{"id":9418,"date":"2025-09-15T16:19:48","date_gmt":"2025-09-15T16:19:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/th-a.com\/teilbereiche-der-baugenehmigung\/"},"modified":"2025-10-16T18:57:34","modified_gmt":"2025-10-16T18:57:34","slug":"major-building-permit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/th-a.com\/en\/major-building-permit\/","title":{"rendered":"MAJOR BUILDING PERMIT"},"content":{"rendered":"

Licencia de Obra Mayor \u2013 Major Building Licence<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Key Urban Planning Parameters in Mallorca<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

To build a new house in Mallorca, or to carry out a full-scale refurbishment of an existing property, a Licencia de Obra Mayor (Major Building Licence)<\/strong> is required.<\/p>\n

The urban planning parameters<\/strong> and building regulations that govern such projects are established by each municipality. These may vary considerably from one town hall to another, and even within the same municipality interpretations can differ depending on the planning instrument in force or the specific urbanisation.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. When a Licencia de Obra Mayor Is Required<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    A Licencia de Obra Mayor<\/strong> is mandatory in the following cases:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • Demolition of existing buildings.<\/li>\n
    • New construction.<\/li>\n
    • Extensions or additional storeys.<\/li>\n
    • Structural interventions in existing buildings.<\/li>\n
    • Comprehensive refurbishments.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      For minor works without structural implications, the former Licencia de Obra Menor (Minor Works Licence)<\/strong> was traditionally used. This category no longer exists as a unified legal figure and has been replaced, depending on the municipality, either by a Comunicaci\u00f3n Previa (Prior Notification)<\/strong> or by simplified Licencia de Obra (Building Licence)<\/strong> procedures, without the \u201cMayor\u201d designation.<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Urban Planning Parameters \u2013 The Basis of Every Project<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        Before a building permit application can be submitted, it is essential to verify which par\u00e1metros urban\u00edsticos (urban planning parameters)<\/strong> apply to the plot. These parameters determine the permissible building volume, height, density, and the proportion of the site that must remain undeveloped.<\/p>\n

        Although the terminology may be similar across Spain, the calculation methods vary between municipalities. There is no single standard such as the German DIN 277 for surface measurement; each municipality applies its own definitions and formulas.<\/p>\n

          \n
        1. The Most Relevant Parameters<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
            \n
          • Ocupaci\u00f3n m\u00e1xima (Maximum Site Coverage)<\/strong>
            \nDefines the percentage of the plot that can be occupied by the building.
            \nExample: 30% occupation on a 1,000 m\u00b2 plot = 300 m\u00b2 gross floor area.<\/em><\/li>\n
          • Edificabilidad (Floor Area Ratio \u2013 FAR)<\/strong>
            \nSets the maximum buildable floor area, calculated by summing all countable storeys.
            \nExample: 0.4 FAR on a 1,000 m\u00b2 plot = 400 m\u00b2 gross usable area.<\/em><\/li>\n
          • Volumen edificable (Buildable Volume)<\/strong>
            \nIndicates the maximum gross building volume, expressed in cubic metres.<\/li>\n
          • Altura m\u00e1xima en metros (Maximum Height in Metres)<\/strong>
            \nRestricts total building height, comparable to parapet or ridge levels.<\/li>\n
          • Altura m\u00e1xima en n\u00famero de plantas (Maximum Number of Storeys)<\/strong>
            \nLimits the number of storeys permitted.<\/li>\n
          • Superficie m\u00ednima de ajardinamiento (Minimum Garden Area)<\/strong>
            \nRequires that a proportion of the plot remains undeveloped and landscaped.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
              \n
            1. Differences Between Municipalities<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

              The application of these parameters can vary significantly depending on the municipality:<\/p>\n

                \n
              • In Calvi\u00e0<\/strong>, a covered porch (porche<\/em>) counts as 50% of the buildable floor area, whereas in Andratx<\/strong> it is counted at 100%.<\/li>\n
              • Swimming pools and auxiliary structures are assessed differently depending on local ordinances.<\/li>\n
              • Some municipalities impose additional requirements, such as a minimum landscaped area, which may not exist in others.<\/li>\n
              • Even the calculation of buildable volume can differ, occasionally leading to contradictions within the same municipality when older planning instruments coexist with newer general provisions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n

                The Licencia de Obra Mayor<\/strong> is the cornerstone of the building process in Mallorca.<\/p>\n

                A clear understanding of the applicable urban planning parameters<\/strong>, and their correct application to each project, provides the essential foundation for sound architectural planning and the successful granting of a building licence.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                Licencia de Obra Mayor \u2013 Major Building Licence Key Urban Planning Parameters in Mallorca To build a new house in Mallorca, or to carry out a full-scale refurbishment of an…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8442,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[51],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-9418","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-planning-and-regulations"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/th-a.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9418","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/th-a.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/th-a.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/th-a.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/th-a.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9418"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/th-a.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9418\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9585,"href":"https:\/\/th-a.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9418\/revisions\/9585"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/th-a.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8442"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/th-a.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9418"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/th-a.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9418"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/th-a.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9418"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}