Portugal Land Classification

Rural settlement (aglomerado rural): can you build on it in Portugal?

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Often yes, within the plan's rules: a rural settlement (aglomerado rural) is built rustic land, mainly housing, which the PDM delimits and regulates so that homes and farm-support uses can continue.

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Answer
Building follows the use regime the PDM sets for that settlement.
Definition
Built areas with mainly housing and support for rustic activities, with infrastructure and local services, where urban classification does not fit.
Fire rule
The ban on building in high-risk priority fire areas does not cover rural settlements.
Who decides
The municipality, through the PDM and the permit.
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 23(2)(d); Decreto-Lei 82/2021, article 60(1)
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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