Who in Dubai sets a plot's boundaries and issues the map with coordinates, area and dimensions? Law No. 6 of 2017 makes the Municipality the OFFICIAL source of survey data and the exclusively authorised body to conduct surveys and issue cadastral maps — while stating expressly that this does not prejudice the Land Department's powers to issue maps for registering property rights. Eight acts are prohibited outright, including re-installing or obscuring boundary markers and publishing false data about boundaries.
Verified against official sources on 2026-09-16: the text of Law No. 6 of 2017 comes from the Dubai Legislation Portal (dlp.dubai.gov.ae). The portal notes that the English version is a translation and that the Arabic text prevails in case of conflict. This is not legal advice: a specific plot is judged on its own documents.
"Where exactly does my plot boundary run and what is its area" sounds technical until it becomes contested. A separate law answers it.
The document is Law No. (6) of 2017 Regulating Survey Works in the Emirate of Dubai.
Who is in charge of measurement
"The DM is the competent entity responsible for regulating Survey Works in the Emirate and is the official authorised source of the data and information resulting from these works." — Law No. (6) of 2017, Article 5
The Municipality is exclusively authorised to conduct land, hydrographic and seismic surveys; to generate, issue and update survey plans, base maps, site maps and cadastral maps; and to regulate the professions associated with survey works.
The scope (Article 3) covers all survey works throughout the Emirate, including Special Development Zones and free zones such as the DIFC. What a Special Development Zone is we covered under Decree 22/2009.
The document that concerns an owner directly
Among the definitions in Article 2 is the one worth the whole law:
"Cadastral Map: A map showing the boundaries, coordinates, area, dimensions, and use of a privately-owned land plot issued based on the records of the Land Department and as per the master plan of the Emirate." — Law No. (6) of 2017, Article 2
Note the construction: the map is issued by the Municipality, but on the basis of the Land Department's records. The right is created by the register entry — that is Law 7/2006; surveying describes where that right sits on the ground.
Alongside it stands the site map — the same thing for land owned or granted by the Government. And the boundary marker — physical points with known coordinates marking boundaries, including building corner markers and right-of-way markers.
The line with the Land Department is drawn explicitly
Article 9 first vests preparation, issuance, distribution and safekeeping of plans and maps in the Municipality, then adds a caveat:
"The provisions of paragraph (a) of this Article will not prejudice the powers vested in the Dubai Land Department in respect of issuing maps for recording and registering Real Property Rights." — Law No. (6) of 2017, Article 9(b)
Two authorities, two functions: measuring, and recording the right. Which document is issued in a given case we will not assert — that requires procedures the law does not contain.
What the Municipality does on a construction site
Article 6 lists fifteen powers over land surveys. Three of them touch construction and neighbours directly:
- identifying boundary markers for all types of land in the Emirate and issuing the relevant certificates;
- identifying markers to be installed at the commencement of construction works, ensuring compliance with them at all stages and issuing certificates;
- ensuring that contractors install the proper boundary markers within the right of way when laying service lines — the same strip covered by bylaw 273/2025.
A separate item: auditing consultants' survey calculations for building entry elevations, the Qibla direction, and elevations and dimensions of land.
Eight prohibited acts
Article 12 lists them as a closed set. For an owner or a contractor these matter most:
- conducting land, hydrographic or seismic surveys without authorisation from the Municipality;
- setting up, destroying, adjusting, removing, re-installing or obscuring the survey network, any survey control point or survey marker;
- damaging a survey station or disrupting its operation;
- generating or issuing base maps, site maps, cadastral maps or other maps that fall within the Municipality's jurisdiction;
- publishing false data or information on the boundaries or markers of any land in the Emirate;
- obstructing or disrupting the Municipality's surveys;
- using survey information obtained from the Municipality for other than its intended purpose or providing it to third parties — for a price or free — without the Municipality's approval;
- any other acts determined by the implementing bylaw.
Point two deserves a second reading: it forbids not only destroying a marker but re-installing it — "correcting" a boundary yourself is out, however good the intention.
Separately, Article 10: no one may practise a profession associated with survey works without the Municipality's authorisation — including in Special Development Zones and free zones.
Liability
| What | As the law puts it | Article |
|---|---|---|
| fine for violating the law, its bylaw and the resolutions issued under them | not less than AED 500 and not more than AED 50,000; the specific acts and measures are set by the implementing bylaw | 14(a) |
| repetition of the same violation within a year | the fine is doubled, but must not exceed AED 100,000 | 14(b) |
| rectifying damage to markers and stations | the Municipality may rectify it at the expense of the person who caused it where they failed to do so in time, adding 25% as administrative and supervisory fees; the Municipality's estimate of the costs is final | 16 |
The range "AED 500 to 50,000" is the law's frame; the "violation → amount" mapping is left to the implementing bylaw, which we have not read, and we do not substitute it.
A grievance is decided by a committee formed by the Director General within thirty days, and its decision is final (Article 17).
Access to land, and the zones
Article 18 allows Municipality employees performing survey works to enter public and private land, including farms and residential complexes — subject to the rules on accessing private residences under the legislation in force.
Article 20 gives the authorities supervising free zones and Special Development Zones the power to generate detailed maps of land within their zones (boundaries, area, dimensions, planning requirements, position on the zone's master plan, owner's name and type of ownership) and to determine boundary markers for the commencement of construction works. But on two conditions: the maps must align with the maps and plans approved by the Municipality and be generated through the local coordinates system; and copies of the plans, marker certificates and updates must be provided to the Municipality. Those authorities set and keep their own fees for these services (Articles 20 and 21).
What we do NOT claim here
- The fine for a particular violation, or fee amounts. The law gives a range; the lists of acts, measures and tariffs are left to the implementing bylaw, which we have not read.
- Which document is issued in a given situation. The law separates the roles of the Municipality and the Land Department (Article 9) but contains no issuance procedures; we will not map them onto a specific case.
- That a cadastral map is equivalent to the plan annexed to a title deed. The law says no such thing and neither do we.
- The contents of the implementing bylaw or the requirements for the profession. Article 10 expressly leaves conditions, qualification and classification to the bylaw.
- How these rules operate inside a particular free zone. Article 20 gives the zones their own powers and their own fees; we have not read their instruments.
- The calendar date of entry into force. We read the text on the portal and have not verified the date of publication in the Official Gazette.
Sources
- Law No. (6) of 2017 Regulating Survey Works in the Emirate of Dubai — Dubai Legislation Portal: definitions of the survey plan, survey works, base map, site map, cadastral map as a map of a privately owned plot based on the Land Department's records, the local coordinates system, the types of survey, the survey control point, the survey network, the boundary marker, the virtual reference system and the survey station (Article 2); scope across the Emirate including Special Development Zones and free zones such as the DIFC (Article 3); objectives (Article 4); the Municipality as competent entity and official authorised source of data with exclusive powers (Article 5); fifteen land survey powers, including identifying boundary markers for all land, markers at the commencement of construction with compliance at all stages, ensuring contractors install markers within the right of way, and auditing consultants' calculations including the Qibla direction (Article 6); hydrographic and seismic survey powers (Articles 7 and 8); issuance of maps by the Municipality and the caveat preserving the Land Department's powers over maps for registering rights (Article 9); the ban on practising a survey profession without authorisation, including in the zones (Article 10); delegation of powers by agreement (Article 11); eight prohibited acts including re-installing and obscuring markers, issuing maps outside one's jurisdiction and publishing false data on boundaries (Article 12); fees under the implementing bylaw (Article 13); a fine of AED 500 to AED 50,000, doubled on repetition within a year and capped at AED 100,000 (Article 14); the law-enforcement capacity of employees (Article 15); rectification of damage at the violator's expense with a 25% addition and the finality of the Municipality's estimate (Article 16); a thirty-day limit for the grievance committee and the finality of its decision (Article 17); access to public and private land including farms and residential complexes (Article 18); assistance from government entities including the police (Article 19); the powers of free zone and Special Development Zone authorities to issue maps in the local coordinates system, their duty to provide copies to the Municipality and their own fees (Articles 20 and 21); issuance of the implementing bylaw by the Chairman of the Executive Council (Article 22); repeal of conflicting provisions (Article 23).
