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Dubai Municipality (DM)

The Dubai Municipality (DM) is a Dubai Government department (equivalent to a Dubai City Council) responsible for urban planning, and maintenance of public facilities. Municipal affairs and services include cultural and heritage development, apartments and buildings regulation, food control, drainage network, sewage treatment, public parks, public health and safety, and various other municipal affairs and services.

• Dubai Municipality established in 1954 by Sheikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai at the time.
• The DM first started with 3 employees working from one small room, and as of 2007 had 15,000 staff working in more than one small room.
• DM has 32 divisions or organisational units (2007 information).

Dubai Municipality Departments

1. Accreditation Department
2. Architectural Heritage Department
3. Asset Management Department
4. Buildings Department
5. Childrens City Department
6. Contracts and Purchasing Department
7. Customer Relations Department
8. Drainage and Irrigation Department
9. Dubai Central Laboratory Department
10. Environment Department
11. Finance Department
12. Food Control Department
13. Geographic Information Systems Department
14. Human Resources (HR) Department
15. Knowledge Management Department
16. Legal Affairs Department
17. Municipality Centers Department
18. Planning Department
19. Public Health and Safety Department
20. Public Health Services Department
21. Public Parks and Horticulture Department
22. Sewage Network Department
23. Sewage Treatment Plant Department
24. Surveying Department
25. Waste Management Department

Dubai Municipality housing fees

• The Dubai Municipality charges a tax on expat residents of 5% of the annual rent, payable yearly.
• The DM will use the Dubai rent index as a guide to the correct rental amount for assessment if the declared amount looks too low, but they'll happily take your word if it looks too high.
• "Those who don't come forward and register within one month, the housing fee will be then charged as per the estimated rents in the Real Estate Index issued by the Real Estate Regulatory Agency" - quote from an unnamed DM official in Emirates Business 24-7 report 30 August 2010, referring to housing fee registration reminders being sent to tenants in Dubai.
• The "council tax" has been in effect since 1962 - WAM news report 16 August 2010 said DM clarified that the housing fee was levied on all non-citizen residents in the emirate since 1962. Implying that Emirati nationals do not have to pay the housing fees.
• The WAM report was prompted by rumours that the DM had introduced new housing fees. Rumours are likely to have started because few residents actually pay the tax, and the DM understandably would like to collect more money to pay for the services it provides. So every now and then there is a statement from the DM saying they will clamp down on residents who are not paying the fees.
• From 2005 the municipality launched a fee payment system in conjunction with the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) so that housing fees are added to DEWA bills.
• Previously, the DM collected the tax when tenancy contracts were renewed, or trading licenses renewed at the Department of Economy in Dubai.
• Oddly, although the DM says the housing fees are payment for services provided to residents (i.e. people rather than buildings), owners of empty apartments have to pay them also. Abdulla Hashim Abdulghafoor, Head of Housing and Marketing Fees at the Dubai Municipality, was reported by Emirates 24-7 on 10 August 2010 as saying "Whether an apartment is rented out or remains vacant, one still has to pay the housing fee as long as he has a Dewa connection. There is no exemption."
• However, UAE nationals are exempt from paying the DM housing fees (unknown if this includes UAE national landlords with empty properties) - "This fee is not applied on nationals," according to an unnamed DM official reported in Emirates Business 24-7 on 30 August 2010. UAE citizens who are charged housing fees should go to a DEWA office with their passport to have the fee cancelled.

Dubai Municipality office locations

Dubai Municipality HQ main building, 20 Baniyas Road, Al Rigga, Deira

• Al Karama DM, tel +971-4-337-4800, fax +971-4-3372260
• Al Twar DM, in the Al Twar Center, tel +971-4-2638888, fax +971-4-2638555
• Hatta DM, near Hatta Fort roundabout, tel +971-4-8521002-04, fax +971-4-38523072
• Umm Suqeim DM, near Jumeirah Beach Hotel, tel +971-4-3944424, fax +971-4-3944142

Dubai Municipality contact details

• Dubai Municipality Contact Center telephone 800-900 toll-free in UAE
• DM Interactive Voice Response (IVR) tel 800-4567 toll-free in UAE
• DM services email: e_service.help@dm.gov.ae
• DM info email: info@dm.gov.ae
• Dubai e-Government online services helpline tel 700040000 toll-free, 24 hrs, 7 days per week
• For suggestions or complaints, visit the Contact Us page on the DM website, which leads you to ecomplain.dubai.ae for complaints, but that site says "This site is currently under maintenance", and they are sorry for the inconvenience (as of August 2010). Which seems like a very efficient way to deal with complaints.
• DM postal address: Dubai Municipality, PO Box 67, Dubai, UAE.
• DM main switchboard tel +971-4-2215555, fax +971-4-2246666.
• Dubai Municipality head office location on Baniyas Rd, Al Rigga, Deira, Dubai (location map - opens in new window).

Dubai Municipality opening times and operating hours

• DM working hours 0730-1430 (7:30am-2:30pm) Sunday to Thursday (reduced during Ramadan, assume something like 0900-1300).

Dubai Municipality headings (to be updated)

Dubai Municipality air quality
Dubai Municipality careers
Dubai Municipality clinic
Dubai Municipality food control department
Dubai Municipality jobs
Dubai Municipality veterinary section

Last update Friday 13-Sep-2013. Page development 1H 2T 3D 4L 5C.

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