Investment approach
How to Get a Building Licence in Catalonia: Steps and Deadlines
A new building is licensed by the ayuntamiento on an architect's project. There is no single deadline for Catalonia: it depends on the municipality's procedure, and silence means refusal.
In Catalonia the ayuntamiento (town council) issues a building licence on the basis of a project signed by an architect. The law sets no single deadline for the whole of Catalonia: the deadline is named by the rule governing the procedure, and if there is none, it is three months. The clock stops when the ayuntamiento asks for corrections or reports. For a new building, the ayuntamiento's silence counts as refusal, not consent.
The steps
The sequence is the same everywhere, the details depend on the ayuntamiento. A new building needs a prior licence, the llicència urbanística (urban planning licence) (art. 187 Llei d'urbanisme, the Catalan Urban Planning Law).
- Check the plan. Find out the land class, the edificabilidad (permitted buildable floor area) and the permitted use under the current plan. Plans are public: they can be viewed at the ayuntamiento and in the Registre urbanístic de Catalunya, which offers online consultation, and the ayuntamiento issues a certificate of the plot's planning regime within a month of the request (art. 103 Llei d'urbanisme).
- Commission a projecte bàsic. This is the first stage of the project (the basic design). Its content is enough to apply for a licence, but not enough to start construction (CTE, Parte I, art. 6).
- File the application. Filing goes through the ayuntamiento's electronic portal. If documents are missing, the ayuntamiento gives 10 days to correct them, otherwise the application is treated as withdrawn (art. 68 Ley 39/2015).
- Wait for the reports. The file must contain a technical report and a legal report. A refusal must be reasoned (art. 188.3 Llei d'urbanisme). The municipality may require an informe d'idoneïtat tècnica (technical suitability report) from an authorised colegio or entidad colaboradora (accredited body) (art. 188.3 bis).
- Pay the fees and receive the decision. The municipal fee for issuing the licence is set by the ayuntamiento's ordenanza fiscal (tax by-law).
- Prepare the projecte de ejecución. This is the full project that the building is built from. It cannot lower the declared characteristics or change the use for which the licence was issued (CTE, Parte I). The law requires the colegio de arquitectos (architects' professional association) to endorse it with a visado (see the article on the visado).
- Start work on time. The ICIO tax (the municipal construction tax) accrues once work starts. A project that does not start on time loses the licence.
What deadlines the law sets
| Stage | What the rule says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Correcting the application | 10 days | Art. 68 Ley 39/2015 |
| Maximum time for a decision | Set by the procedure's rule; if none, 3 months from filing | Art. 21 Ley 39/2015 |
| Clock stops | While corrections and mandatory reports are pending (reports no longer than 3 months) | Art. 22 Ley 39/2015 |
| Ayuntamiento silence | For a new building, refusal | Art. 11.4 RDLeg 7/2015 |
| Licence validity | If not stated: 1 year to start and 3 years to finish | Art. 189 Llei d'urbanisme |
The general rules of administrative procedure set the frame, and the actual deadline is determined by the particular ayuntamiento. Realistic timelines in Barcelona are covered separately. The rule on silence sits in the national land law: acts authorising the construction of a new building are issued only expressly, and silence means refusal.
What can stop the procedure
Three things can stop it. First, the ayuntamiento asks for corrections or reports, and the clock stands until they arrive. Second, the project does not comply with the plan, and the reports show it. Third, while the plan is being changed, the ayuntamiento may suspend the issuing of licences in the affected area, for one year or for two years if the grounds are combined (art. 73–74 Llei d'urbanisme).
If a licence is obtained but not used, it lapses when its term ends, and a new one is issued under the plan then in force (art. 189.3).
What it costs
Three items set the price: the architect's fee, the municipal fee and the ICIO tax. The ICIO rate is set by the ayuntamiento up to 4% of the cost of the physical execution of the works (art. 102 RDLeg 2/2004), and it accrues when work starts, even if the licence has not yet been obtained. In the Sitges project, permits and licences cost 20,000 € against a plot price of 509,250 €. That is one project and does not serve as a benchmark for another plot.
Who this route does not suit
It does not suit anyone who needs an exact construction start date: the timing depends on the ayuntamiento, and reports can stop the clock. It does not suit someone who buys a plot without checking the plan either: in that case the licence may turn out to be unattainable. A calculation with a time buffer is easiest to begin with the calculator.
What changes in the price of a plot once the licence is in hand is explained in the article on plots with and without a licence.
Questions and answers
How long does it take to get a building licence in Catalonia?
There is no single deadline. The maximum is set by the ayuntamiento's procedure, and if it sets none, three months from filing apply, with stops for requests and reports. The real timeline is asked about at the specific ayuntamiento.
What happens if the ayuntamiento does not reply?
For a new building, silence means refusal (art. 11.4 RDLeg 7/2015). Construction cannot start without an express licence.
Is an architect's project needed for the licence?
Yes. A new building needs a technical project, and at the licence stage its first part, the projecte bàsic. The full project and its visado are needed before work starts.
How long does a licence last?
As long as it states. If no term is stated, one year to start and three years to finish the works, with an extension of half the term (art. 189 Llei d'urbanisme).
