Dubai develops AI system to redesign the building permit process

Dubai is developing an artificial intelligence-powered system that will automatically review and issue building permits for private and investment villas, potentially reducing approval times from days to minutes.

Developed by Dubai Municipality, the system will analyze submitted drawings and documents, check designs against the Dubai Building Code, assess structural safety and engineering requirements, and issue permit decisions without manual intervention.

The project will be implemented in three phases over 26 weeks, before being rolled out for private and investment villa permit applications submitted by engineering consultancy firms across the emirate.

The system will also allow customers to conduct design compliance checks before submitting applications. Once submitted, applications can receive immediate decisions, while those requiring additional information or amendments will generate automated feedback and guidance.

Initially, the AI system will assess key requirements including plot planning, architectural designs, mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems, structural safety and building stability. It will also cross-check information across drawings and supporting documents and automatically generate building card information.

Dubai Municipality said the system is designed to limit manual reviews to exceptional cases, allowing technical teams to focus on higher-value activities while improving the quality of data and analytics used for decision-making and future planning.

Eng. Mariam Al Muhairi, CEO of the Building Regulation and Permits Agency at Dubai Municipality, said: “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.”

She added that the automated permits will accelerate service delivery, improve quality, and support Dubai’s D33 and AI adoption goals.

The first phase will focus on developing and testing the AI agent across multiple engineering disciplines. A pilot with selected engineering consultancy firms will then assess the system in a live environment and gather user feedback.

The final phase will see the system fully deployed for private and investment villa building permit applications across Dubai.

Once completed, the system will be integrated into the Build in Dubai platform as part of Dubai Municipality’s efforts to modernize the emirate’s construction ecosystem and accelerate government services through AI and other digital technologies.