Urban Licensing Simplex

These are the main measures, briefly described here:

Summary of Decree-Law No. 10/2024 , of January 8, which aims to Simplify Licensing.

Urbanism:

• License deletion:

  • Creation of new cases of prior communication and exemption from prior control.
  • Exemption from licenses for interior works that do not affect the stability structure, which aim to increase the number of floors without increasing the height or facade, among others.
  • Exemption from licenses for works carried out by companies in the State business sector, municipal and inter-municipal companies in certain situations.

• Simplification of procedures:

  • Adoption of a tacit deferral regime for construction licenses.
  • Elimination of the construction license permit.
  • Simplification of counting deadlines.
  • Extension of the validity period of prior favorable information.
  • Permission to extend the deadline for execution of works without the current limits.

• Standardization of procedures:

  • Limitation of municipal regulations to certain matters.
  • Preventing the requirement for additional instructional documents compared to those provided for by law.
  • Creation of an Electronic Platform for Urban Planning Procedures.

• Clarification of the cognition powers of municipalities:

  • Definition of the aspects that the municipality is responsible for verifying in the prior control and issuing of licenses.
  • Limitation of inspection powers to compliance with the law.

• Elimination of excessive demands:

  • Revocation or replacement of certain requirements of the General Regulation on Urban Buildings (RGEU).
  • Revocation of the RGEU with effect from June 1, 2026.
  • Elimination of the need for a specific license to occupy public space.
  • Elimination of disproportionate and excessive requirements regarding mailboxes.

• Simplification of the process of obtaining authorization for use:

  • Elimination of authorization for use when there was work subject to prior control.
  • Prior communication for change of use without work subject to prior control.

• Simplification of processes regarding specialties:

  • Municipalities do not appreciate or approve specialty projects.

• Simplification of processes for receiving urbanization works:

  • Obligation for municipalities to accept the assignment of the guarantee given by the contractor to the promoter.

Territorial Planning:

• Simplification of the process of reclassifying rustic soil into urban soil:

  • Carrying out only one public consultation.
  • Procedural conference for all entities to comment simultaneously.
  • Attribution of competence to the municipal assembly for approval.

• Acceleration of approval procedures for urbanization plans and detailed plans:

  • Elimination of monitoring of their preparation by regional coordination and development committees.
  • Elimination of the concertation phase.

• Simplification of urban planning control:

  • Creation of new cases of prior communication that replace urban planning licenses.
  • Densification of the content of execution units.

Implementation:

• The Agency for Administrative Modernization, IP, will coordinate the implementation of the measures.

Comments:

• This summary is not exhaustive and only highlights the main points of the decree-law.
• For more information, see the full decree-law .