Garden shed: do you need a permit in Portugal?
No permit is needed for a shed up to 2.2 m high and 10 m² that does not face a public road: it is a minor work (obra de escassa relevância urbanística). A bigger shed needs a licence, or prior communication in the cases art 4 lists.
- Answer
- Exempt from licence and prior communication
- Height
- Not more than 2.2 m or, as the alternative, the eaves height (cércea) of the ground floor of the main building
- Area
- 10 m² or less
- Position
- Must not face the public road; attached to the main building or detached
- Before you start
- Tell the council at least 5 days before work begins, even for exempt work (art 80-A).
- Heritage exception
- Minor-works exemptions do not apply to listed buildings, buildings in the protection zone of a listed building (window frames excepted), or buildings inside listed groups or sites (art 6-A(2)).
- Council rules
- Your council can add detail in its own building regulation where the law lets it, so ask before you start.
- Legal basis
- RJUE art 6(1)(c) and 6-A(1)(a), RJUE (Decreto-Lei 555/99) as republished in the Annex of Decreto-Lei 108/2026
- Sources
- data.dre.pt/eli/dec-lei/108/2026/05/29/p/dre/pt/pdf
- Checked
- 2026-11-05
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