What can you do with a masía on non-developable land?
A masía can be rebuilt and converted into a home only if it is included in the municipal catalogue (articles 47 and 50 of Catalonia's urban planning law) and the permitted use is recorded there. Reconstruction keeps the existing volume and composition, and the licence is granted only with a favourable report from the territorial urban planning commission.
This is the restrictive side of the subject. To avoid losing money, a buyer or owner asks three questions in this order: is the house in the catalogue, which use is recorded and what does it say about volume. Only then do you discuss the design and the estimate. The text of the law (as amended by Law 3/2012) must be checked against the current version on the Generalitat's portal, because it may have changed since 2012.
How do you check whether a masía is in the catalogue?
Ask the Ajuntament's planning department for the ficha from the catàleg de masies i cases rurals and a certificado urbanístico for the plot. The catalogue forms part of the municipal plan or of a special plan. The ficha says which use is allowed, which volume is kept and what condition the building is in.
The cadastre and the nota simple do not always call a building a masía, and an old farmhouse is not the same as a catalogue entry. A house can be old, handsome and fully papered and still not be in the catalogue; then it cannot be turned into a home. Buildings that enter the planning not as a masía or casa rural but under points 3.b and 3.c of article 47 may not be rebuilt as family housing: the law says so expressly. That difference is checked before the sale, not after.
Can you change the use of a masía to a home?
Yes, if the catalogue records family housing. For catalogued masías and casas rurales the law allows housing, hotel use, rural tourism, and educational, craft, artistic and restaurant activities, plus community facilities and services. Hotel use must be expressly provided for in the catalogue, which may cap the number of places.
All these uses must be compatible with the farming activity in the immediate surroundings. If the catalogue records one use and you need another, the catalogue has to be modified. That is a planning procedure: long, with an outcome nobody can guarantee in advance. Do not buy a masía on the assumption that the use will be changed.
Can you extend a masía on non-developable land?
As a rule, no. In reconstruction the law requires respecting the existing built volume and the original volumetric composition (article 50). Horizontal division is allowed in certain cases and, in rehabilitating some buildings, volume may be reduced if needed to correct a negative environmental or landscape impact.
There are exceptions that the buyer does not decide; the document does. A particular municipality's catalogue may set conditions for extension, and the fifteenth transitional provision allows existing buildings to be extended if planning in force before Law 2/2002 expressly provided for it. The law mentions auxiliary buildings for rural tourism separately (article 47). A new home on non-developable land is possible only if directly and justifiably tied to the farm holding (article 49), and for an owner without a farm that is a different road. A pool, garage or extension is checked separately against the catalogue and municipal rules.
Which permits do you need to renovate a masía?
The Ajuntament's licence and the mandatory report of the territorial urban planning commission. The law gives the commission two months to report and allows the licence to be granted only with a favourable report (article 50.1). If the project could disturb neighbouring farms, the Ajuntament requests a report from the competent department.
An architect signs the project. Usually added are access for fire engines, water, wastewater treatment and power supply, plus a check on whether the house is protected as heritage. An honest total timeline cannot be given: it depends on the municipality and the quality of the file. Which documents you personally need is told by the Ajuntament and your gestor; the general licence procedure is described in the article on the major-works licence.
How do you bring water, power and a road to a remote masía?
Start by finding out what already exists. If the municipal network passes nearby, a connection is possible, but the operator sets the terms and the price. Without a network you are left with a well or cistern for water and standalone wastewater treatment. A well and treatment are agreed with the water authority and the Ajuntament, and the requirements are checked before buying, not after.
Electricity: the connection cost depends on the distance to the nearest line, and the distribution company calculates it. An alternative is solar panels with a battery and a backup generator; this is covered in the article on the home battery. Road: check whose land it crosses, whether the right of way is recorded in the registry, who maintains it and whether a fire engine can get through. Internet needs checking too: fibre does not always reach such places.
What checklist does a masía buyer have before signing?
Nine checks. The ficha from the masía catalogue; a certificado urbanístico; the nota simple and the cadastre; a topographic survey and boundaries; the use and volume from the catalogue; the condition of the structure from a technical survey; water, electricity and road; the Ajuntament's written opinion if anything is in doubt; an estimate for the renovation together with services. If a document is missing for any of them, the price should reflect it.
The seller gets direct questions: has the catalogue been reviewed, is there a valid licence or earlier refusals, who uses the road, are there disputes over water. Answers are requested in writing. For an owner who lives outside Spain, an independent technical survey before signing the arras is especially useful.
How does BCN YARD help with a masía renovation?
A site visit and measurements: we look at the structure, access and the sources of water and electricity. Then a detailed estimate in which the renovation and the services are priced separately. Reference prices before VAT: Premium from 1,000 €/m², Luxury from 2,000 €/m², Signature from 3,000 €/m²; on renovation of resale housing our estimates usually carry 21% VAT, on new-build housing 10%. The 21% applies because in our renovations materials usually exceed 40% of the taxable base; when they do not, renovating a private individual's home is taxed at 10% (Law 37/1992, art. 91). The exact price comes from the estimate after the visit and measurements.
We run projects in Russian and Spanish, with our own crew and vetted subcontractors, one person responsible for the project, and payment under contract in stages. We have completed the full cycle on a private house with a pool and solar panels (2022–2024). We reply to an enquiry within an hour. If you are choosing a masía, send us the catalogue ficha: we will tell you what it shows and what is worth clarifying.
Frequently asked questions
Can a masía be extended on non-developable land?
As a rule, no: in reconstruction the law requires respecting the existing volume and original composition. Exceptions are set by the municipality's catalogue and the transitional provisions. The law mentions auxiliary buildings for rural tourism separately. What is permitted in your case shows in the catalogue ficha and the Ajuntament's reply.
Can I change the use of a masía to a home?
If the catalogue records family housing, yes. If it records another use, the catalogue has to be modified, a long planning procedure with an uncertain result. Buildings catalogued not as a masía or casa rural cannot be rebuilt as family housing. The use is checked before the sale.
Which permits do you need to renovate a masía?
The Ajuntament's licence and a favourable report from the territorial urban planning commission: the law gives it two months to report, and without it the licence cannot be granted. An architect signs the project. Water, wastewater, fire-engine access and protection of the building are also checked. The total time depends on the municipality.
Can I buy a ruined masía and build a house in its place?
Only if the building is in the catalogue as a masía or casa rural: the law allows reconstruction keeping the previous volume and composition. In practice you must prove that volume with documents and plans. If the building is not in the catalogue, it cannot be restored on non-developable land. Check before buying.
How much does a masía renovation cost?
Reference prices before VAT: Premium from 1,000 €/m², Luxury from 2,000 €/m², Signature from 3,000 €/m². For a remote masía, water, wastewater treatment, electricity and the road are priced separately. Resale-housing renovation estimates usually carry 21% VAT. The exact price comes from the estimate after the visit and measurements.