With a plot, the price depends on what you can build on it, and that isn't negotiable with the seller: it comes from the municipal plan and legal restrictions. Check these points before you sign the promissory contract (CPCV).
1. Who owns it, and what's registered against it
Ask for the land registry certificate (certidão permanente). It shows the current owner and any mortgages, seizures or other charges that could limit the sale.
2. The tax record doesn't tell you if you can build
The caderneta predial from the tax office shows the area and whether the land is rustic or urban for tax purposes. That tax classification is not the planning classification. A plot can be urban for tax and still not allow the house you have in mind.
3. What the PDM says
The municipal master plan (Plano Diretor Municipal) sets whether the land is urban or rustic and what can be built: uses, floor area and number of storeys. On rustic land, building a home is generally far more restricted. The PDM is public on the câmara's website.
4. Restrictions on the constraints map
The PDM's constraints map (planta de condicionantes) shows what can stop or limit a build: the National Agricultural Reserve (RAN), the National Ecological Reserve (REN), public water land, protected heritage and infrastructure corridors. These bind any owner.
5. Ask for a prior information request (PIP)
A PIP asks the câmara, before you buy or design, whether your project is feasible: building limits, setbacks, heights, infrastructure and easements. A favourable PIP binds the câmara in later decisions. Since 1 October 2026, under the revised planning law, the câmara has 15 days to decide a general PIP and 30 days for a qualified one, counted after the initial screening and any outside opinions. The planning application must then be made within two years of the favourable decision.
6. Other documents to ask for
- 01A subdivision certificate (certidão de destaque) or permit (alvará de loteamento), if the plot was recently divided.
- 02Any planning charges tied to a plot in a subdivision.
- 03Any approved project or PIP the seller offers, checked with the câmara.
- 04Road access and connections for water, electricity and sewage.
Warning signs
- 01A rustic plot advertised as "with building potential" and no PIP to prove it.
- 02A ruin sold as if rebuilding were automatic.
- 03A seller in a hurry to sign the CPCV before the checks are done.
How Orla helps
Before you buy, we can review the plot with you: we read the PDM and constraints map, visit the land and coordinate the PIP with an architect from our network. A licensing strategy review costs from €350 and comes with a written report and next steps. We don't give legal advice: the CPCV and the deed stay with your lawyer.