In short: three steps and who is responsible
Adding a lift to a building without one is possible, and in Catalonia it is easier than many people assume. Step one: the owners' decision. Under article 553-25 of the Catalan Civil Code, works to remove architectural barriers or install a lift are approved by a simple majority of the owners who vote, who must also hold a simple majority of their shares. This applies even if the decision changes the bylaws or affects the structure or external appearance.
Step two: the municipal permit. In Barcelona, under the ORPIMO works procedures ordinance, a lift inside the building is minor works type I with a project (filed as a notice, comunicat), while a lift on the outside requires a major works licence (llicència d'obres majors). The association can file it itself through the chair or manager, but a technician signs the project.
Step three: commissioning. Before use, the lift's holder, meaning the association, files a responsible declaration (declaració responsable) with the Generalitat and signs a maintenance contract with a lift maintenance company (empresa conservadora).
Which case is yours
A lift in the stairwell or an interior light well. The classic Eixample case: a notice with a project via the Oficina Virtual. If the building is listed (protection levels A, B or C), the process is more demanding, because the ORPIMO treats refurbishment, rehabilitation and façade works on such buildings as major works.
A lift attached outside, for example on the rear façade facing the block's inner courtyard, or on public land. That is a major works licence, and if it takes up public space, occupying it is a separate matter. Licences take longer, so build that into the schedule.
Neighbours object. If the meeting does not reach a simple majority and someone living or working in the building has a disability or is over 70, an owner or occupant can ask a court under article 553-25.5 to order the association to carry out reasonable and proportionate accessibility works.
Who pays. Under article 553-30.3, the cost of removing barriers and installing a lift, when it follows an owners' resolution, is borne by all owners, ground-floor ones included. If a court orders the works, the court sets the amount based on ordinary common expenses.
A private house in Castelldefels with an interior lift deals with its own town hall under local rules, and the commissioning declaration to the Generalitat is required just the same.
What to prepare and who does it
The association: meeting minutes with the item on the agenda, the vote result, budget, cost sharing and financing, and the appointment of whoever will sign the applications.
The technician, architect or engineer: a feasibility study first (does the lift fit, what happens to load-bearing walls and the stair), then the project with a report, drawings and budget. A notice usually also needs a declaration accepting site supervision. In Barcelona, notices and licences require a prior informe d'idoneïtat tècnica (technical suitability report), issued by professional bodies such as Cateb acting as City Council partner entities.
The installer: a CE-marked lift and the paperwork for commissioning. The maintenance company: the maintenance contract, which the rules require of the lift's holder.
If the works need scaffolding, a lifting platform or a skip on the street, each one needs its own permit.
Step by step
1. The technician surveys the building and proposes a location and rough price. 2. Call an owners' meeting with the lift on the agenda, because nothing off the agenda can be decided. Vote by simple majority. Absent owners are notified and have one month to object in writing, which affects their standing to challenge the decision. 3. Check grants: the Consorci de l'Habitatge has an accessibility line; the 2026 call is closed, so wait for the next one and do not start before applying.
4. On the City Council's Oficina Virtual, run the «Consulta prèvia per a la tramitació d'expedients d'obres» to get a query number and the document list. 5. The technician requests the informe d'idoneïtat tècnica. 6. File «Tramitació d'expedients d'obres» with a digital signature (idCAT Mòbil, Cl@ve or certificate); the same person who ran the query must file. Companies and professionals must file online. 7. Pay the ICIO and fee using the self-assessment form; for a deferred notice the procedure page gives the Council one month to review it, while a licence arrives as a formal decision with start and end dates.
8. Works and installation. 9. The technician issues the completion certificate, the association files the commissioning declaration with the Generalitat (the «Instal·lacions d'ascensors» procedure on Tràmits Gencat) and signs the maintenance contract.
After commissioning
Keep the permit and project on site throughout the works: municipal inspectors can turn up unannounced. Once running, the association has ongoing duties: maintenance by the maintenance company at the frequency the rules set, and periodic inspections by an authorised control body, which the holder must request. The exact intervals for your type of building are on the Departament d'Empresa i Treball page on lifts.
If the Council asks you to correct documents, the deadline is stated in the request; missing it usually means the file is closed. If a licence is refused, the technician can rework the project, for example moving the lift inside, where the regime is simpler.
Common mistakes
Assuming four-fifths is needed. For a lift in Catalonia a simple majority is enough; demanding more only causes delay.
Leaving it off the agenda. A decision taken under «any other business» is easy to challenge.
Starting works before applying for a grant. The Consorci assesses the works through its preliminary report, and starting without it can cost you the aid.
Filing an external lift as minor works. An external lift in Barcelona needs a licence, and a notice will not go through.
Forgetting the electrics. The lift needs its own circuit and power; upgrading the supply is best settled at project stage.
Running the lift without the declaration and maintenance contract. That breaches industrial safety rules, and the association is liable as the holder.
Before you file
The ORPIMO wording and procedure forms change, so check the current procedure page on the City Council's Oficina Virtual and on Tràmits Gencat before filing. If the association would rather not handle it, BCN YARD can take on the paperwork together with the building works.