This law applies to the following public utilities: water, sewage, stormwater drainage, electricity, telephone, public roads, railways, and other facilities as specified by a decision from the Council of Ministers.
Before undertaking any action that may affect the networks and facilities of any public utility, it is necessary to obtain the plans and instructions related to that utility from the competent authority, and to take all necessary precautions to ensure its protection and the uninterrupted provision of services to any beneficiary. In the event of damage to any utility, the responsible party must notify the relevant authority regarding that utility.
It is the responsibility of the relevant administrations and companies managing each facility to take the necessary precautions to protect it and to educate others on what should be done to ensure the safety of the facility's networks and installations. They must provide the facility's plans and the instructions prepared for its protection to any interested party who requests them within a period not exceeding fifteen days from the date the claim is received, and they shall be responsible for the accuracy of the instructions and plans they provide.
Public utility administrations and companies must coordinate with each other to serve the protection of each facility and ensure the repair of any damage it may incur as quickly as possible. For this purpose, they must inform about the responsible person available for contact at any time.
Anyone who intentionally damages any of the extensions or facilities of public utilities, or intentionally cuts or disrupts them, whether the perpetrator is the original offender or an accomplice, shall be punished with imprisonment for a period not exceeding two years and a fine not exceeding one hundred thousand Riyals, or with one of these penalties. The decision or judgment may include a provision for the publication of its text at the expense of the violator in a local newspaper issued in their place of residence; if there is no newspaper in their place of residence, then in the nearest area to them, or published in any other appropriate means, depending on the type of violation committed, its severity, and its effects, provided that the publication occurs after the decision has become final by the passage of the legally specified period or its endorsement by the competent court, or by the judgment acquiring final status.
A fine not exceeding one hundred thousand Riyals shall be imposed on anyone who causes damage to, cuts, or disrupts any public utility installations. If the perpetrator is a contractor, it is permissible to prohibit contracting with them in the future for a period not exceeding six months. In the case of a repeat offense, it may be ruled to prohibit contracting for a period exceeding the maximum limit, provided that the duration imposed does not exceed twice this limit. The penalties imposed shall be published in local newspapers at the expense of the convicted party.
A fine not exceeding fifty thousand Riyals shall be imposed on anyone who infringes upon public utility facilities or their networks with the intent to unlawfully benefit from their services, as well as on anyone who encroaches upon railways or public roads or their protected areas by seizing a part of them, establishing any type of facilities on them, creating cuts or excavations on their surface, shoulders, slopes, or parking areas, extracting soil from them, or damaging the signals or kilometer markers present on them, or the industrial works executed for them such as bridges, tunnels, and others.
Anyone who tampers with water or electricity meters, public telephone devices, or their extensions with the intent to disrupt their function or impair them shall be punished with a fine not exceeding three thousand Riyals. This also applies to anyone who encroaches upon railways or public roads or their protected areas by flooding them with irrigation or drainage water or otherwise, or who performs any act that results in their disruption or prevents their full or partial utilization, or endangers traffic movement.
A fine not exceeding two thousand Riyals shall be imposed on any beneficiary of public utility services who facilitates for others the unlawful benefit from such services.
In the event of a recurrence of any of the violations stipulated in this Law, it may be ruled that the penalty exceeds the maximum limit set for the fine, provided that it does not exceed double this limit.