Hanging clothes on the balcony or drying clothes outside the house in such a way it is creating an eyesore to the onlookers and passers-by is an offense, the Muscat Municipality has reiterated.
It is in the view that drying clothes on balconies can affect the beauty and the aesthetic appearance of Muscat and to maintain the city’s charm, the civic body has urged all to abide by the regulations, which discourage such practice. Hanging laundry on the balconies of buildings is considered a violation by law, and such offense can be punished with a fine between RO 50 and RO 5,000 or imprisonment for a period of not less than 24 hours and not more than 6 months, or one of those two penalties, according to Article No 14 of Muscat Municipality Law.
As per Article (32) of Local Order No 92/23 for the organisation of buildings in Muscat Governorate and the requisites to be taken into account for drying clothes on balconies of residential buildings overlooking public streets should be as per the following:
1) Municipal laws do not permit hanging out laundry on balconies except after installing covering elements such as Mashrabiya or wooden mesh with the Municipality permission.
2) The perforation of the mesh should be no more than 1.50 cm x 1.50 cm wide, and the concrete openwork should have a depth of at least 10 cm and perforations no more than 7 cm2.
3) Any multi-storey residential building with more than three residential units must provide a balcony for each residential unit to dry clothes, depending on the architectural conditions of the unit, to be covered with one of the covering materials or elements.
4) It is not allowed to use a metal mesh as a covering element for openings in buildings (balconies or windows) “These warnings are pursuit to maintain the aesthetic urban facade of the capital, and Muscat Municipality prioritises the way city is seen by the people, citizens, residents and visitors, and we would like to urge all to the importance of adhering to the requirements when drying laundry on balconies of houses and buildings,” a source at the Muscat Municipality said.
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