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Administrative

Planning and building permits (licencias urbanísticas)

Before building, renovating, converting commercial premises into a home or dividing a property, you must obtain a planning permit or file a prior notification with the City Council, depending on the type of works. In Catalonia this is governed by the Urban Planning Act and, in Barcelona, by the municipal works ordinance. We advise you on the application, on appeals against refusals and on planning enforcement proceedings.

By Aida Elias Soguero, ICAB member no. 44021 · Updated on 14 October 2026

In brief

Who it is for
Owners, owners' associations, developers and businesses planning works, and anyone who has received a refusal or enforcement proceedings for unlicensed works.
Where it is handled
At the local City Council. In Barcelona, online, under the municipal works procedures ordinance (Ordenanza reguladora de los procedimientos de intervención municipal en las obras, ORPIMO).
Permit validity
As set in the permit; if not set, one year to start the works and three to finish them, extendable by half if requested before they expire.
Fees
We quote them in the first consultation (€40), with the option to pay in instalments.

What it covers

  • Prior permit for new buildings, renovations and demolitions requiring a technical project, plot divisions, change of use to residential and setting up a horizontal property regime, among others.
  • Prior notification for works not requiring a technical project, first occupation of buildings, non-residential changes of use, walls and fences, among others.
  • A prior notification allows you to proceed from the date it is filed, without prejudice to the Council's powers of verification and inspection.
  • If the Council does not decide in time, the permit is deemed granted, except in cases such as new buildings requiring a technical project, and never contrary to planning law.
  • Appeals against a refusal: reconsideration or, if a Barcelona district decided, hierarchical appeal (alzada), and an appeal to the administrative courts within two months.
  • Defence in planning enforcement proceedings: stop-work orders, requests to legalise, demolition orders and penalties.
  • These proceedings lapse if no decision is issued and notified within eighteen months.
  • The power to order restoration is time-barred after six years, except for public open spaces, roads and certain non-developable land, where there is no time limit.

How we help you

  1. We study the project

    We review with you and your architect or engineer which regime applies to the works, the applicable planning rules and whether a prior consultation with the Council is advisable.

  2. We prepare the application

    We coordinate the technical and legal documents for the permit or notification and check for any constraints, such as heritage protection of the building.

  3. Processing and representations

    We follow the file, respond to requests and hearings and, if there is a refusal or enforcement proceedings, file representations and appeals in time.

  4. Court proceedings

    If the administrative route fails, we consider with you an appeal to the administrative courts and, where appropriate, a request for interim measures.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a permit to renovate my flat?

It depends on the works. If building regulations require a technical project, you generally need a permit; otherwise a prior notification is usually enough. In Barcelona, the ordinance also distinguishes between immediate and deferred notifications. We review it with your architect or engineer.

The Council has not answered my permit application. Can I start the works?

Do not do so without having the case reviewed. Silence counts as approval for many permits, but not for new buildings requiring a technical project or other legal exceptions, and it never covers works that breach planning rules.

I have received a stop-work order. What should I do?

You must comply immediately. You have fifteen days to make representations and, if the works are finished or the suspension is confirmed, you will be required to apply for legalisation within two months, unless they clearly cannot be legalised. If they are not legalised, demolition may be ordered.

Legislation

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