Lift and Elevator Codes and Standards in Somalia
No lift or escalator regulation was found for Somalia (federal) or Somaliland. Somalia has no published building code: a building code and building permit regulation were listed as priority legislation by the Ministry of Public Works in 2017, and in May 2026 a National Housing Policy meant to regulate construction standards was finalised but still awaited cabinet approval. The only binding texts found that touch equipment safety are general labour laws that do not name lifts: the 1972 Labour Code (Law No. 65 of 18 October 1972, Title 7 'Fayadhowrka iyo ammaanka shaqada', Art. 101 requiring employers to keep machines and equipment safe and to notify the district labour inspector when installing pressure equipment) has been replaced by the revised Somali Labour Code, Law No. 36 of 2024, which the ILO describes as covering occupational safety and health; its text was not read. In Somaliland (recorded here under SO) the Labour (Amendments & Additions) Law No. 31/2020 has a chapter on health and safety in the workplace; a 2020 study found no building codes or regulations there. The Somali Bureau of Standards (operational from 2020) has adopted 145 standards, but none for lifts was seen.
Who regulates lifts
Ministry of Public Works, Reconstruction and Housing (federal) licenses construction firms and supervises projects; no lift-specific regulator found
Periodic inspection
None found.
Installer and maintenance licensing
No lift installer licensing found; the federal ministry licenses construction firms and certifies technicians generally.
Laws, codes and standards
- Law No. 36 of 2024 (Somali Labour Code) (2024) — Somali Labour CodeMandatory · Federal law passed by the House of the People (7 Aug 2024) and Upper House (25 Nov 2024), signed by the President (reported 4 Feb 2025); replaces Law No. 65 of 1972 · Federal Parliament of Somalia / Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs
- Law No. 65 of 1972 (Labour Code) (1972) — Labour CodeSuperseded · Law of 18 October 1972, Bollettino Ufficiale della Repubblica Democratica Somala, Suppl. N. 3 al N. 10, 25 October 1972 · Supreme Revolutionary Council / Government of the Somali Democratic Republic
- Somaliland Law No. 31/2020 (Labour Amendments & Additions Law) (2020) — Somaliland Labour (Amendments & Additions) LawMandatory · Somaliland law adopted 2 May 2020, repealing the Private Sector Employees Law No. 31/2004 · Somaliland House of Representatives / Government of Somaliland
Lift associations and bodies
- Ministry of Public Works, Reconstruction and Housing (Federal Republic of Somalia) (MPWR)
- Somali Bureau of Standards (SOBS)
- Somaliland Quality Control Commission (SQCC)
Last verified 2026-10-23. Standards are copyrighted: we list which one applies and its legal status, not its text.