Drawings & design · External works and infrastructure

Infrastructure design for roads, drainage and parking

For developers, industrial operators and building owners whose project touches a road, a car park or a drainage network. We prepare the access, parking, grading and drainage drawings that RTA, Dubai Municipality and the utility providers review, and coordinate the NOCs that follow.

A building permit covers what happens inside the plot line. The moment a project needs a new gate onto a public road, a car park that discharges rainwater, or a sewer connection across the verge, a second set of reviewers gets involved, and they read a different kind of drawing.

Infrastructure design is the civil engineering around and between buildings: where vehicles enter and leave, how they circulate and park, where rainwater goes, how the site connects to sewers and utility networks, and how all of this is built without damaging services already in the ground. In Dubai these questions are answered on drawings that go to the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), Dubai Municipality's sewerage and drainage teams, and the utility providers, usually alongside the main building application.

We prepare those drawings and coordinate the NOCs that depend on them. The authorities decide whether to approve. Our role is to give them a design that is complete, follows their published manuals and guidelines, and is consistent with the architectural and MEP package.

What our infrastructure design covers

Most of our infrastructure work sits at the scale of a single plot or a small group of plots: a warehouse yard, a showroom forecourt, a school drop-off, a residential building's basement ramp and visitor parking. The typical elements are:

Site access and entrances

Location and geometry of entrances and exits, turning paths for the largest expected vehicle, sight lines, kerb and footpath treatment where the access crosses the verge, and how the access ties into the existing road.

Internal roads and parking

Circulation aisles, parking bays including accessible bays, loading and service areas, ramps, pedestrian routes and the signage and road markings that make the layout work.

Grading and stormwater drainage

Finished levels across the site, falls to gullies or channels, pipe networks, and the connection or disposal arrangement agreed with the drainage authority.

Sewer connections and utility routing

The route of the foul sewer connection to the public network, and coordination of electricity, water, telecoms and irrigation routes so they don't clash in the verge or under the access.

Building-scale plumbing, drainage stacks and the electrical installation are part of MEP design. Infrastructure design picks up where those systems leave the building and meet the site and the public network. On larger projects the two packages share levels and connection points, so we prepare or check them together.

Who needs infrastructure drawings, and when

You are likely to need an infrastructure package if any of these apply:

A new building on a plot with road frontage. The entrance and exit positions need RTA input before the site layout is fixed.
An industrial or logistics facility. Truck turning, loading docks, yard drainage and heavy-duty pavement drive the layout. Our warehouse and industrial approvals page covers the building side.
A change of use that increases traffic. A warehouse becoming a showroom, or a villa plot becoming a nursery, can change parking demand and access needs.
Works inside the road reserve. New connections, service diversions and anything crossing the public right-of-way need the relevant NOCs before excavation.
Construction near existing networks. Building close to sewer or stormwater lines needs Dubai Municipality's no-objection first.

The earlier these drawings start, the better. Access position affects the ground-floor plan, the ramp location and sometimes the structural grid, so leaving it until after the architectural design is fixed often means redrawing both.

Which authorities review infrastructure design

Several bodies review different parts of the same site, and in free zones and master communities the picture changes again. The table shows the main mainland reviewers and what they publish.

Reviewer	What they look at	Relevant published service or guidance
RTA (access and right-of-way)	Entrance and exit locations and geometry, the effect on traffic, works in the road reserve	"Apply for Access Design Study", for consultants, through the RTA right-of-way permits portal
RTA e-NOC (infrastructure NOCs)	Utility and infrastructure works within or next to the right-of-way, collecting comments from each service provider	NOC types include Design, Construction, Trial Trench, Service Information, Shop Drawing and Design & Build
Dubai Municipality (sewerage and drainage)	Sewer and stormwater connections, construction near existing networks, diversion of lines	Sewerage and Stormwater Design Guidelines (January 2025 edition); NOC for construction close to sewerage and stormwater networks
DEWA and telecom providers	Clearance from and protection of their cables and pipes, new connections	Infrastructure NOC requests through the e-NOC system
Developer or free-zone authority	Community infrastructure standards, connection points, landscaping interfaces	Varies by area: Trakhees, DDA, JAFZA and master developers apply their own rules

The RTA approvals and DEWA approvals pages explain each authority's process in more depth. For sites with many interfaces, our NOC coordination service manages the full set in parallel.

Rail corridors: sites near the Dubai Metro or Tram fall within the rail right-of-way. RTA's Rail Agency endorsed dedicated NOC submission guidelines for infrastructure works in that zone in March 2024, so these sites need an extra layer of review.

Drawings and documents we prepare

The exact set depends on the reviewer and the stage, but an infrastructure submission for a typical plot draws from this list:

Existing services surveyTopographic levels plus the recorded and located positions of existing utilities around the plot. Survey works themselves may need a Dubai Municipality NOC so ground control points are protected.
Affection plan and site planPlot boundaries, road reserves and any service corridors. RTA asks for an affection plan for access studies outside Dubai Municipality areas. See our affection plan service.
Access layoutProposed entrances and exits drawn over the existing road infrastructure, with dimensions, radii and swept paths.
Parking and circulation planBay counts and dimensions, accessible bays, aisles, loading areas, pedestrian routes, signage and markings.
Grading and levels planFinished levels, gate level relative to the road, falls and high and low points.
Stormwater drainage layoutGullies, channels, pipe sizes and gradients, manholes and the outfall or disposal method, with design calculations.
Sewer connection drawingRoute, depth and connection detail to the public sewer, in line with Dubai Municipality's guidelines.
Composite utilities planAll services in one drawing, showing clearances, crossings and protection details.
Pavement sectionsBuild-ups for light traffic, heavy vehicles and pedestrian areas.
Temporary traffic managementWhere works affect a public road, a work-zone layout prepared to the Dubai Work Zones Traffic Manual adopted by RTA.

How infrastructure design moves through approval

Collect plot data and survey

We review the affection plan, community infrastructure information and existing services records, and arrange a topographic and utilities survey if one isn't available.

Our team · surveyor

Agree the access strategy

Entrance positions and vehicle types are tested against the road layout. Where an RTA access design study is needed, the layout is prepared and submitted early, with the building or demolition permit details it asks for.

Consultant · RTA

Develop levels, parking and drainage

The site layout, finished levels and drainage network are designed together with the architectural ground floor and MEP drainage, so gate levels, ramps and outfalls agree.

Consultant

Submit design NOCs

Design-stage NOCs are requested from the service providers, and the drainage and sewer connection proposals are submitted to Dubai Municipality. Comments are answered with revised drawings.

Registered consultant

Construction NOCs and work permits

Once the contractor is appointed, construction-stage NOCs and any right-of-way work permits are obtained before excavation in the road reserve.

Contractor · consultant

Completion records

As-built drawings of the infrastructure are prepared for handover and completion. Our as-built drawings service covers this stage.

Contractor · consultant

Infrastructure NOCs run alongside the building permit rather than after it. Our guide to drawing approval across DM, DDA, Trakhees and DCD shows how the streams fit together.

What affects fees and time

Some authority figures are published. RTA lists its access design study as free of charge with a delivery time of 10 working days, which it notes may vary by project. Infrastructure NOCs issued through e-NOC are listed as valid for six months from issue of the final NOC. Dubai Municipality describes its NOC for construction close to sewerage and stormwater networks as a 7-day service. These figures count from a complete submission, and they don't include design time or comment rounds.

Our design fee and the overall timeline depend on:

Site size and number of accesses. A single gate onto a local road is very different from multiple accesses onto an arterial road.
Vehicle types. Articulated trucks need larger radii, wider aisles and heavier pavement than cars.
Existing services. Congested verges with high-voltage cables, water mains or telecoms ducts take more coordination and sometimes diversions.
Drainage disposal. Whether a public stormwater connection is available, and on what terms, changes the design significantly.
Number of reviewers. Each service provider adds a review cycle. Rail corridors and free-zone areas add more.

Common problems in infrastructure submissions

Fixing the building before the access. If RTA won't accept the gate position, the ramp, loading bays and sometimes the structure must move. Test access first.
Gate levels that don't match the road. Levels set from the architectural model rather than the surveyed road lead to ponding at the entrance or awkward ramps. Dubai Municipality offers a ground-level verification certificate to establish the gate level.
Assuming utilities are where the records say. Records are a starting point. Trial trenches and a services survey avoid clashes found during excavation.
Treating drainage as an afterthought. A car park with nowhere approved to discharge water will be commented on, and a late redesign can change levels across the whole site.
Letting NOCs lapse. A six-month NOC that expires before the contractor mobilises has to be renewed or reapplied for.
Digging in the road reserve without the right permit. Construction NOCs and right-of-way permits are separate from the building permit and must be in place first.

How we help with infrastructure design

Early feasibility on access, parking and drainage before the architectural layout is fixed
Preparation of access, parking, grading, drainage and composite utility drawings
Coordination with the building design and MEP packages so levels and connection points agree
Preparation and follow-up of RTA, Dubai Municipality and service-provider submissions, coordinated through a registered consultant where required
Responses to reviewer comments and resubmission
Support during construction NOCs and as-built record preparation

Infrastructure design FAQs

Do I need RTA approval for a new gate on my plot?

Usually, yes, where the access connects to a public road. RTA offers an access design study service for consultants that reviews the proposed entrances and exits against its standards and returns approved drawings. It asks for a building or demolition permit from the permit authority as part of the application, so it runs alongside the main permit.

What is the difference between a design NOC and a construction NOC?

A design NOC is requested at design stage, when the consultant is involved, so the service providers can comment on the proposal. A construction NOC is requested once the contractor is appointed and is needed before works in or near the right-of-way begin.

Can my site drain rainwater into the public network?

It depends on whether a stormwater network is available near the plot and what Dubai Municipality or the area authority agrees. The design follows DM's Stormwater Design Guidelines. We confirm the disposal option early, because it affects levels across the site.

How many parking spaces does my building need?

Parking requirements depend on the use, the floor area and the area's planning rules, and they are checked by the permit authority. We calculate the requirement for your plot from the applicable rules at the start of design, rather than relying on a general ratio.

Is infrastructure design needed for a villa?

Rarely as a separate package. Villas normally connect to community networks set out by the developer. A new driveway or gate position, or a pool discharge, may still need developer or authority input, and we handle it as part of the villa design.

On this page

Site access or drainage question?

Send the affection plan or plot number and a sketch of where you want the gate or car park. We will tell you which reviews to expect.

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