Building permits in Mallorca: what you need to build or renovate in 2026

Say you buy a house in Palma in January and want to renovate it before the summer. If you are only updating the finishes, you can start within days; if you are knocking down a load-bearing wall, you need a building permit, and in Palma the average was 9 to 12 months in February 2026. So the first thing to know about a building permit in Mallorca is which procedure applies to your works.

Here we explain it using Balearic law and what Palma, Calvià and Andratx publish, three municipalities where we have worked as builders in Mallorca, and we link each figure to its source.

Which works need a building permit in Mallorca?

Not all of them. The Balearic Planning Act (Ley 12/2017 de urbanismo de las Illes Balears, LUIB) distinguishes three cases: works that need no formal procedure, works that only need to be notified and works that require a building permit. What decides which case applies is the part of the house the works affect and whether they need a design signed by an architect.

No formal procedure is needed for interior works under €3,000 on urban land that require neither a technical design nor professional supervision, provided that several such jobs in the same place and year do not add up to more than that figure (art. 145.2). The exemption does not apply to Assets of Cultural Interest (bienes de interés cultural, BIC), listed buildings (catalogados) or buildings that no longer conform to planning (fuera de ordenación).

Prior notification in Palma: Type A and Type F

Palma uses only two types of authorisation, prior notification and the building permit, and its guide to types of works (September 2025) distinguishes six classes of prior notification, from A to F. For a home, two are worth knowing. Type A covers technically simple works that need no design, and you can start the day after submitting it. Type F requires a qualified professional to take responsibility for the works and covers anything affecting parts of the floor slabs, the façade or habitability, provided the works do not touch the load-bearing structure, extend the home, change its use or remodel more than 60% of the layout; you can start after 15 calendar days. With both, the fee and the ICIO are paid on submission.

The guide does not go room by room: a kitchen or a bathroom can follow either route depending on what is involved, so it is best to have a qualified professional assess it.

What the works involve	Procedure in Palma	When you can start
Interior, under €3,000, no technical design (not in listed or BIC buildings)	None	Whenever you like
Technically simple, no design	Type A prior notification	The next day
Partial work on floor slabs, façade, scaffolding or up to 60% of the layout	Type F prior notification, with a qualified professional	After 15 calendar days
Load-bearing structure, extension, change of use or more than 60% of the layout	Building permit	Once you have the permit, with 10 days’ notice
New build, including prefabricated homes	Building permit	Once you have the permit, with 10 days’ notice

When a building permit is mandatory

Always for new builds, prefabricated ones included, for demolitions, for changes of use and for any work that needs a technical design (LUIB, art. 146). Nor can prior notification be used for anything that affects the foundations or the load-bearing structure, or that alters the volume or the number of homes (art. 148.2). That is why every new-build home or villa in Mallorca needs a permit, while a full refurbishment can take either route depending on what it involves.

How long does a building permit take in Mallorca?

The law gives the town council three months to decide once the application is complete (LUIB, art. 151.4). In practice, a building permit in Palma took 9 to 12 months on average in February 2026, and 1 to 3 months through a private planning certification body (entidad privada de certificación, ECU), according to the deputy mayor for Planning. Calvià and Andratx do not publish actual timeframes.

If the town council asks you to correct something, the clock stops, although it must ask for everything in a single notification. And for a new build, if there is no answer within three months, the permit is deemed refused: Spain’s Land Act (Ley de Suelo, 2015) treats silence as a refusal for new buildings (art. 11.4). For other permits, Balearic law presumes approval when the council does not respond, but never for anything contrary to the planning rules (LUIB, art. 5.2).

Stage	Legal timeframe	Published actual timeframe
Building permit	3 months from a complete application	Palma: 9 to 12 months (February 2026)
Permit via an ECU	3 months	Palma: 1 to 3 months (February 2026)
Consell report (house on rural land)	15 days’ public consultation and 3 months	No published data
Review of the construction design	1 month	No published data
First occupancy licence	1 month	No published data

The fast track: private planning certification bodies (ECU)

Since May 2024 you can commission a private organisation, accredited by Spain’s national accreditation body (ENAC) and authorised by the Consell de Mallorca (Island Council), to review the design; if its certificate is favourable, that is enough for the permit to be granted (LUIB, art. 158 quinquies). It is currently the fastest way to obtain a building permit in Mallorca, but it is voluntary and comes at a cost: one of these bodies charges from €2,925, according to Última Hora (March 2026). Andratx granted its first two permits by this route in July 2026, according to Periódico de Baleares.

This route is not available for single-family homes on rural land, land that is not a building plot (solar) or works whose waste study must first be approved by the Balearic Government, the Govern (art. 158 quater.3), which since June 2026 have included every new build with a project budget of over €1,000,000. Going strictly by the law, a villa with that budget or a new house on rural land follows the ordinary route.

What documents does a building permit require?

1. Basic design (proyecto básico), or basic and construction design (proyecto de ejecución), signed by an architect.
2. Land Registry extract (nota simple) and cadastral reference.
3. Appointment of the site management team (dirección facultativa): architect and building engineer (aparejador).
4. Health and safety study.
5. Waste management study.
6. Any prior sector-specific reports and authorisations required by law.
7. Proof of payment of the fee.

The basic design is enough to apply for the permit, but not to start the works (LUIB, art. 152). If you apply with the basic design alone, you have nine months to submit the construction design, or the permit lapses, and the town council has one month to check that the two match. The design is signed by an architect, either your own or one of the professionals we recommend, and professional association approval (visado) is only compulsory for the construction design and for the final completion certificate, the certificado final de obra (Real Decreto 1000/2010).

Since 14 June 2026, if a new build has a project budget of over €1,000,000, or a demolition of over €500,000, the waste study must first go to the regional ministry (Conselleria) for approval, and proof of this goes with the permit application (Balearic Waste Act, Ley 8/2019 de residuos, art. 52, as amended by Ley 4/2026). Calvià also asks for the appointment of the builder; in how to choose a builder in Mallorca we explain what to ask them. If you live away from the island, this coordination can be delegated to a Project Management service in Mallorca.

How much does a building permit cost in Palma, Calvià and Andratx?

The town council charges two levies for a building permit in Mallorca, both calculated on the construction cost (PEM): the construction tax (impuesto sobre construcciones, ICIO) and the permit fee. Together they come to around 5.3% of the PEM in Palma, 5.7% in Calvià and 4.9% in Andratx.

Municipality	ICIO	Permit fee	Total as % of PEM	On a PEM of €1,000,000
Palma	4%	2.61%, with half deducted from the ICIO	≈ 5.3%	€53,050
Calvià	4%	1.68%, plus a waste deposit with MAC Insular	≈ 5.7%	€56,800 plus the deposit
Andratx	3.60%	1.30%	4.9%	€49,000

These are the 2026 rates, according to the tax by-laws (ordenanzas fiscales) of Palma, Calvià and Andratx (ICIO and fee, from 2019); the totals are our own calculation. Proof of Calvià’s deposit, 125% of the estimated cost of managing the waste, is required to collect the permit. The ICIO base does not include VAT, professional fees or the builder’s profit, and the tax falls due when work begins, even if there is no permit (2004 Local Government Finance Act, Ley de Haciendas Locales, art. 102).

How are works handled in Palma’s historic centre or in a listed building?

With more authorisations and a longer timescale. In a building declared an Asset of Cultural Interest (BIC) or listed, Balearic law generally rules out prior notification (LUIB, art. 148.2) and the €3,000 exemption does not apply. All works first need authorisation from the Consell de Mallorca’s Island Heritage Commission (Comisión Insular de Patrimonio), except conservation or repair work that, in a listed building, does not affect protected elements (Balearic Historic Heritage Act, Ley 12/1998 de patrimonio histórico, art. 40).

In Palma, if the works are in the historic centre, in a protected zone or in a BIC or listed building, the council’s guide asks for additional documents, including a historical and artistic study for BIC and listed buildings. Works covered by article 287 of its general plan cannot start without a favourable report from the Historic Centre and Catalogue Committee (Comisión de Centro Histórico y Catálogo). You can submit a preliminary enquiry to the committee first: it is voluntary and does not oblige the council to grant the permit, but it tells you early on what will be accepted. If the house is old and protected, it is best approached as a house restoration.

How do you apply for a building permit on rural land in Mallorca?

With one more report. For a new single-family home on rural land, or to convert an existing building into a home, the town council sends the complete file to the Consell de Mallorca, which puts it out to public consultation for 15 days and, within three months, issues a prior and binding report on the minimum plot size and the buildable floor area (Balearic Rural Land Act, Ley 6/1997 de suelo rústico, art. 36, as amended in 2024). If it does not reply in time, its silence does not count as a favourable report.

Before you get to this point, check that the plot can take a house: we explain how in what to check before buying land to build on in Mallorca.

How long is a building permit valid, and when can you start?

Unless the general plan sets other timeframes, you have six months to start and three years to finish, counted from notification of the permit or from one month after you submit the construction design (LUIB, art. 154). Each period can be extended once, by half its length, provided you apply before it runs out, and the completion deadline can be extended a second time if the works are 50% complete, with the façades and roofs finished. Without an extension, the permit lapses. And before you start, you must notify the town council at least ten days in advance (art. 151.5).

What working hours apply to building works in summer in Palma, Calvià and Andratx?

Shorter hours in tourist areas, only for noisy work, and with each municipality setting its own rules:

• Palma. Works that exceed the noise limits are allowed on working days only, from 9 am to 8 pm; from 1 May to 30 October, in busy tourist areas, from 11 am to 7 pm (2014 noise by-law, art. 26.4).
• Calvià. In busy tourist areas, from 9:30 am to 1:30 pm on working days from May to October, except in July and August, when the hours are 10:30 am to 1 pm and also apply in Costa d'en Blanes, Calvià Vila and Es Capdellà (2024 amendment to the noise by-law).
• Andratx. In July and August, no pneumatic drills or excavation, although the rest of the works can carry on; in May, June, September and October, that work is allowed only from Monday to Friday, 9:30 am to 6 pm (2024 noise by-law).

Es Capdellà, where we extended and fully refurbished a 1974 house between 2025 and 2026, was added to Calvià’s list in June 2024: even an inland village can have seasonal working hours.

What is the first occupancy licence in the Balearic Islands?

It is the municipal licence that confirms the finished works match the design and allows the building to be used. Since 29 May 2024 it has replaced the first-occupancy habitability certificate on all the islands (Ley 7/2024, art. 53), and the town council must decide on it within one month (LUIB, art. 158).

It is not just a matter for new builds. In Palma you also need it after a full refurbishment or restoration, a renovation affecting 60% or more of the usable floor area, an extension or a change of use, and you apply with the final completion certificate signed by the site management team and approved by their professional associations (council information sheet Obras.08, 2026). Without it there are no permanent electricity or water contracts, and occupying the home carries a fine of between 25% and 50% of its value if the use is permitted (art. 167.3). After ten years you will have to apply to the Consell for the renewal certificate (cédula de renovación); the rest of the completion stage is covered in our guide to the full process of building a house in Mallorca.

What happens if you carry out works without a permit in Mallorca?

As a general rule it is a serious infringement, and a very serious one on protected rural land or in a listed or BIC building (LUIB, art. 163). The fine ranges from 50% to 100% of the value of the works on urban land, from 100% to 250% on ordinary rural land and from 250% to 300% on protected rural land, with a minimum of €600 per person responsible (arts. 167 and 176).

The town council can also require the works to be legalised or, if that is not possible, the property to be returned to its previous state. It has eight years from the end of the works to do so, with no time limit on protected rural land or for listed properties (art. 196), and these measures also apply to anyone who later buys the property (art. 163.3). If you are buying a house with recent renovations, ask to see its permits before you sign.

Where should you start with a building permit in Mallorca?

With the design. The clock on a building permit in Mallorca only starts once the application is complete, so what shortens the wait most is defining with your architect what the works involve, checking whether the building is protected or the plot is rural, and submitting everything in one go. If you would like us to look at your case, tell us about your project.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a building permit in Mallorca for an interior renovation?

Not always. Interior works under €3,000 on urban land that need no technical design or professional supervision require no formal procedure, except in Assets of Cultural Interest (BIC), listed buildings and non-conforming buildings (fuera de ordenación), under Ley 12/2017 de urbanismo balear, art. 145. Above €3,000, works without a design go through prior notification (comunicación previa): in Palma you can start the next day or after 15 days. A building permit (licencia urbanística) is required if the renovation affects the load-bearing structure, extends the home or changes its use.

What happens if the town council does not respond to a new-build permit application in Mallorca?

The permit is deemed refused. Spain’s Land Act (Real Decreto Legislativo 7/2015, art. 11.4) requires an express decision for new buildings and treats silence as a refusal, so you cannot start building even after the three-month legal time limit has passed. For other permits, Balearic law presumes approval when the council does not respond, but silence never authorises works that breach the planning rules (Ley 12/2017, art. 5.2).

How much are the taxes on a building permit in Palma?

In Palma you pay the ICIO construction tax at 4% and a planning fee of 2.61% on the construction cost (presupuesto de ejecución material, PEM). Since 31 October 2025, half the fee has been deducted from the ICIO, so the total comes to around 5.3% (Palma’s 2026 tax by-laws). On works with a construction cost of €500,000, that is about €26,500. VAT and professional fees are not part of that base.

How long do I have to start works once I have a permit in Mallorca?

Six months to start and three years to finish, unless the municipality’s general plan sets other timeframes (Ley 12/2017 de urbanismo balear, art. 154). Both run from notification of the permit, or from one month after the construction design is submitted. Each can be extended once, by half its length, if you apply before it expires, and the completion deadline allows a second extension once 50% of the works are done and the façades and roofs are finished.

Can you live in a new house in Mallorca without a first occupancy licence?

No. Since May 2024, the first occupancy licence (licencia de ocupación o primera utilización) has replaced the first-occupancy habitability certificate (cédula de habitabilidad) in the Balearic Islands (Ley 7/2024, art. 53), and without it the utility companies cannot sign permanent electricity and water contracts. The town council must decide on it within one month (Ley 12/2017, art. 158). Occupying the home without that licence is an infringement, with a fine of 25% to 50% of its value if the use is permitted.

What is a private planning certification body (ECU) in Mallorca, and how much time does it save on a permit?

It is a private organisation, accredited by Spain’s national accreditation body (ENAC) and authorised by the Consell de Mallorca, that reviews the design and issues a certificate of compliance; if favourable, it is enough to grant the permit (Ley 12/2017, art. 158 quinquies). Using one is voluntary. In Palma, permits by this route took 1 to 3 months in February 2026, compared with 9 to 12 by the ordinary route. It cannot be used for new houses on rural land or land that is not a building plot (solar).

Sources consulted (22)

• BOE · Ley 12/2017, de urbanismo de las Illes Balears (consolidated text, updated on 13 June 2026)
• BOE · Real Decreto Legislativo 7/2015, Ley de Suelo y Rehabilitación Urbana (art. 11.4)
• BOE · Real Decreto 1000/2010, sobre visado colegial obligatorio (art. 2)
• BOE · Ley 8/2019, de residuos de las Illes Balears (art. 52, as amended by Ley 4/2026)
• BOE · Ley 6/1997, de suelo rústico de las Illes Balears (art. 36)
• BOE · Ley 12/1998, de patrimonio histórico de las Illes Balears (art. 40)
• BOE · Ley 7/2024, de medidas urgentes de simplificación administrativa de las Illes Balears (art. 53)
• BOE · Real Decreto Legislativo 2/2004, Ley reguladora de las Haciendas Locales (art. 102)
• Ajuntament de Palma · Tipos de obras, documentación a presentar e inicio de obra (26 September 2025)
• Ajuntament de Palma · Ordenanzas fiscales in force in 2026 (ICIO and planning fee)
• Ajuntament de Palma · Obras.08, licencia de primera ocupación: documents required and works that need it (2026)
• Ajuntament de Palma · Obras.10, consulta a Centro Histórico (2026)
• BOIB 4, 9 January 2014 · Palma noise and vibration by-law (art. 26.4)
• Ajuntament de Calvià · Building permit information sheet (Planning Department service catalogue)
• Ajuntament de Calvià · Ordenanzas fiscales 2026
• BOIB 77, 8 June 2024 · Calvià, amendment to art. 23.8 of the noise by-law
• BOIB 72, 30 May 2019 · Andratx, ICIO by-law
• BOIB 2019 · Andratx, planning permit fee by-law
• BOIB 89, 6 July 2024 · Andratx, by-law on protection against noise and vibration
• Fibwi Diario (17 February 2026) · Palma grants its first permit via an ECU; average timeframes stated by the deputy mayor for Planning
• Última Hora (17 March 2026) · Cort (Palma City Council) processes permits in under a month thanks to ECUs
• Periódico de Baleares (30 July 2026) · Andratx grants its first two permits via an EPCU