Dubai local laws are issued by the Government of Dubai under the authority of the Ruler and operate within the UAE federal framework. They take the form of laws (the highest local instrument), decrees of the Ruler, executive council resolutions, and administrative decisions of departments and authorities. Where the federal legislator has enacted a comprehensive regime — as for federal companies law, criminal law, or labour law — local instruments do not displace it; where federal legislation is absent or expressly leaves room for local regulation, Dubai legislates extensively.
The Dubai legislation collected here covers strata title and jointly-owned property, the Dubai International Financial Centre and other free zones, real estate brokerage and escrow, the Rental Disputes Centre, tourism and licensing, the structure of the local courts, and the Dubai Land Department. Together with federal instruments, these laws shape almost every commercial and residential transaction in the emirate. For broader UAE legislation see UAE laws in English.
