Forest space (espaço florestal): can you build on it in Portugal?
Rarely: in forest space (espaço florestal) the dominant use is forestry, and other uses such as tourism, leisure or agro-industry are allowed only as the plan regulates, taking fire risk into account.
- Answer
- Building is limited to the uses the PDM admits.
- Sub-categories
- Production, soil and water protection or conservation, silvopastoral and recreation forest.
- Fire
- Plan rules must take the fire-risk assessment into account, and national fire rules apply to building.
- Who decides
- The municipality.
- Council rules
- The municipal plan (PDM) sets the detail for your plot; ask the council for a planning certificate (certidão) and the plan maps.
- Legal basis
- Decreto Regulamentar 15/2015, article 19; Decreto-Lei 82/2021, articles 60 and 61
- Sources
- files.diariodarepublica.pt/1s/2015/08/16100/0613706143.pdf
files.diariodarepublica.pt/1s/2021/10/19900/0000200047.pdf
files.diariodarepublica.pt/1s/2023/07/13600/0001300021.pdf - Checked
- 2026-11-05
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