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BCN YARD guides: Permits step by step. 28 articles to help plan your project in Barcelona. Page 1.
A Barcelona renovation passes through five levels: City Council, housing offices, Generalitat, state registers and professional bodies. Here is who does what and which guide to read next.
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Most offices and shops in Barcelona need an activity notice rather than a licence. You can file it yourself on the Oficina Virtual, though almost always with a technician's certificate.
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The Catastro and the Land Registry are separate records. The Catastro must be told within two months of completion unless someone does it for you; the Land Registry records an extension through a notarial deed.
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A lift in an old building needs three things: a simple-majority owners' vote, a City Council permit (works notice or licence depending on whether it goes inside or outside) and a commissioning declaration to the Generalitat.
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Barcelona owners' associations have two Consorci de l'Habitatge lines: energy refurbishment of the building and accessibility, lifts included. Requirements, amounts, documents and what is open in 2026.
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Barcelona's Next Generation grant for individual flats closed on 30 June 2026. Two realistic routes remain: renovating for the Borsa d'Habitatge de Lloguer and the IRPF energy-efficiency deduction.
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The owners' association or the building owner orders the ITE, a technician inspects, and the Agència de l'Habitatge de Catalunya issues the certificat d'aptitud. Deadlines, documents and filing.
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Owners do not remove asbestos themselves: only a RERA-registered company with an approved work plan may. Your part is finding it, choosing the firm, getting the works permit and claiming the incentives.
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For an ordinary domestic gas installation nothing is filed with the Generalitat. The installer and the distributor issue the papers, and a mandatory inspection comes round every five years.
View detailsOnly a registered electrical installation company can issue and sign the certificate. Rewiring inside a flat is not registered in Catalonia; a new installation is, through an online responsible declaration.
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A technician prepares the energy certificate, and it only counts once it is entered in the ICAEN registry. You order it, pay the fee and get the label for your listings.
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You need a cèdula d'habitabilitat to sell, rent out or connect utilities. A technician signs the certificate, but you can file the application yourself.
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Works done without a permit are regularised by applying now for the missing permit, with a technician documenting what was built. Here is when that works, what the six-year limit means and how to register the result.
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In Barcelona a shop sign counts as type II minor works and must fit the urban landscape bylaw. Here are the sizes, allowed positions and how to file it yourself.
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A pool is not minor work: in Barcelona and towns such as Castelldefels it needs a major works licence with a technical project. Here is the full route, from project to Catastro.
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A self-consumption solar system goes through three desks: the City Council, the Generalitat and the tax office. Here is what each one needs, who files what and which tax savings you can claim.
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New windows change the facade, so a simple notice is rarely enough. Here is which procedure applies depending on the building's protection and how to file it yourself.
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In Barcelona you cannot simply bolt an outdoor unit to the street facade: the landscape bylaw prefers the roof and requires an integration project. Here is what is allowed and how to file it.
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Barcelona keeps private building permit files in different archives depending on the year. Many are already digitised and open straight from the PIU; the rest can be requested online or viewed by appointment.
View detailsIn Barcelona you can check a building's protection level and the plot's zoning for free on the Portal d'Informació Urbanística, and order an urban planning report or certificate online when you need an official document.
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In Catalonia the waste deposit for licensed works is no longer paid to the Ajuntament but to an authorised waste manager, who issues the document you attach to the application. For minor works the municipal ordinance decides.
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In Barcelona, scaffolding over the pavement is declared with the works permit, scaffolding on the roadway needs its own licence, and a lift or truck for a few days needs a work-vehicle parking permit. Here is which one to request and how.
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In Barcelona a rubble sack or skip goes on the street through an approved company, and responsibility is shared with whoever holds the works permit. Here is what to check and where fines usually come from.
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In Barcelona, ICIO is 4% of the material execution cost of the works and is paid together with the planning fee through a self-assessment. Here is when the payment slip arrives, how to pay it and what to do when the works finish.
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