CCTV cameras for schools in Saudi Arabia are a legal requirement, not an optional extra. The Security Surveillance Cameras Use Law explicitly covers “public and private educational facilities” and requires them to install, maintain and operate cameras around the clock and to keep recordings for the period set in the requirements document. A sound school design covers gates, the drop-off area, corridors, stairs, emergency exits and assembly points, and keeps cameras out of toilets, changing rooms and medical rooms entirely. This article explains where cameras go in a school, where privacy limits apply and how to size recording storage, as we apply it in AZEIDK security and surveillance systems.
Key takeaways
- Article 2 of the law lists public and private educational facilities among the entities it covers.
- The implementing regulation calls for cameras at entrances, reception, corridors, stairs, emergency exits, assembly points and the entrances to electrical and network rooms.
- Cameras are prohibited in toilets, changing rooms and medical examination rooms, with a fine of SAR 10,000 per violation.
- The retention period comes from the requirements document, and NVR disk capacity is sized from it.
- Transferring or publishing recordings is prohibited without approval from the competent authority or a court order, even when the clip shows a student inside the school.
In this article
- Are CCTV cameras mandatory in Saudi schools?
- Where should CCTV cameras for schools be installed?
- Privacy: where are CCTV cameras prohibited in schools?
- Recording retention and who may view footage
- Installing CCTV cameras in schools: project steps
- Benefits of CCTV cameras in schools
- Frequently asked questions
- Conclusion
Are CCTV cameras mandatory in Saudi schools?
Yes. The Security Surveillance Cameras Use Law was issued by Royal Decree No. (M/34) dated 7/3/1444 AH, and clause 17 of its Article 2 names “public and private educational facilities”. Article 4 requires covered entities to install, maintain and operate the systems 24 hours a day, and Article 3 bars the competent government authority from licensing any activity until the installation requirements in the requirements document are met.
The implementing regulation and the Security Requirements and Conditions Document followed under Minister of Interior Decision No. (22688) dated 3/11/1444 AH. That document is the technical reference for specifications, retention periods, warning-sign design and site sensitivity classification. So a school CCTV design does not start from a camera catalog. It starts from this document and the building drawings. We cover the general obligations in the Saudi CCTV law and facility obligations; this article focuses on schools.
Where should CCTV cameras for schools be installed?
The implementing regulation lists general locations that apply to a school as much as to any other facility: entrances and reception areas with coverage good enough to identify faces, parking entrances and exits and visitor drop-off areas with coverage good enough to read number plates, corridors on every floor, stairs, emergency exits, assembly points, fire equipment locations and the entrances to communications, network and electrical rooms. The table maps that list onto real school areas:
| School area | Purpose of the camera | Design note |
|---|---|---|
| Main gate and student gate | Identify everyone entering and leaving | Face-level camera inside the gate, not outside, so it does not look into the sun |
| Drop-off and parent waiting area | Read number plates and follow student handover | A dedicated plate camera at the entry plus an overview camera for the whole area |
| Courtyards and playgrounds | Follow movement at break time and morning assembly | Wider lens and higher resolution, because distances are large |
| Corridors and stairs | Track movement between floors | A camera at the end of each corridor and at each stair landing |
| Emergency exits and assembly points | Confirm evacuation and that exits stay unblocked | Clear view of the exit door and the assembly point |
| Network, electrical and lab room entrances | Protect equipment and materials | Camera on the entrance, not inside the room unless needed |
| Canteen and delivery area | Follow deliveries and handover | Cover the delivery door and receiving counter |
Gates and the drop-off area
The gate is the most important point in a school because everyone passes through it. The camera there must give a clear face, not a general view. Mount it inside the gate facing people as they enter, at a height and angle that do not show only the tops of heads. The drop-off area needs a second camera to read number plates at peak time, which is exactly when disputes happen and footage gets requested. If the school uses student turnstiles, coordinate camera positions with them; see our guide to turnstiles and access gates.
Courtyards and playgrounds
A courtyard is a large open space. The common mistake is one wide-angle camera that shows everyone and identifies no one. Split the courtyard into zones, each with a camera that covers it at usable detail. On open playgrounds, allow for midday sun glare and weak lighting after sunset in schools that host evening activities; compare the options in our night vision cameras article.
Corridors, stairs and emergency exits
Cover each corridor from its end so faces walk towards the camera. Stairs are a crowding point at dismissal, and a camera on the landing shows pushing early. Emergency exits and assembly points are named in the regulation, and in a school they are valuable during evacuation drills and when reviewing any incident. To work out camera counts and coverage angles per area, see CCTV coverage calculation.
Privacy: where are CCTV cameras prohibited in schools?
Article 6 of the law prohibits installing security cameras inside medical examination, inpatient, physiotherapy and changing rooms, and inside toilets, along with other places that do not apply to schools. In a school this means:
- No camera inside toilets, and no camera whose view takes in part of a toilet when the door opens.
- No camera inside the nurse’s room or school clinic, or inside gym changing rooms.
- Corridor cameras next to these rooms are aimed so they do not show inside, or use privacy masks in the camera settings.
Breaching this prohibition carries a fine of SAR 10,000 per violation under Article 12. The regulation also requires visible warning signs at entrances and exits, approval from the competent authority before recording audio, and privacy masks on PTZ cameras and on cameras whose view extends beyond the site, such as a rooftop camera that sees neighbouring houses.
What about classrooms? The law does not list them as prohibited, and it does not list them as required locations either. The decision sits with the school management and its supervising education authority. The safer initial design covers classroom doors from the corridor and adds any coverage inside only on a written decision from the school.
Recording retention and who may view footage
Article 4(2) requires recordings to be kept “for the period specified in the requirements document”. If an incident is reported, the recording must be preserved unaltered until the investigation ends or the specified period expires, whichever is longer. That is why we size the NVR from the required retention period first, then calculate capacity from camera count, resolution, video compression and operating hours, which here means 24 hours a day because the law requires continuous operation. Use our CCTV storage calculator or read how to calculate NVR storage and bandwidth.
On access, the regulation limits access to the recording equipment to authorised persons, with entries and exits logged. Article 6 prohibits transferring or publishing recordings except with approval from the Ministry of Interior or the State Security Presidency, a court order or a request from the competent investigating authority. The fine for transferring or publishing recordings in breach of the law is SAR 20,000. In practice, sending a clip from a school camera to a parents’ group or posting it on social media is a violation even with good intentions. Put a written procedure in place: who views footage, when, and how each viewing request is logged.
Installing CCTV cameras in schools: project steps
- Site survey: visit the site and its drawings, and mark gates, courtyards, corridors and prohibited rooms. We provide this through our technical site inspection and assessment service.
- Design: place cameras on the drawings with the level of detail each area needs (identification, plate reading or general observation), and calculate storage.
- Equipment selection: IP cameras are usually the right choice for a multi-building school, with PoE switches sized for the load. See IP vs analog CCTV and PoE switch power budget.
- Installation and programming: cabling, mounting, privacy masks, user permissions and time synchronisation.
- Testing and handover: check every camera by day and by night, confirm the real retention achieved on the disks, then hand over drawings and credentials to the school management.
- Maintenance: periodic checks of image quality, disks and recording, because the law requires the system to be maintained and running continuously.
Benefits of CCTV cameras in schools
The first benefit is regulatory: the school meets its licensing requirements. The second is practical: management can go back to clear footage when there is a dispute over a student’s pick-up time, an incident in the courtyard or damage to a facility. The third is preventive: visible cameras and warning signs reduce vandalism and unauthorised entry. A camera does not replace a supervisor in the courtyard or a well-organised gate, though, and its value depends on the design. A camera in the wrong place produces footage nobody can use.
Frequently asked questions
Is CCTV mandatory in schools in Saudi Arabia?
Yes. The Security Surveillance Cameras Use Law names public and private educational facilities in Article 2 and requires them to install, maintain and operate cameras around the clock.
Can a school put cameras in toilets or changing rooms?
No. Article 6 prohibits it, along with medical examination rooms, and the fine is SAR 10,000 per violation.
How long must school CCTV recordings be kept?
The period is set in the Security Requirements and Conditions Document issued with the implementing regulation. Design to that document rather than a figure circulated without a source.
Can a parent get a clip from the school cameras?
Transferring or publishing recordings is prohibited without approval from the competent authority, a court order or a request from the investigating authority. A parent can file a report, and the school keeps the recording until the investigation ends.
Can school cameras record audio?
The implementing regulation requires approval from the competent authority for audio recording, so keep audio disabled unless that approval is obtained.
How many cameras does a school need?
The number comes from the drawings: every gate, corridor, stair and emergency exit, then courtyards according to their size. There is no fixed figure per school; the site survey sets it.
Conclusion
Start a school CCTV design from the law and the requirements document, not from a camera count. Cover gates, the drop-off area, corridors, stairs and emergency exits at identification detail, keep cameras away from toilets, changing rooms and the clinic, size storage to the required retention period and put a written procedure in place for viewing footage.
Planning CCTV for a school or university? The AZEIDK team surveys the site, designs camera positions, calculates storage, then installs and programs the system. Talk to the AZEIDK team
