What does diretor de obra mean in Portugal?
The diretor de obra is the technician in charge of directing the works on site. He or she records every relevant event in the livro de obra, and the owner must show the name on a durable plate outside the building.
- Rests on
- RJUE, art. 61.º, art. 97.º n.º 1
- 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 holder of the licence or the person filing the notification must put the plate up or engrave the name on an outer element of the building (art. 61.º).
- Work carried out without a diretor de obra is presumed abandoned (art. 71.º n.º 4 b)).
- Replacing the diretor de obra must be requested from the council within 15 days (art. 9.º n.º 10).
- Together with the contractor and the fiscalização, the diretor de obra is jointly liable if works breach the licence or notification (art. 100.º-A n.º 2).
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