Public water domain (domínio público hídrico): can you build on it in Portugal?
Not freely: the public water domain (domínio público hídrico) is made up of the beds and margins of public waters, except plots proven private before 1864, and the water authority (APA) fixes doubtful limits.
- Answer
- Public land; check first whether your plot touches it.
- What it includes
- Maritime, lake and river domain, and the domain of other waters.
- Doubtful boundary
- The water authority (APA) fixes it by a delimitation process that ends with a published record.
- Who decides
- The Portuguese Environment Agency (APA).
- Legal basis
- Lei 54/2005 and Lei 31/2016 on ownership of water resources
- Sources
- apambiente.pt/agua/dominio-publico-hidrico
apambiente.pt/agua/delimitacao-do-dominio-publico-hidrico
files.diariodarepublica.pt/1s/2016/08/16100/0283402841.pdf
files.diariodarepublica.pt/1s/2005/11/219a00/65206525.pdf - Checked
- 2026-11-05
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