How much does planning permission for a house cost in Portugal? 2026 fees and time limits
Getting planning permission for a house costs the design and the fees charged by the câmara municipal (municipal council), and those fees vary widely from one municipality to the next. For a new 150 m² house, under planning permission, the municipal fees add up to around €5,870 in Alcochete, of which €4,080 is the infrastructure charge (taxa de infraestruturas); in Vila Franca de Xira, the assessment, permit and occupancy fees come to around €1,100, plus an infrastructure charge calculated by the municipality. The architectural and engineering design typically costs 6 to 8% of the construction cost. Under the revised RJUE (the Portuguese legal regime for urbanisation and building), the municipality decides within stage-by-stage time limits that add up to at least 70 working days.
This guide works out the figures for a concrete case, using the 2026 fee tables of two municipalities and the RJUE articles in force since 1 October 2026 (Decree-Law n.º 108/2026). The step-by-step procedure is in our guide to building permitting; here we deal only with cost and time, as we see them when preparing these applications at the studio.
The essentials in 30 seconds
- Each municipality has its own fee table. There is no national price for planning permission: the same design pays very different amounts in two municipalities of the same metropolitan area.
- The infrastructure charge is also due for a house outside a subdivision (Article 116 of the RJUE). In the Alcochete example, it accounts for around 70% of the fees.
- The full design (architecture and engineering) typically comes to between 6 and 8% of the construction cost.
- Legal time limits: 20 days for the completeness check, 30 for the architecture and 20 for the final decision, in working days, with tacit approval for both decisions.
What goes into the cost of planning permission for a house
The bill has six components, and the largest is not the municipality’s: it is the design. The table summarises this article’s example, a new single-family house of 150 m² gross construction area, under planning permission.
| Component | 150 m² house | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Architectural and engineering design | €14,400 to €19,200 + VAT | 6 to 8% of €240,000 of works (150 m² × €1,600/m²) |
| Assessment, permit and occupancy fees | €1,789 (Alcochete) · €1,095 (Vila Franca de Xira) | 2026 tables; 12-month works |
| Infrastructure charge | €4,080 (Alcochete) · municipal formula (Vila Franca de Xira) | Depends on area, use and location |
| Planning compensations | €0 in this example | Subdivisions, operations of significant impact or missing parking spaces |
| Documents and certificates | variable | Certidão permanente (permanent land registry certificate), topographic survey, location plan |
| Insurance | borne by the designers and the contractor | Designers’ professional liability; workers’ compensation on site |
Fee amounts calculated from the 2026 municipal tables (workings below). Design fees: typical range published in our article on architects’ fees.
The municipal fees, one by one
The RJUE makes planning permissions, prior notifications (comunicações prévias) and prior information requests subject to a fee (Article 116(3)) and adds the charge for building, maintaining and reinforcing urban infrastructure on the permission or prior notification of construction or extension works in an area not covered by a subdivision (paragraph 5). The amounts are those of the regulation approved by the municipal assembly (Article 117(1)). In practice, there are five components:
- Assessment. Paid when the application is filed; some municipalities call it “preparos” (an advance fee).
- Permit. A fixed part and another that grows with the floor area, the number of dwelling units and the months of works.
- Infrastructure. A formula based on area, use and location. The municipality may resolve to allow payment in instalments up to the end of the construction period, against a guarantee (Article 117(2)).
- Compensations. Paid when the operation should cede land for green spaces, public facilities or infrastructure and does not: subdivisions and operations of significant impact or similar to a subdivision, as each regulation defines them. A detached house, under the two regulations used in the example, does not fall into these cases. There is also compensation when parking spaces are missing and the municipality accepts the exemption; in Alcochete, the 2026 regulation sets €5,000 per space, updatable for inflation.
- Occupancy. After the works, with the prior notification of use. The house can be used as soon as it is submitted (Article 62-A(2)).
Example: the same house in two municipalities
Assumptions: new single-family house, 150 m² gross construction area, one dwelling unit, residential use only, in an urban area served by all infrastructure, outside a subdivision, under planning permission and with a construction period of 12 months.
Alcochete (2026 urban planning fee table)
| Fee | Calculation | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Preparos (Art. 6) | fixed amount | €201.63 |
| Permit (Art. 7) | 44.24 + 35 × (3 × 1 dwelling + 15 + 2 × 12 months) | €1,514.24 |
| Infrastructure (Art. 18) | 6.80 × 1.0 × (150 m² × 4) | €4,080.00 |
| Occupancy (Art. 11) | 53.84 + 0.75 × 15 | €65.09 |
| Housing technical file (Art. 28) | filing | €8.26 |
| Total | €5,869.22 |
The “15” is the floor area counted per 10 m², as the table requires. Each additional month of works adds €70 to the permit: with 18 months, the total rises to €6,289.22. The infrastructure charge uses €6.80/m² and a coefficient of 4 for housing, which gives €27.20 per m²; in a rural area the location factor drops to 0.3 and this component comes to €1,224. The table rounds amounts to the nearest ten cents, so the municipality’s assessment may differ by a few cents.
Vila Franca de Xira (Annexed fee table, 2026)
| Fee | Calculation | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Assessment (Table XXIV) | fixed amount | €52.70 |
| Permit (Table V) | 105.30 + 15.80 × 12 months + 2.90 × 150 m² | €729.90 |
| Occupancy (Table VIII) | 105.30 + 21.10 × 1 dwelling + 1.10 × 150 m² | €291.40 |
| Housing technical file (Table XV) | filing | €21.10 |
| Subtotal | excluding the infrastructure charge | €1,095.10 |
In Vila Franca de Xira, the infrastructure charge (TRIU) is not in the annual table: it is a formula in the municipal regulation (Article 30, in the 2008 wording we consulted):
TRIU = K1 × K2 × K3 × K4 × V × S + K5 × Multi-year programme × Ω2 / Ω1
For this house in an urban area of Zone A, with all infrastructure and a non-sealed area greater than 10% of the footprint, the first component is 0.40 × 1.00 × 0.04 × 0.7 × V × 150 = 1.68 × V. V is the value per m² set each year by ministerial order (portaria); the second component depends on the planned municipal investment and on the municipality’s urban area, figures the municipality applies and that we were unable to confirm. That is why we do not give a figure: ask the municipality for it.
On the administrative fees, the two municipalities differ by around €700. The component that can set them furthest apart is the infrastructure charge, and that one cannot be compared without doing the calculation in the right municipality.
In practice
Ask for the estimate before buying the plot. The planning application must already include the estimate of the planning charges, with the calculation of the infrastructure charge, or the simulation the municipality makes available (Portaria 320/2026, Annex V, item 25(g)).
If you want this calculation done for your plot, it is part of our permitting work.
Architecture and engineering: the largest component
In our article on architects’ fees, the full design, including engineering, typically sits between 6 and 8% of the construction cost. For the 150 m² of the example, at the mid-range €1,600/m² of our article on how much it costs to build a house, the works come to around €240,000 and the design to between €14,400 and €19,200 + VAT.
The engineering designs the municipality may require for a house are those of Portaria 320/2026 (a ministerial order): structure, including excavation and perimeter retaining walls, electrical installations, gas where required, water supply and drainage, rainwater drainage, landscaping where there is an outdoor area, telecommunications, thermal performance, fire safety (design or fact sheet), acoustic insulation and, where present, HVAC and electromechanical installations. Check which ones each proposal includes.
Documents, certificates and insurance
The planning application includes documents that cost the municipality little but have to be obtained or produced by someone (Portaria 320/2026, Annex V):
- Access code for the certidão permanente from the land registry and the caderneta predial (property tax record) (item 5). The certidão permanente is valid for six months.
- Location plan supplied by the municipality or at a scale of 1:1,000 (item 6). In Alcochete, the A4 plan costs €5.60.
- Georeferenced topographic survey, with a statement of responsibility, whenever the topography or the footprint changes (item 7), commissioned from a surveyor.
- Acoustic study, statistical form, schedule and estimate of the construction cost (item 25).
Professional liability insurance is an obligation of the designers and of the coordinator, and proof of it accompanies the application (item 14). Before works start, the contractor’s IMPIC permit (from Portugal’s construction regulator), the workers’ compensation policy and the appointment of the site manager are added (item 35).
Legal time limits for planning permission in 2026
Since 1 October 2026 the municipality decides in stages, each with its own time limit. RJUE time limits are counted in working days, under the Código do Procedimento Administrativo, the Code of Administrative Procedure (Article 87(c), to which Article 122 of the RJUE refers).
| Stage | Maximum time limit | RJUE |
|---|---|---|
| Completeness check of the application | 20 days; 10 to correct, if requested | Article 11(2) and (3) |
| Consultation of external bodies, if any | 20 days; silence counts as agreement | Article 13(5) and (6) |
| Decision on the architecture | 30 days; tacit approval | Article 20(3) and (12) |
| Submission of the engineering designs | up to 6 months, extendable by 3 | Article 20(4) and (5) |
| Final decision | 20 days; tacit approval | Article 23(1) and (2) |
| Payment of the fees | 1 year, or the permission lapses | Article 71(2) |
| Start of works | within 12 months of payment; notice 5 days before | Articles 71(3) and 80-A |
If the engineering designs are submitted with the initial application, the final decision is counted from the approval of the architecture and the municipality has, on paper, 70 working days: a little over three months. When bodies have to be consulted because of the location, the architecture time limit only starts after the last opinion or the end of the period for issuing it.
What Decree-Law n.º 108/2026 changed, compared with the previous wording of the RJUE:
- Time limits by stage. Before, the municipality had 120 days to decide on works of up to 300 m², counted from the filing of the application. Now it is 20 + 30 + 20, with tacit approval for the architecture and the final decision.
- Lapse linked to the fees. The permission lapses if the fees are not paid within one year; before, what caused it to lapse was failing to apply for the alvará (the permit document). Works must start within 12 months of payment.
- Prior notification. Works go ahead after paying the fees and notifying the start of works; the payment period, never less than 60 days, is counted from submission (Article 34(2) and (3)).
The full summary of the changes is in the article on the new RJUE, and the application documents in the article on Portaria 320/2026.
Planning permission or prior notification: does the price change?
Little, in fees: the tables treat both under the same heading, and the infrastructure charge is due in both (Article 116(5)). In Alcochete, the preparos for a prior notification are €161.38 instead of €201.63. What changes is time: with prior notification there is no decision to wait for, but the municipality carries out checks afterwards, for one year (Article 35(10)). And it is not a choice: when the works are subject to prior notification, you cannot opt for planning permission (Article 4(6)). How to know which applies is explained in planning permission or prior notification. Before anything else, a prior information request can confirm what can be built.
Fees are one stage; the full route of a house, from the plot to the use permit, is in the guide to building a house in Portugal.
Frequently asked questions
How much does planning permission for a house cost?
It depends on the municipality. For a new 150 m² house, the 2026 fees add up to €5,869.22 in Alcochete, including the infrastructure charge, and €1,095.10 in Vila Franca de Xira, excluding it. Add the design, typically 6 to 8% of the construction cost.
How long does the municipality take to approve a design?
The legal time limits are 20 working days for the completeness check, 30 for the architecture and 20 for the final decision once the engineering designs have been submitted. If there is no decision within these limits, the architecture is deemed approved and the permission tacitly granted (Articles 20 and 23 of the RJUE).
When are the permit fees paid?
Under planning permission, the municipality assesses the fees when it grants the permission and the holder has one year to pay, or the permission lapses (Articles 117 and 71). Under prior notification, they are paid before works start, within a period of never less than 60 days from submission (Article 34).
Is the infrastructure charge always payable?
It is payable on construction or extension works outside a subdivision, as well as on subdivisions and operations of significant impact (Article 116(4) and (5)). The amount and any reductions depend on each municipality’s regulation.
How many times can I renew a building permit?
Articles 58 and 72 of the RJUE do not set a maximum number. The construction period can be extended on a reasoned request, decided within 15 days; if the permission lapses, a new permission can be applied for using the documents that are still valid. In Alcochete, a renewal applied for within 18 months of the lapse pays 50% of the fees.
How much does the design cost to get planning permission for a house?
The full design, including engineering, typically comes to between 6 and 8% of the construction cost. For a 150 m² house with €240,000 of works, that is €14,400 to €19,200 + VAT.
Request a proposal
Planning to get permission for a house?
Send us the caderneta predial (property tax record), the location of the plot and the brief you have in mind. We will tell you which procedure applies, estimate the fees in your municipality and send a fee proposal with stages and deadlines.
Prefer to talk now? +351 918 660 664geral@tiagorcorreia.com
Official sources: Decree-Law n.º 108/2026 (RJUE republished: Articles 4, 11, 13, 20, 23, 34, 35, 58, 62-A, 71, 72, 80-A, 116 and 117) · Portaria n.º 320/2026/1, Annex V · Código do Procedimento Administrativo, Article 87 · Municipality of Alcochete, Tabela de Taxas Urbanísticas 2026 and RMUE (Aviso n.º 10603/2026/2) · Municipality of Vila Franca de Xira, Tabela Anexa de Taxas 2026 and Regulamento n.º 5-A/2008.
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10 de November de 2026
11 de November de 2026