What does destaque mean in Portugal?
A destaque is detaching one parcel from a registered property without a formal subdivision (loteamento). Inside an urban perimeter or rural settlement both new parcels must front a public road; outside, only housing of up to two dwellings may be built on the detached parcel.
- Rests on
- RJUE, art. 6.º n.º 1 d) and n.º 4 to n.º 9
- Law
- Decreto-Lei n.º 555/99 (RJUE), as republished by Decreto-Lei n.º 108/2026
- Version
- In force since 1 October 2026 (Decreto-Lei n.º 155-B/2026)
- Official text
- data.dre.pt/eli/dec-lei/108/2026/05/29/p/dre/pt/pdf
- Sources
- data.dre.pt/eli/dec-lei/108/2026/05/29/p/dre/pt/pdf
data.dre.pt/eli/dec-lei/155-b/2026/07/31/p/dre/pt/pdf
data.dre.pt/eli/declretif/29-a/2026/07/27/p/dre/pt/pdf - Checked
- 2026-11-05
What it means for the owner
- The act is exempt from licence and notification, but not from the plans, easements and technical rules (art. 6.º n.º 8).
- No new destaque from the original property for 10 years after the previous one (art. 6.º n.º 6).
- The building restriction (outside urban areas) and the ban on a new destaque must be recorded in the land registry on the new parcels, or no building work can be licensed or notified on them (art. 6.º n.º 7).
- The council's certificate proving the requirements are met is enough for the land registry (art. 6.º n.º 9).
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