What does dono da obra mean in Portugal?
The dono da obra is the person who commissions the building work and pays for it. The Civil Code lets the owner supervise at their own cost, and the owner owns the building as it is built if the land is theirs.
- Rests on
- Código Civil, art. 1209.º n.º 1 and art. 1212.º n.º 2
- Law
- Código Civil (Decreto-Lei n.º 47344/66), consolidated text updated to Lei n.º 29/2026
- Official text
- pgdlisboa.pt/leis/lei_mostra_articulado.php?ficha=1201&ar...
- Sources
- pgdlisboa.pt/leis/lei_mostra_articulado.php?ficha=1201&ar...
data.dre.pt/eli/dec-lei/108/2026/05/29/p/dre/pt/pdf - Checked
- 2026-11-05
What it means for the owner
- Supervising does not take away the owner's later rights over defects, unless the owner expressly agreed to the work as executed (art. 1209.º n.º 2).
- Where an urban-planning rule is broken, the owner remains liable together with the others involved under the general rules (RJUE art. 100.º-A n.º 2).
- The owner may withdraw from the contract at any time by compensating the contractor (art. 1229.º).
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