Khaberni - The Ministry of Local Administration and the Jordanian Engineers Association signed today, Sunday, a memorandum of understanding aimed at providing facilitations for the licensing of existing buildings in the governorates.
The agreement was signed by the Minister of Local Administration, Engineer Walid Al-Masri, and the Head of the Jordanian Engineers Association, Engineer Abdullah Ghosheh, in the presence of the Acting Secretary-General for Technical Affairs, Engineer Ashraf Abu Al-Semen, and several members of the association's council and the offices authority, along with representatives from both sides.
Under the memorandum, the ministry will instruct all municipalities to halt licensing based on "sketches" and to adopt engineering plans issued by accredited engineering offices and certified by the Engineers Association as a basic condition for granting the license, in order to ensure compliance with engineering standards and the safety of buildings.
In return, the Engineers Association will provide financial and technical facilitations to engineering offices to reduce costs for citizens when licensing buildings that existed before the signing of the agreement.
The memorandum includes residential buildings existing up to today, provided that their total area does not exceed 500 square meters, and that the area of any single floor does not exceed 250 square meters. Only 25% of the area required for licensing per contract is calculated, and the rest of the areas are documented in the association's records, with a maximum of 15 contracts per engineering office.
The memorandum obliges engineering offices to issue a safety certificate for each existing building whose owner wishes to obtain a license, confirming that the building complies with public safety conditions, effective from today until December 31, 2025.
The Minister of Local Administration, Engineer Walid Al-Masri, stated that the memorandum comes as part of the government's efforts to simplify procedures and alleviate financial burdens on citizens, noting that it represents an important reform step in the file of existing buildings through regulating the licensing process, unifying engineering references, and ensuring compliance with safety standards.
Al-Masri explained that through this memorandum, the ministry aims to achieve a balance between complying with the law and taking into account the circumstances of the citizens, indicating that cooperation with the Engineers Association enhances the efficiency of municipal work and establishes the foundations of proper urban planning.
He added that the government has taken a series of stimulative measures to support citizens, including a full waiver of penalties for building and land tax, and a 20% discount on the principal amount for those who pay before the end of 2025, confirming that these steps are part of a comprehensive vision for developing local administration and improving the quality of services, alleviating financial burdens on citizens, and encouraging them to fulfill their obligations.
Al-Masri highlighted that urban planning and continuous training are two main pillars of cooperation between the ministry and the association, and that proper urban planning is a fundamental pillar for preserving the identity of Jordanian cities and countryside.
He pointed out that the ministry will continue to cooperate with the association in the fields of training, urban planning, and the exchange of technical knowledge, contributing to building the capacities of municipalities and developing a safer and more organized urban environment.
On his part, the Head of the Jordanian Engineers Association, Engineer Abdullah Ghosheh, said that the association would provide facilitations to engineering offices to reduce costs incurred by citizens for preparing necessary licensing documentation for existing buildings.
Ghosheh mentioned that the association aims to achieve general safety conditions in construction projects and various buildings, noting that the association is ready to cooperate and provide training in coordination with the ministry, branch councils, and the Engineers Academy for Engineering Development and Training.
