What MBDK asks before it licenses a factory or warehouse in Klang

Which addresses need an MBDK licence

Majlis Bandaraya Diraja Klang (MBDK), the Klang Royal City Council, licenses industrial premises across most of Klang district: the industrial areas of Kapar, Meru, Port Klang, Pulau Indah and the older estates around Klang town. Its compliance conditions apply to three kinds of industrial activity: factories, warehouses and used goods (barangan lusuh) premises. For the Meru estates, which are under MBDK, see fellow CID agent Peter Tan's Meru industrial area page on FactoryHub. For the full MyLesen application steps, renewal and late fees, see FactoryHub's MBDK licence guide for factories and warehouses.

Not every address with Klang in it is MBDK's. Bukit Raja Selatan, near i-City, is in Shah Alam, and Bandar Bukit Raja is in Klang; our guide Bukit Raja: Klang council or Shah Alam council? explains how to tell. Puncak Alam is under the Kuala Selangor municipal council. Check the assessment bill or the land title before you start, because the licence must come from the council that covers the lot.

How the licence is issued

MBDK's Licensing Department publishes its forms on its forms page, and applications are made through the council's MyLesen portal. For industry, the council first approves a temporary industrial and advertisement licence (lesen sementara industri dan iklan). The applicant signs an undertaking to follow the council's conditions, guidelines and laws during the temporary period, and can apply on a separate form to extend it.

The applicant then completes the conditions. MBDK's checklist form JPL.B-10/2024, in force from 24 September 2024, asks for a copy of the temporary licence approval letter and supporting documents for each condition, with every copy stamped with the company chop. It says a complete file will be processed within 30 days and that an incomplete file will delay the industrial and advertisement licence. When everything is in, the applicant writes to the mayor (Datuk Bandar) confirming that the licensing conditions have been met.

The ten agencies on MBDK's checklist

The checklist has a line for each agency whose document or approval may be required. Which ones apply depends on the activity in the approval letter: a dry goods warehouse will not need the same set as a factory with boilers or a used goods yard. The list is:

• Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba), Klang zone
• Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH), Selangor
• Department of Environment (DOE), Selangor
• MBDK Environmental Services Department
• Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM)
• Royal Malaysian Customs Department
• Land Public Transport Agency (APAD)
• Klang District Land Office
• MBDK Building Department
• MBDK Town Planning Department, plus any other agency the council names

Conditions you must keep once licensed

MBDK's compliance conditions for industrial licences for factories, warehouses and used goods premises are practical rules that affect how a unit can be used day to day. The ones that matter most when choosing a unit are below.

These conditions are one reason to check a unit's approved use, drains, frontage and any extensions before you sign: a tenant who inherits an unapproved mezzanine, a covered drain or a yard used for storage outside the lot takes on the problem when applying for the licence. Units with recorded specifications, such as this 127,000 sq ft warehouse in Pekan Meru, make that check easier, and our page on light, medium and heavy industry covers the class of a unit.

• Only the licensed activity may be carried on, inside the premises, and the licence must be displayed where it can be seen. It runs from the issue date to the expiry date shown and cannot be transferred without MBDK's written permission.
• Making and processing may only be done in premises with industrial or factory status. The premises may not be used as private accommodation.
• Food and chemicals must be stored separately and labelled; where food is involved, halal and non halal items must be labelled and kept apart.
• No goods or obstructions outside the premises on the five foot way, road or parking without permission, and no tents outside the premises.
• Any extension or alteration inside or outside needs review or approval from MBDK's Building Department; no structure may cover a drain, and covering drains entirely is not allowed.
• The premises need piped water, enough lighting and ventilation, fire equipment to Bomba's specification, a first aid box, and flammable materials in approved closed containers.
• Vehicle service centres and workshops need a working grease trap; wash water must go to the sewer, never to drains.
• Industrial waste must be removed by a contractor approved by MBDK's Environmental Services Department, and used goods businesses need a police permit.
• Signs need MBDK approval and verification by Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka; where Malay is used with another language, the Malay words must be 30 percent larger.

What happens when the rules are broken

The conditions list the laws MBDK can act under, including the Local Government Act 1976 (Act 171), the Town and Country Planning Act 1976 (Act 172), the Street, Drainage and Building Act 1974 (Act 133) and the council's licensing by-laws of 2007. The council's industrial licence forms also include a separate route for factories without approval (Kilang Tanpa Kebenaran, KTK).

These powers are used in Klang. Sinar Harian reported in August 2026 that MBDK raided a used vehicle parts premises on Jalan Jaya Setia, Kampung Bukit Kapar: the planning department issued a notice to restore the site and stop activities under Section 18 of Act 172, and the licensing department issued a closure notice under the council's licensing by-laws. In a 2018 answer on illegal container depots in a traditional village on Pulau Indah, the state said the council monitors such sites, issues enforcement notices under Act 172 and Act 133, and takes owners or operators to court if they ignore them.

For an occupier, the safe order is: confirm the council, the land use and the approved use of the building, then sign, then apply for the licence. Ms Teh can help you find factories, warehouses and land in Kapar, Meru, Port Klang and the rest of Klang that suit the activity you plan to license.