DAMAC requires an NOC for alterations, requested through the DAMAC Living App under “Raise a Request”. The app lists the work types it covers — swimming pool, landscape, gas connection, ladder, internal modification, artificial grass and pergola — and the request carries a charge you review before paying.
Which communities
DAMAC manages its own communities, including DAMAC Hills, DAMAC Lagoons and Akoya.
Most of this stock is recent, so the work is typically personalisation rather than repair — and much of what owners want to add is on DAMAC's list of things requiring an NOC.
The application is made in the app
DAMAC handles owner requests through the DAMAC Living App. The route is Raise a Request, then the NOC, fit-out or alteration option.
Once you select the type of work, the app tells you which documents to upload — including Ejari if you are a tenant rather than the owner. You then choose the type of NOC, and state who will collect it: you, your contractor, or your tenant. If the contractor is collecting, additional information about them is required, which is a good reason to have appointed one before you start the application rather than after.
It is a paid service
The app shows the charges for review before you accept the terms and conditions and pay through the gateway. Budget for it as a disbursement rather than being surprised by it.
We treat developer and authority fees as costs at cost, listed separately from the contract sum, so you can see exactly what is a fee and what is construction.
The work types DAMAC lists
Swimming pool, landscape, gas connection, ladder, internal modification, artificial grass and pergola. That list is worth reading twice, because it captures most of what owners of newer DAMAC villas actually want.
Artificial grass and pergolas in particular are routinely installed without anyone applying for anything, on the assumption that a garden is private. DAMAC's position is that they need an NOC.
Then the authority permit
The DAMAC NOC is the community layer. Where the work touches structure, drainage or the approved layout — a pool, an extension, moving a bathroom — a Dubai Municipality modification permit is required on top, and the community consent normally has to be in hand first.
It runs through an app, not a portal
DAMAC handles community approvals through the DAMAC Living App rather than a web portal, which catches out owners who go looking for a website. The route inside the app is Raise a Request, then NOC, Fit out or Alteration.
That design decision has a practical consequence. The app drives you down a structured path — you choose a work type, and the document list follows from that choice. Choose the wrong type and you are asked for the wrong documents, which is the single most common reason a DAMAC application comes back.
The seven work types
The app names seven specifically: swimming pool, landscape, gas connection, ladder, internal modification, artificial grass and pergola. Each carries its own document requirements.
The reason that list matters is that people group things. A renovation that includes a new kitchen, a pergola over the terrace and artificial grass in the garden is three work types, not one request with three items in it. Raising them as a single internal modification is how a project gets held up halfway through.
Who collects the NOC, and why it is asked
You choose the NOC type and then who collects it — owner, contractor or tenant — with additional information required where a contractor is collecting. A tenant needs the Ejari.
This is not an administrative formality. It determines who is authorised to act, and a mismatch between who applied and who turns up is a real obstacle at the point of collection.
Charges, and what DAMAC treats as yours anyway
Charges are reviewed in the app, the terms are accepted, and payment goes through a gateway before the NOC is issued. The amount depends on the work type.
Two things worth knowing that sit outside the process: a satellite dish needs prior NOC, and repainting is treated as the owner's own responsibility rather than requiring an application. The detail for specific categories is in the internal modification guide and the pool and landscape guide.
| Work type | Notes |
|---|---|
| Swimming pool | Own document list; separate from landscape. |
| Landscape | Separate request even where done with a pool. |
| Gas connection | Its own category, including capping off. |
| Ladder | Listed separately in the app. |
| Internal modification | The general renovation category. |
| Artificial grass | Separate from landscape. |
| Pergola | Separate from internal modification. |
Related Questions
Do I need a DAMAC NOC for artificial grass?
Yes. Artificial grass appears on DAMAC's own list of work types requiring an NOC through the app.
It is one of the most commonly skipped approvals, precisely because owners think of it as landscaping rather than alteration. It is also easy to spot.
Can my contractor collect the NOC for me?
Yes. The application asks who will collect it — you, your contractor or your tenant — and requires additional information where the contractor is named.
Practically that means appointing your contractor before you apply, so their details and documentation are available when the form asks for them.
Is there a fee for a DAMAC NOC?
Yes. The app presents the charges for review before you accept the terms and pay through the payment gateway.
We do not mark developer or authority fees up. They sit below the contract total as disbursements at cost, so what you pay DAMAC is what DAMAC charged.
How do I apply for a DAMAC NOC?
Through the DAMAC Living App rather than a website — Raise a Request, then NOC, Fit out or Alteration. You select the work type from the seven the app lists, choose who will collect the NOC, provide the documents for that work type, accept the charges and pay through the gateway.
Why was my DAMAC application rejected?
Most often because the work type selected did not match what was actually proposed, so the documents submitted were the wrong ones. The app's document list follows from the work type you choose, which makes that first selection more consequential than it looks.
Do I need separate requests for a pool and landscaping?
Yes. DAMAC lists swimming pool and landscape as distinct work types with separate document requirements, and artificial grass is a third. Even where they are built as one project by one contractor, they are approved separately. Raising all of them at the start avoids a stop midway through.
I am a tenant. Can I apply?
Yes, with the Ejari. The app asks who is collecting the NOC — owner, contractor or tenant — and the document requirements follow from that. A tenant application without the Ejari does not proceed.
Do I need an NOC to repaint?
No. DAMAC treats repainting as the owner's own responsibility rather than as work requiring an application. A satellite dish, by contrast, does need prior NOC, which surprises people because it feels like a smaller intervention than painting a house.
How much does a DAMAC NOC cost?
It varies by work type and is shown in the app before you commit, with payment through the gateway. Like all developer and authority charges, it is paid at cost and sits outside the construction contract sum rather than being marked up inside it.
Can I raise the request before appointing a contractor?
Partly. You can begin the request and establish which work types apply and what will be required, but the document set includes the contractor's trade licence and insurance, so it cannot be completed without one. In practice it is better to appoint first and raise the requests properly than to start something that will sit incomplete.
What if my project needs several work types?
Raise them together at the start. A renovation that includes internal modification, a pergola and artificial grass is three requests, and each is assessed on its own documents. Raising the internal modification first and the others when you get to them is how a project stops with the house finished and the garden untouched.
Does the DAMAC NOC cover my contractor's access?
Access, working hours and common area protection are governed by the community's rules and conditions attached to the approval rather than being a separate pass system. In practice that means the conditions are enforced on complaint, and in a community with villas and apartments close together complaints come quickly.