What does obras de demolição mean in Portugal?
Obras de demolição are works that destroy an existing building, wholly or partly. They generally need a licence, unless the demolition is part of a rebuilding, the building is illegal, or it is a minor outbuilding.
- Rests on
- RJUE, art. 2.º g), art. 4.º n.º 2 f), art. 6.º n.º 1 i), art. 6.º-A n.º 1 f)
- 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 licence requirement applies to demolitions that are not part of rebuilding works (art. 4.º n.º 2 f), as corrected by Declaração de Retificação n.º 29-A/2026).
- Demolition of illegal buildings is exempt (art. 6.º n.º 1 i)).
- Where a detailed plan or execution unit sets the rules, demolition can go by notification (art. 4.º n.º 4 d)).
- The council can order demolition of buildings that threaten to collapse or endanger health or safety (art. 89.º n.º 3).
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