آلاف ريال كل من يعبث بعدادات المياه أو الكهرباء أو أجهزة الهاتف العامة أو تمديداتها بقصد تعطيل وظيفتها أو الإخلال بها، وكذا كل من
- Article 9
The article punishes with a fine of up to SAR 2,000 any beneficiary of public utility services who helps others use them unlawfully.
يعاقب بغرامة لا تزيد عن ألفي ريال كل مستفيد من خدمات المرافق العامة يسهل للغير الاستفادة منها بطريقة غير مشروعة.
- Article 10
The article allows, in case of repeat offense under the Law, a fine above the maximum limit, provided it does not exceed double that limit.
في حالة العود إلى ارتكاب أي من المخالفات المنصوص عليها في هذا النظام، يجوز أن يحكم بأكثر من الحد الأقصى المقرر للغرامة، على ألا يتجاوز ضعف هذا الحد.
The texts are reproduced from the official website of the Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers for reference; where they differ, the officially published Arabic text prevails. This content is not legal advice.