Excavation Safety Requirements in KSA: A Checklist
Excavation safety requirements for Saudi electricity contractors: site safety plan, traffic plan, route Shape Files, asset checks and a per-stage checklist.
Quick answer
Excavation safety requirements in Saudi Arabia start with the permit request. The Ministry of Municipalities and Housing (MOMAH) asks for a site safety and security plan that follows the traffic control guide, a traffic plan whenever a road must be closed, Shape Files of the excavation routes, and valid commercial registrations for the main contractor and every subcontractor. The main contractor stays liable for violations, whoever digs.
Key takeaways
- An excavation permit needs a site safety and security plan per the traffic control guide, a traffic plan for road closures, and Shape Files of the routes.
- Subcontractors do not exempt the main contractor from liability, and both must keep their commercial registrations valid until the clearance certificate.
- Under MOMAH’s March 2024 announcement, general excavation licenses run 30 days on highways and 60 days on main, secondary and local roads.
- Check where existing assets run before digging, and record the result on the work order itself.
- Treat a power disconnection as a documented step with a request, proof and confirmation, not a phone call.
- ELX keeps safety documents on the work order and runs the disconnection request and confirmation. It is not an HSE system.
In this article
In Saudi Arabia, excavation safety requirements start with the permit request, not when the crew reaches the site. To issue a permit, the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing (MOMAH) asks for a site safety and security plan, a traffic plan for road closures, Shape Files of the excavation routes and valid commercial registrations for every contractor on the job.
This guide summarises MOMAH’s official pages on the new, emergency and building-connection excavation permits, adds Riyadh’s asset verification service, and ends with a document checklist for each stage. It organises your records; it does not replace the traffic control guide or your municipality’s instructions.
Which excavation safety requirements come with a permit?
New excavation permits are requested electronically only, through the Balady portal and app. Utility entities such as electricity, telecom and water companies apply through their representatives in the municipal infrastructure project coordination offices, after coordinating with other entities. Several of the prerequisites, though, concern the contractors doing the work. MOMAH lists:
- Registered representatives and teams: representatives in the infrastructure project coordination office, and work teams (contractors, consultants, supervisors) registered with the municipality.
- Valid commercial registrations: for the main contractor and all subcontractors, for the whole excavation period until the clearance certificate.
- Classification and pre-qualification: valid City Service Provider Classification Certificates, and contractors pre-qualified with the municipality.
- Route files: Shape Files of the excavation routes.
- Site safety and security plan: prepared according to the traffic control guide.
- Traffic plan: when a road must be closed.
MOMAH is explicit that using subcontractors does not exempt the main contractor from liability for violations. The liability stays with you, whoever is holding the shovel.
Subcontracting does not transfer liability
If a subcontractor does the digging, check three things: their commercial registration stays valid until the clearance certificate, their team is registered with the municipality, and they work to the same safety and security plan you attached to the request.
Do the requirements differ by permit type?
Yes. Documents and review times depend on the permit type. Here is what MOMAH lists for the three permits closest to an electricity-network contractor’s work:
| Permit type | Scope | Attached or required | Review and start |
|---|---|---|---|
| New excavation permit | Excavation within city limits, after coordination with other entities | Route Shape Files, a safety and security plan per the traffic control guide, a traffic plan for road closures | Listed processing time 1–2 days; issued once fees are paid |
| Emergency excavation permit | Sudden failures: land subsidence, electrical or telephone cable faults, water, sewage or gas pipe breaks | A formal request within 24 hours of the notification | Work may start after preliminary approval; review within 24 hours at most; granted once the fee is paid |
| Building-connection excavation permit | Excavation for building connections, requested by the service provider | Work order, building location proof, a Shape File of the paths, a safety and security plan | Review within 24 hours at most, then issue, excavation and site closure; listed as free |
The safety plan and the route Shape File appear in both the new and the connection permit, so store them on the work order under consistent names while keeping their content specific to each site. For the full walkthrough, see the Balady excavation permit guide; for sudden faults, see maintenance and emergency work orders.
What should a site safety and security plan be based on?
On the traffic control guide. MOMAH states that the site safety and security plan must follow it, and requires the plan for both new and building-connection permits. The new-permit page also asks applicants to comply fully with the ministry’s Traffic Control in Work Zones guide and its updates, and with the General Specifications for Civil Works in Public Utility Projects (1440 AH).
The ministry’s pages do not spell out what the plan itself contains; those technical details come from the guide and from your municipality. So check the current edition of the guide and the municipality’s instructions before drafting, rather than reusing a plan from an old project in another city or on a different road.
What you control internally is fit: a plan only protects a site if it matches the route being dug and the permit period. Before submitting, ask:
- Does the plan cover the same routes as the attached Shape Files?
- Will the work close a road, so a traffic plan is also needed?
- Who applies the plan on site: your crew, or a subcontractor registered with the municipality?
- Is the expected permit duration for that road type long enough for the planned work?
- Where is the submitted copy stored, and can the field supervisor and quality inspector reach it?
These questions add no rule to what MOMAH requires. They make sure a sound document stays tied to the work order it was written for.
When do you need a traffic management plan?
MOMAH requires a traffic plan when the excavation requires closing a road, on top of the site safety and security plan that follows the traffic control guide. So the first question for any route is simple: will the work close the road? If so, the traffic plan belongs in the request.
Road type also sets how long the permit lasts. In March 2024 the ministry announced new Excavation Licenses Regulations with these durations for general excavation works:
| Road type | License duration |
|---|---|
| Highways | 30 days |
| Main, secondary and local roads | 60 days |
The same announcement adds two points that bear on your schedule: a street closure or traffic diversion needs a traffic plan approved by the Traffic Departments, and municipalities may extend a license within the project’s implementation period. So track the permit expiry next to the traffic plan, early enough to act if the work needs longer, and never let work run past the authorised period. For a practical way to do that on every order, see excavation permit tracking per work order.
Why verify existing infrastructure assets before digging?
One street can carry electricity and telecom cables plus water, sewage and gas pipes owned by different entities. The same networks appear in the sudden failures covered by the emergency excavation permit: electrical or telephone cable faults, and water, sewage or gas pipe breaks. Knowing where they run is a core part of site safety.
In the Riyadh region, the Riyadh Infrastructure Projects Center launched a geospatial asset verification service that lets contractors and executing entities check where existing infrastructure assets sit at a project site before excavation starts. MOMAH’s March 2024 announcement also says coordination between entities runs through the Nasseq service on Balady to avoid damage and duplicated works.
Whatever the city, record the check on the work order itself: what you consulted, when, and what you found. That record is what you return to if an unexpected asset turns up during execution.
In practice it starts at the site survey, where coordinates, drill types and lengths are captured. See what a Kashfia site survey is.
Keep site files on the work order itself
We show how execution teams upload photos and files with reference names to the work order stage in ELX, in one place with the excavation permit details.
How do you document a power disconnection request and its confirmation?
When the work needs power cut on part of the network, never start or resume on the assumption that it has been cut. Treat disconnection as a documented step with a request, proof and confirmation, not a phone call that leaves no trace on the work order.
The MOMAH pages cited here do not cover the disconnection procedure itself, which is governed by the utility and the other parties involved. Your internal record can still follow five steps:
Log the request
Set the requested date and the work order, and attach what explains the scope.
Send it to the relevant parties
Use one standard form with the order number, address and work description, and keep a copy of what went out and to whom.
Hold the order
Keep the order in a clear status so execution cannot resume before proof arrives.
Upload the proof
Attach the dated document or photo that proves the disconnection to the work order.
Confirm and release
The responsible person reviews the proof, confirms, and returns the order to the execution team.
In ELX, the power disconnection request and confirmation flow follows this sequence: the request is raised with a date and attachments, a template-based form is emailed, and the order leaves execution for the work-order team until proof is uploaded and confirmed. The last section has the details.
Which documents should you keep at each stage?
The table combines official requirements with internal records, stage by stage from before the permit request to site closure. The last column separates what MOMAH requires from what you keep for your own protection.
| Stage | Document | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Before the permit request | Commercial registrations of the main contractor and subcontractors, classification certificates, proof of team registration and contractor pre-qualification | New permit prerequisites |
| Site survey | Coordinates, drill types and lengths, site photos, and the existing-asset check where available | Internal record; Riyadh verification service |
| Permit request | Route Shape Files, the safety and security plan, a traffic plan for road closures; work order and building location proof for connection permits | MOMAH requirements |
| Permit issued | License number, start date, duration, expiry and municipality | Internal record |
| Execution | Disconnection request, proof and confirmation where needed; execution photos | Internal record |
| Closure | Proof of site closure, and the clearance certificate once issued | Connection permit process; registrations valid until clearance |
Before relaying an order to the next stage, check:
- Main contractor and subcontractor registrations stay valid until the clearance certificate.
- Classification certificates are valid and teams are registered with the municipality.
- Shape Files match the route that will actually be dug.
- The safety and security plan follows the traffic control guide and is stored on the work order.
- A traffic plan approved by the Traffic Departments is attached if the work closes a road or diverts traffic.
- The existing-asset check is documented before digging.
- Where a disconnection was needed, the proof is uploaded and confirmed before execution resumes.
- The field supervisor knows the permit expiry date.
- Site closure is documented, and the clearance certificate is filed once issued.
How does ELX help you store and document safety records?
ELX is a bilingual (Arabic/English) cloud (SaaS) service, hosted and operated by Matrix, that runs in the browser with no servers needed on the contractor’s side. Built for electricity-network contractors in Saudi Arabia, it carries each utility work order from registration to archive. It is not an HSE system and does not write safety plans or log incidents. Its role here: keep safety documents on the work order at the right stage, and run the disconnection request and confirmation.
- Site survey (Kashfia): customer and source coordinates on a map, drill types with path lengths, survey files with reference names, and whether a permit is needed. Part of site survey and excavation permits.
- Excavation permits: a permit screen per work order records request date and number, license number, start, duration, expiry and municipality (all required before relay), plus notes and attachments. The license shows as open or closed, and ELX fills an editable permit application letter from a template and emails it to several recipients.
- Power disconnection: the request is raised from the project screen with a date and attachments, and a template-based form is emailed to the relevant parties. The project status becomes “disconnection” and the order returns to the work-order team flagged “returned from disconnection” until proof is uploaded and confirmed, then goes back to Projects or Connections.
- Mandatory attachments: administrators can make notes or attachments mandatory per stage, so an order cannot be relayed without them; earlier stages’ files stay visible from the current stage.
- One place for every file: a unified screen gathers the order’s files from every stage with their source, downloadable as one ZIP. The PDF lifecycle report shows the permit’s number, municipality, dates and status, and the disconnection date in the project section. Part of reports and dashboards.
What ELX does not do
ELX tracks permits obtained through Balady; it does not submit, issue, extend or sync them. It is not connected to the Riyadh verification service or to the utility’s systems: the disconnection request goes out by email. It has no HSE module, incident register or safety-plan generator. It organises your documents; regulatory responsibility stays with the contractor.
Later, at the quality stage, items are evaluated and non-matching work goes back to execution; see quality inspection for utility work orders. To see how these documents sit on a work order in ELX, request a demo.
Want to see ELX on your own projects?
Request a demo from our team on WhatsApp and see how work orders, extracts and warehouses run in one system.
Frequently asked questions
Which safety documents does a Balady excavation permit require?
For a new excavation permit, MOMAH asks for a site safety and security plan prepared according to the traffic control guide, a traffic plan when a road must be closed, and Shape Files of the excavation routes. Alongside these, teams must be registered with the municipality, contractors must hold valid City Service Provider Classification Certificates, and commercial registrations must stay valid until the clearance certificate.
Does using a subcontractor relieve the main contractor of liability?
No. MOMAH states that using subcontractors does not exempt the main contractor from liability for violations. It also requires valid commercial registrations for the main contractor and every subcontractor for the whole excavation period, until the clearance certificate is issued. Check your subcontractor’s documents before the request is submitted and keep checking them throughout execution.
When is a traffic management plan required?
A traffic plan is required when the excavation closes a road, on top of the site safety and security plan that follows the traffic control guide. MOMAH’s March 2024 announcement adds that the plan must be approved by the Traffic Departments when a street is closed or traffic is diverted. Road type also sets the permit period: general excavation licenses run 30 days on highways and 60 days on main, secondary and local roads.
How can I check existing cables and pipes before digging?
In the Riyadh region, use the geospatial asset verification service launched by the Riyadh Infrastructure Projects Center. It lets contractors and executing entities check the locations of existing infrastructure assets at a project site before excavation. Coordination between entities also runs through the Nasseq service on Balady to avoid damage and duplicated works. Record the result on the work order before execution starts.
How do I document a power disconnection before work starts?
Log the request with its date and work order, send it to the relevant parties on a standard form, and hold the order until proof of disconnection is uploaded and confirmed. In ELX, the request is raised from the project screen with a date and attachments, and the order returns to the work-order team flagged “returned from disconnection” until the proof is confirmed.