What this approval is
A fit-out changes the electrical reality of a unit. New lighting, air-conditioning, kitchen equipment, medical devices or IT loads change the current that the supply has to carry. The fit-out electrical approval is the point where the authority checks that the proposed distribution can be connected safely to the approved supply, and that the metering and protection arrangement matches the property.
It is a design-stage approval. It does not certify that the installation has been built correctly; that is the role of the LV inspection and the test pack. It also does not replace the landlord's consent, the building permit, the Civil Defence review or any free-zone approval that applies to the unit. Those are separate files with separate owners.
The practical value of getting the design review right is that the site can be built to an approved drawing. When the drawing and the installation agree, the inspection is a verification exercise. When they disagree, the project carries a second review cycle, a site variation and a delay that no amount of chasing can recover.
What the authority is checking
DEWA's review is not a general opinion on the design. It is a check against the approved supply, the applicable regulations and the information in the application. The exact checklist depends on the service and the property, but a fit-out package normally has to make these points clear:
- Point of supply and metering. Where the supply enters, how it is metered, whether the meter is whole-current or CT-operated, and whether the meter position is accessible and protected.
- Connected load and maximum demand. The installed equipment, the demand factors used, the resulting maximum demand and the spare capacity left for the unit.
- Distribution. Main board, sub-main boards, final circuits, protective devices, cable sizes and the coordination between them.
- Earthing and bonding. The earth path, main protective bonding, equipotential bonding and the ratings that support the design.
- Single-line relationship. The SLD must match the load schedule and the equipment list; a mismatch is one of the most common reasons a package comes back.
- Special loads. Kitchen equipment, lifts, pumps, medical imaging, UPS, generators, EV chargers and solar inverters need to be shown with their own characteristics and protection.
The review is evidence-led. A drawing that says “as per site†or a schedule with unexplained diversity is harder to approve than a drawing that names the equipment, the calculation and the assumption behind each number.
Who needs it, and when it is not needed
Most commercial fit-outs need an electrical review before the unit can draw power under the new arrangement. That includes offices, retail units, restaurants and cafés, clinics, salons, gyms, showrooms and light industrial units. The trigger is not the size of the tenancy; it is whether the electrical design, load or supply arrangement changes.
It is also needed when a tenant takes a shell-and-core unit and builds the internal distribution, when an existing unit changes activity, and when a landlord's base-build supply is being extended to a new tenant. A fit-out that only replaces finishes, with no change to circuits, equipment or load, may still need landlord and building-permit sign-off, but it may not need a new electrical design review. That distinction should be confirmed against the approved drawings, not assumed from the scope description.
When it is not the right first step
If the proposed equipment exceeds the approved capacity, the first technical question is the load upgrade, not the fit-out approval. If there is no supply at all, the new connection is the parent file. If the work is only a like-for-like meter replacement, the meter or inspection service may be the correct route. Sending the wrong application first creates a paper trail that is difficult to unwind.
Preconditions
Before a fit-out package is worth submitting, four things should be true. The tenancy and landlord consent should be in place. The unit's existing supply and premise number should be known. The proposed equipment should be selected, not guessed. And the design should be coordinated with the architectural and MEP layouts so the electrical drawings do not describe a different room.
| Precondition | Why it matters | Evidence to hold |
|---|---|---|
| Tenancy + landlord consent | The applicant's authority and the building's rules are checked before work. | Registered tenancy, landlord NOC, fit-out guide. |
| Known supply | The design must connect to a real premise, meter and capacity. | Premise number, existing SLD, last approved load. |
| Selected equipment | Load and protection cannot be reviewed against a placeholder. | Equipment schedule, datasheets, connected-load build-up. |
| Coordinated layouts | Electrical rooms, ceiling voids and access must match the architecture. | Architectural, MEP and reflected ceiling plans. |
Document checklist
The exact transmittal depends on the property and the service. A fit-out package normally includes the following. Each document should carry a title, number, revision and date, and the transmittal should match the file names.
- Tenancy contract and trade licence for the applicant.
- Landlord or developer NOC and the building's fit-out rules.
- Authorised signatory letter, if the applicant is not the licence holder.
- Premise or customer number and the existing supply details.
- Architectural layout and the electrical equipment schedule.
- Connected-load schedule with demand factors and maximum demand.
- Single-line diagram from the point of supply to the final boards.
- Metering arrangement, including CT ratio where applicable.
- Earthing and bonding details, with protective device ratings.
- Kitchen, medical, UPS, generator, EV or solar details where present.
- Inspection and test plan for the completed installation.
Step by step
The sequence below is the working route for a typical commercial fit-out. It is not a promise that every authority will follow the same order; the route sheet should record the dependencies for the actual building.
| Step | Action | Owner | Output |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Read the tenancy, landlord guide and existing supply; confirm the route. | Consultant + client | Route sheet |
| 02 | Build the load schedule, SLD and equipment schedule. | Electrical engineer | Technical pack |
| 03 | Coordinate with architecture, MEP, kitchen and specialist suppliers. | Design team | Coordinated drawings |
| 04 | Submit the application and transmittal; record the reference. | Consultant | Submission record |
| 05 | Answer comments in a revision table with changed sheets. | Engineer | Revision pack |
| 06 | Build to the approved design; prepare the test pack and inspection access. | Contractor | Inspection-ready site |
| 07 | Attend the LV inspection; close defects; release the meter. | Contractor + consultant | Energised unit |
Timing
Authority review time is not a fixed number. It moves with the completeness of the package, the number of review cycles, the availability of the authority's engineers and the complexity of the supply. A package with a clean SLD, a reconciled load schedule and a landlord consent usually moves faster than a package that needs a second explanation.
This design prototype does not publish a timing range. The production sheet will show an observed range from Abbadi Tech's own files, with the sample size, the conditions and the review date. Until that evidence exists, the honest answer is that the range is not yet verified.
The programme should be built backwards from the opening date: inspection slot, defect close-out, meter release, construction, authority review, design. If the fit-out contractor is appointed late, the electrical review becomes the critical path. That is a programme decision, not an authority delay.
Cost drivers, not invented prices
Government fees and consultant fees are different things. The authority fee depends on the service and the property; the consultant fee depends on the work needed to produce a submittable package. Neither is a single market price. The drivers below are the ones that change the effort or the authority charge:
- The number of boards, circuits and specialist systems in the unit.
- Whether the supply is whole-current or CT-operated, and whether the meter position changes.
- Whether the existing approved load is adequate or a load upgrade is required.
- The quality of the existing drawings and the landlord's document set.
- Kitchen, medical, UPS, generator, EV or solar equipment that needs its own design evidence.
- The number of review cycles and the site inspections required.
- Whether the work is in a free zone or a master community with additional approvals.
A fixed-scope quotation should list what is included, what is excluded, which authority fees are pass-through and which deposits are refundable. It should not hide a second submission in a low headline fee.
Common comments and fixes
Most comments are not philosophical. They are evidence gaps. The same problems appear across fit-out files, and each one has a practical fix before submission.
| Comment | What it usually means | Fix before resubmission |
|---|---|---|
| Load schedule does not reconcile | The connected load, demand factors and board schedule disagree. | Rebuild the schedule from the equipment list; show the calculation and the spare capacity. |
| SLD and equipment list differ | A board, cable or protective device has been changed on one sheet only. | Issue a revision table and a coordinated set; remove superseded sheets from the transmittal. |
| Metering unclear | The meter type, position or CT ratio is not shown. | Add a metering detail and confirm the premise arrangement with the landlord. |
| Earthing not demonstrated | The earth path and bonding are described but not drawn or rated. | Add the earth bar, bonding conductors and protective device ratings. |
| Specialist load missing | Kitchen, medical or solar equipment is not represented. | Add the equipment schedule, datasheet and dedicated protection. |
| Wrong applicant authority | The signatory or tenancy evidence does not match the licence. | Add the authorisation letter and align the applicant details. |
Inspection notes
The fit-out approval is a design decision; the inspection is where the site proves it. The installation should match the approved SLD, the load schedule and the equipment actually installed. Boards should be labelled, circuits should be identified, and the meter position should be accessible without dismantling finishes. The test pack should include insulation resistance, earth-loop impedance and RCD tests, with the tester, date and instrument details.
If the equipment changed during construction, do not wait for the inspector to discover it. Issue a revised design and confirm whether the change needs a formal amendment. A small equipment substitution can be a minor revision; a new kitchen line or a larger chiller can be a different load case. The difference matters.
Fit-out approval questions
01Does a shell-and-core unit need fit-out approval before the contractor starts?
The electrical design should be reviewed before the installation is built, not after. The contractor can mobilise for preliminaries and non-electrical work, but the distribution, containment and equipment should follow an approved design. Starting the electrical installation on an unapproved layout creates a high risk of rework and a difficult inspection.
02Can the fit-out approval use the landlord's existing SLD?
The landlord's SLD is evidence for the base-build supply, not a substitute for the tenant's fit-out design. The submission should show how the unit connects to the approved supply, what changes at the metering point, and how the new boards and circuits are protected. A reference to the base-build drawing is useful, but it does not replace the unit-level design.
03What load schedule detail causes the most comments?
Unexplained diversity. A schedule that lists equipment and then applies a demand factor without showing why is difficult to review. The fix is to state the equipment, the connected load, the demand factor and the resulting maximum demand for each group, then show how the total relates to the supply and the main protective device. The reviewer should be able to follow the arithmetic without a separate note.
04Is a DEWA fit-out approval the same as a building permit?
No. The building permit is the construction approval from the building authority; the DEWA fit-out approval is the electricity and water review of the unit's design. They can run in parallel, and one may depend on the other, but they are separate files with separate references. A fit-out should not treat one approval as evidence that the other has been granted.
05Can the approval be transferred if the tenant changes?
An approval is tied to the application, the premise and the design that was reviewed. A new tenant with a different activity, load or fit-out should not assume the old approval transfers automatically. The safe route is to check the approval's scope and validity, then confirm with the authority whether an amendment, a new application or a transfer is required. The answer depends on what actually changes.
06What if the equipment changes after approval?
Compare the change with the approved load case. A like-for-like substitution within the same rating may be a minor revision; a larger chiller, an additional kitchen line or a new imaging unit can change the maximum demand and the protection. Issue a revised drawing and load schedule, and confirm whether the authority requires a formal amendment before the inspection.
Project example
Layout proof
This slot is reserved for a verified fit-out project. The production version will record the unit type, location, approved load, the design constraint that mattered, the comments received, the inspection outcome and a redacted drawing. No project facts are published until the client consents and the evidence is checked.
Sources and document control
Procedural statements on this sheet will be linked to the official authority source before publication. The production page will show the reviewer's name, role, review date and the source list. This prototype is not a published procedure.
- DEWA official website — e-services, regulations and connection information.
- RSB — regulation and supervision context for Dubai's electricity and water sector.
- Dubai Municipality — building permit and adjacent approval context.