Planning application

Planning application is the method used by local authorities to control the vast majority of construction, reconstruction, extension, alteration, conservation or demolition of buildings, through nr. 2 of article 4 of the current Legal Regulation of Urbanisation and Construction (RJUE), updated by Decreto-Lei no. 10/2024, of 8th January, known as Urban Simplex.

The planning process is usually divided in two phases. In the first one, the Architectural project is submitted for approval. In the second one, the various engineering projects are submitted. This is one of the reasons for the approval process to take longer.

The planning application deliverables consist not only in drawings (plans, sections, elevations and construction details), but also in written documentation, schedules and other elements.

Although there is an option to submit all projects simultaneously – Architecture and Engineering – to save some time, if any changes to the architecture are requested by the local authority, there is a risk of adding unnecessary costs for revising all the engineering projects.