What does obras de ampliação mean in Portugal?
Obras de ampliação are works that increase the footprint, the total built area, the façade height, or the height or volume of an existing building. They need a licence, or a notification where a plan already fixes the main rules.
- Rests on
- RJUE, art. 2.º e), art. 4.º n.º 2 c) and n.º 4 d) and e)
- 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
- A small outbuilding that qualifies as minor works (obras de escassa relevância urbanística) is exempt instead (art. 6.º-A).
- In a consolidated urban zone, an extension can go by notification if it respects the municipal plans, does not exceed the most frequent façade height on that side of the street between the two nearest cross streets, and involves no cessions (art. 4.º n.º 4 e)).
- Each municipality's plan and regulations set the limits on footprint and height.
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