Article 5 of the Saudi Building Code Law

This article sets a fixed cycle for updating the Code, and contains two elements:

• The period: the Code is updated and reissued every 5 years.
• The instrument of issue: this is done by decision of the Minister of Commerce and Investment, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization.

The purpose is for the Code to keep pace with developments in building technology and engineering knowledge, instead of staying unchanged for a long time.

This article differs from Article 4: Article 4 deals with the amendments the National Committee proposes after studying comments received on the Code, and these amendments are issued by decision of the same Minister, without tying them to a period. This article, by contrast, imposes a periodic update and reissue of the Code every 5 years.

In practice, designers, contractors and supervisors, whom Article 1 defines, need to keep track of the version of the Code in force. Article 6 ties compliance with the Code to obtaining permits for building, restoration, modification or change of use, after the Law takes effect under the gradual application. This article does not explain how the new version applies to projects in progress when it is issued.