Painting a building’s facade involves three separate permissions: the town hall’s, the co-owners’, and, if scaffolding goes on the street, the one for using public space. This guide explains what the law says about each and what we read on the Lisbon and Porto council pages.
Updated 3 November 2026. General information, not a substitute for legal advice.
The essentials
- Repainting the facade without changing anything else is normally maintenance work, exempt from a licence and from prior notification (RJUE, article 6(1)(a)). RJUE is the national urban development and building code.
- Exempt does not mean no notice. The person ordering the work informs the council up to five days before it starts, even for exempt works, and puts up a notice visible from the street (article 80-A).
- The facade is normally a common part. The co-owners’ meeting decides. One owner cannot repaint the part of the facade in front of their flat.
- Changing the look of the building needs more votes: two thirds of the building’s total value (Código Civil, article 1422(3)).
- Scaffolding on the street needs its own licence, with deadlines that vary by municipality.
The council: exempt works
The RJUE (Decreto-Lei 555/99) defines maintenance works as those meant to keep a building in its existing condition, “namely restoration, repair or cleaning” (article 2(f)). These are exempt from a licence and prior notification (article 6(1)(a)).
The word “painting” does not appear in that definition. We read it as covering repainting that keeps the building as it is.
| Situation | What the RJUE says |
|---|---|
| Repainting the facade as it is | Maintenance work, exempt |
| Listed building, building being listed, or within a listed building’s protection zone | Licence (article 4(2)(d)), or exemption only with a favourable opinion from the heritage authority (article 6(1)(k)) |
| Work that removes facade tiles (azulejos) | Licence (article 4(2)(i)) |
| Any exempt work | Still subject to municipal plans and other rules (article 6(8)) |
There is also a duty to maintain: buildings must have maintenance work at least every eight years, and the council may order work needed to improve appearance (article 89(1) and (2)).
The text changed recently. The consolidated RJUE on the Diário da República includes Decreto-Lei 108/2026, in force since 1 October 2026. Lisbon council says it is adapting its procedures. Check the current form.
Start notice and facade notice
The owner informs the council up to five days before the start and names who will carry out the work (article 80-A(1)). Only maintenance work done entirely indoors is excused (paragraph 3). A notice visible from the street is also posted up to five days before (paragraph 5).
What about colour?
We found no RJUE rule on colour. Architects’ websites say a colour change needs a licence, but that is opinion, not law. There may be a rule in the municipal regulation, a detailed plan or a historic zone. Ask the council in writing before choosing a new colour.
Scaffolding and public space
- Lisbon. The council portal has a separate request, “Ocupação da via pública - obras isentas de controlo prévio” (use of public road, works exempt from prior control), filed through Loja Lisboa Online (Urbanismo Digital platform). It points to a fee simulator and publishes no amounts.
- Porto. The Portal do Munícipe says that for an exempt work you must first submit the “start of works” notice. The occupation licence asks for at least 20 working days’ notice, with an average reply of 20 working days for complete requests. The start-of-works page says 30 working days for scaffold occupation. Two pages, two deadlines: check.
- Other municipalities. We did not read their regulations. Fees and deadlines vary.
See how to compare painting quotes for whether a quote includes scaffolding and who handles permits.
The co-owners: who decides
The roof, the structure and the load-bearing walls are common (article 1421(1)). Things not used exclusively by one owner are presumed common (paragraph 2(e)). An owner may not harm, by new works or by failing to repair, the building’s architectural line or aesthetic arrangement (article 1422(2)(a)).
| Decision | Majority needed | Article |
|---|---|---|
| Repainting in the same colour (maintenance) | Majority of votes representing the capital invested, as a rule | 1432(5) |
| Work that changes the architectural line or aesthetic arrangement | Two thirds of the building’s total value | 1422(3) |
| Second meeting, if quorum fails | Majority of those present, if they represent at least a quarter of the value | 1432(6) |
That repainting is “maintenance” and a colour change is “aesthetic arrangement” is our reading: no official text we read says so. Put the colour as its own item on the agenda.
Who pays. Maintenance of common parts is paid by the owners in proportion to the value of their flats (article 1424(1)). The mandatory reserve fund takes at least 10% of each owner’s share (Decreto-Lei 268/94, article 4).
Quotes. For extraordinary maintenance the administrator presents at least three quotes from different sources, unless the rules or the meeting decide otherwise (article 1436(2)).
Step by step
- Ask the administrator to put the item on the agenda. Owners holding 25% of the capital can call a meeting (article 1431(2)).
- The notice goes by registered letter, 10 days ahead, with the agenda (article 1432(1) and (4)).
- Gather three itemised quotes.
- Check with the council about protected zones and any colour rule.
- The administrator carries out the decision within 15 working days unless another deadline is set (article 1436(1)(i)).
- Inform the council up to five days before, put up the notice and apply for public-space use if needed.
Anyone who disagrees has 10 days to ask for an extraordinary meeting and 60 days for an annulment action if they did not ask (article 1433(2) and (4)). If the problem is damp, not looks, read damp in the building: who decides and pays.
What we could not confirm
- The colour rule in Lisbon, Porto or any other municipality.
- The fees for use of public space.
- Whether your building is listed or in a protection zone. Ask the council.
- Case law on repainting versus colour change. We did not read any.
Sources (read on 3 November 2026)
- Diário da República, RJUE consolidated version (Decreto-Lei 555/99): articles 2(f), 4, 6, 80-A and 89, and the notes on Decreto-Lei 108/2026.
- Diário da República, Código Civil, consolidated version: articles 1421, 1422, 1424, 1431, 1432, 1433 and 1436.
- Diário da República, Decreto-Lei 268/94, consolidated version: article 4.
- Lisbon council, Ocupação da via pública - obras isentas de controlo prévio: page read, last update shown 30 September 2026. The regulations it cites were not opened.
- Porto council, Portal do Munícipe, use of public space for works and start-of-works notice: pages read.