Riyadh Sites Fined Over SAR 16M for Dust Breaches

Construction projects across Riyadh have been hit with 557 violations and fines exceeding SAR 16 million for failing to comply with dust-control regulations, following an intensive inspection campaign inside the city's urban boundaries.

The penalties were issued by the National Center for Environmental Compliance after more than 3,000 inspections of construction sites within Riyadh's city limits. The campaign is carried out in partnership with the Royal Commission for Riyadh City and Riyadh Municipality, and targets projects that breach the technical guideline for controlling dust from construction activities.

What sites are required to do

The rules set out clear dust-control measures for building sites. These include spraying dust suppressants and water, covering trucks that carry materials, washing truck tires before they leave sites, regular cleaning of surrounding roads, and enforcing speed limits on unpaved roads through wheel-wash systems. Crushers must be fitted with misting systems, and high-risk projects must run real-time air-quality monitoring.

For major projects covering 2,000 square metres or more, developers must implement approved dust-control plans, install on-site air-quality monitors connected to a unified national platform, and submit periodic environmental reports to the relevant authorities.

Under the framework, administrative fines can reach SAR 50,000 Because a single site may accumulate multiple breaches, the total quickly climbed past SAR 16 million.

The measures follow the guideline on mitigating fugitive dust emissions from construction activities in Riyadh, which established a mandatory, performance-based system for controlling fine dust particles from building and demolition work. Dust control is now treated as a core operational requirement for contractors rather than a secondary safety concern.

For residents, the campaign aims to reduce airborne dust around construction zones, protecting air quality and public health in neighbourhoods across the capital.

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