Dubai Municipality is developing an AI-powered system to issue building permits automatically, removing the need for manual review in most cases. The project covers private and investment villa applications submitted through the Build in Dubai platform.
The system is designed to read submitted drawings and documents, verify compliance with the Dubai Building Code, assess mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems, validate structural safety requirements, and cross-check data across supporting documentation.
It will also generate building card information automatically. Customers will be able to run pre-submission design checks and receive instant decisions, with feedback provided immediately when amendments are needed.
“This project reflects Dubai’s vision of using artificial intelligence not merely to improve government services, but to fundamentally redesign them by creating a digital ecosystem capable of making accurate and efficient decisions in line with the highest regulatory and engineering standards. The automated issuance of building permits marks a transformative milestone in the customer journey, accelerating service delivery, enhancing service quality, and supporting the objectives of the Dubai Economic Agenda D33 and Dubai’s annual plan to accelerate AI adoption. Ultimately, it contributes to building a more efficient, agile and future-ready government while reinforcing Dubai’s position as the world’s best city to live, work and invest,” Eng. Mariam Al Muhairi, CEO of the Building Regulation and Permits Agency at Dubai Municipality said in a statement.
The rollout will run across three phases over 26 weeks. The first focuses on developing and testing the AI agent against multiple engineering disciplines. A pilot phase will then run with a selected group of engineering consultancy firms to evaluate performance in a live environment. The final phase brings full deployment across all qualifying applications.
On the internal side, the system is intended to limit manual reviews to exceptional cases and free technical staff for more complex work.
Dubai Municipality said the initiative supports the Dubai Economic Agenda D33 and the emirate’s broader push to accelerate AI adoption across government services.
