Who it is for
Owners, buyers and investors who need to know what is admissible before commissioning a design.
Service · Urban planning
Planning feasibility for land and property
Confirm the planning framework and identify the scenarios that may be admissible before you buy, design or invest. We analyse the PDM (municipal master plan), the constraints, the planning records and the characteristics of the property, and set out the obstacles that must be resolved before moving ahead.
Independent technical analysisScenarios comparedClear next steps
Request a proposal for the study Scope, fees and timescale agreed before work begins
Tell us about the property and the objective you have in mind. We confirm whether Planning Feasibility is the right service and usually get in touch within 1–2 working days to clarify the scope. We then provide a proposal setting out the fees, timescale and deliverables. The technical analysis begins only after the proposal has been accepted.
In short
The essentials in three points
What we analyse
The PDM and applicable plans, land classification, constraints such as REN and RAN, planning parameters, access and infrastructure.
What you receive
The possible scenarios, the risks and constraints identified and a concrete next step, with the technical reasoning behind it.
What the analysis changes
Between what is assumed and what is confirmed
Almost every decision about a property starts with partial information. Planning feasibility exists to close that gap before there are irreversible costs.
BeforeAfter the analysis
"Building land" in the listing
The real classification and qualification of the land, and the uses it allows
The area shown in the caderneta predial
The capacity left after constraints, setbacks and access
A maximum index read in the regulations
How much of that maximum is usable on this particular parcel
"I think it can be extended"
Whether the intended operation is admissible and under what conditions
A question with no clear answer
Whether to move to design, to verify first or to ask the council for a position
None of these confirmations removes the need for a decision by the municipality or for opinions from the competent authorities, but all of them change the quality of the decision you take now.
When it makes sense
Decisions that should not start with the design
Before commissioning a design, buying land or committing to a business model, it is important to establish whether the intended operation is compatible with the rules that apply to the property.
Purchase and investment decisions
You are about to buy land advertised as "building land", you are comparing programmes (housing, tourism, retail, services) or you have found areas, uses and parameters that do not match between the listing, the tax register, the land registry and the plans.
Building, extending or changing the use
You want to increase the area, add an annexe, a pool or a new volume, convert a space or set up an activity, and you need to know whether the operation is admissible in planning terms and under what conditions.
More complex operations and municipal strategy
You are considering a loteamento (subdivision), a tourism development or another larger scale operation, or you need to decide whether to move to design, to a PIP (prior information request) or to another approach with the council.
What we analyse
Feasibility results from the combination of several layers
An isolated indication from the PDM is rarely enough. We cross-check the territorial rules, the documentary material and the specific characteristics of the operation to build a coherent technical reading.
- 01Parcel boundary
- 02PDM
- 03Constraints
- 04Existing buildings and records
- 05Access and infrastructure
- 06Intended scenario
No single layer allows a conclusion on its own.The technical reading comes from cross-checking the territorial rule, the property documents and the operation you intend to carry out.
Planning and constraints
PDM, classification and qualification of the land, REN (national ecological reserve), RAN (national agricultural reserve), water domain, heritage, fire risk and other easements or public interest restrictions.
Capacity, form and uses
Footprint, building area, impermeabilisation, volume, height, floors, setbacks, density, units, parking and compatibility of the intended use.
Buildings and infrastructure
Existing situation, planning records, land registry documents, access and water, sewerage, energy and telecommunications networks.
Procedure and risk
The applicable administrative route, prior checks, missing information and what can only be decided by the municipality or another authority.
Result
A technical basis for deciding before you invest
The study is adapted to the property and to the client's objective. Its depth and the material delivered depend on the complexity of the case and are set out in the fee proposal.
Territorial and planning framework
Identification of the rules, regimes and constraints relevant to the intended operation.
Parameters that may apply
A summary of the uses, areas and other parameters that can guide the solution, with an indication of the limits of the information available.
Development scenario or scenarios
Comparison of the alternatives analysed and of the conditions required for each of them.
Matrix of risks and uncertainties
Separation between confirmed facts, assumptions, incompatibilities, documentary gaps and decisions that depend on third parties.
Technical recommendation
A clear indication of whether to proceed with, reformulate, verify or abandon the scenario analysed.
Roadmap of next steps
Documents, enquiries, consultations and the procedure recommended before the next investment.
Confirmed
Based on an official source or a verified document.
Assumed
Depends on interpretation or on later confirmation.
Incompatible
An obstacle identified that blocks the scenario as analysed.
Missing
Information insufficient to conclude without a further step.
The same certainty scale used in the Property Check under Safe Purchase.
The result is not simply "yes" or "no".
For many properties, the correct decision is conditional: the scenario may be viable with a different siting, a smaller area, a different use, consultation of an authority, confirmation of infrastructure or the submission of a PIP (prior information request). Our job is to make those conditions explicit before the client invests in the design.
Level of analysis
The right level of analysis for each decision
Contracted analyses
Planning assessment
For narrower questions and properties with relatively clear information.
Includes the documentary and territorial analysis needed to identify the main framework, the relevant parameters, the immediate risks and the next steps.
Suitable for: deciding whether it is worth exploring a specific possibility further.
Planning Feasibility Study
For purchase, investment, extension or development decisions that require a structured technical analysis.
May include alternative scenarios, planning parameters, constraints, records, infrastructure, risks, assumptions and a verification roadmap.
Suitable for: supporting an investment decision and preparing the strategy for the project.
If needed
Preparation and follow-up of a PIP
When the uncertainty should be submitted for formal appraisal by the câmara municipal (municipal council).
We define the strategy, prepare the technical material required, submit the request and follow the procedure through to the decision or to the relevant clarifications.
Suitable for: obtaining a municipal position on a sufficiently defined planning operation.
After the first contact, we propose the level of analysis appropriate to the risk, to the complexity of the property and to the decision the client needs to take. Fees, timescale and the material to be delivered are set out before the work begins.
A PIP is not the automatic continuation of every analysis.
Sometimes the situation is clear enough to move straight to design. In other cases, before the request, a topographic survey, consultation of the municipal file, land registry confirmation, a preliminary study, an opinion from another authority or the regularisation of what already exists is needed first. We move to a PIP when it is justified.
We do not start by drawing.We start by understanding what is possible.
Process
From intention to planning strategy
- 1
Objective and documentation
We receive the location, the material available and a concrete description of what you intend to build, extend, install or develop.
- 2
Definition of scope
We confirm that the service is appropriate, clarify the objective and present the proposal setting out fees, timescale, methodology and the material to be delivered.
- 3
Territorial and documentary analysis
We cross-check the territorial management instruments, the constraints, the property documents, the records available and the requirements of the intended operation.
- 4
Scenarios and risks
We test the intended scenario and, where it makes sense, alternatives of use, capacity, siting or phasing. We identify incompatibilities, dependencies and missing information.
- 5
Conclusion and recommendation
We present the conclusions in plain language, distinguishing what is confirmed, what is an assumption and what depends on external verification or decision.
- 6
Next decision
We indicate whether to move to design, survey, consultation of the file, a PIP, an opinion from an authority, legalisation or a reformulation of the operation.
Documents
What is useful to get started
Essential items
- exact location, coordinates or tax register article
- description of the intended use and operation
- approximate area or capacity
- caderneta predial (tax register extract)
- certidão do registo predial (land registry certificate), if available
If they are available
- topographic survey
- plans and documents from the municipal file
- an earlier licence, title or prior information decision
- loteamento (subdivision) certificate
- photographs
- studies or designs already prepared
- communications from the council or other authorities
- documents relating to access and infrastructure
You do not need to gather everything before the first contact. We will tell you which items are needed once we know the property and the objective.
General rule and specific property
Why consulting the PDM is not enough
Consulting the PDM is a starting point, not a conclusion. The same property may be covered by different land categories, overlapping constraints, special regimes or access limitations. And a maximum parameter set out in the regulations does not mean that it can be used in full on the particular parcel.
Why the rule is not enough
What requires external confirmation
A general rule is not a specific property
Decision of the câmara municipal (municipal council)
Overlapping constraints on the same parcel
Topographic or cadastral survey
A maximum parameter is not real capacity
Records in the municipal file
The admissible use depends on the operation
Opinions from external authorities
The study is based on the material provided, on the official sources that can be consulted and on the framework in force at the time. Whenever a conclusion depends on missing information, administrative interpretation or an external opinion, that dependency is identified in the study and built into the verification roadmap. It does not replace legal, land registry, tax or financial due diligence.
Before buying?
Start with the level of analysis suited to the decision
If you are still selecting a property and only want to identify preliminary warning signs before taking the next step, the Safe Purchase service includes a concise Property Check.
If you already have a specific operation in mind and need to confirm parameters, compare scenarios or support an investment decision, the right step is Planning Feasibility.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about planning feasibility
What is a planning feasibility study?
It is a technical analysis of the territorial and planning framework of a property against a specific operation. It identifies the uses that may be admissible, the applicable parameters, the constraints, the risks, the missing information and the steps needed before investing in a design or a municipal procedure.
Does the study definitively confirm what I can build?
It does not replace a municipal decision or the opinions of the competent authorities. The study establishes a technical conclusion based on the information available and clearly identifies the points that require external confirmation. Where necessary, it may recommend submitting a PIP (prior information request).
What is the difference between Planning Feasibility and a PIP?
Planning Feasibility is a technical analysis prepared by CertiAmb to support the client's decision and define the strategy. A PIP (prior information request) is a procedure addressed to the câmara municipal (municipal council) to obtain a formal appraisal of a defined planning operation and its conditions. Not every case needs a PIP: the study shows whether it is useful to move straight to design, to carry out further checks or to put the question to the municipality.
Do I need to be the owner to request the analysis?
No. The analysis can be requested before the purchase, provided the property can be correctly identified and the necessary material obtained. Article 14 of the RJUE also allows any interested party to submit a PIP (prior information request), without requiring them to be the owner.
Can you tell me how many square metres I can build?
In many cases it is possible to estimate the parameters that may apply, but the answer does not come simply from multiplying the area of the plot by an index. The footprint, the setbacks, the morphology, the constraints, the access, the infrastructure, the use and the specific rules can reduce or alter the theoretical capacity.
Does land described in a listing as "urbanisable" or "for building" guarantee that I can build?
No. The commercial description does not replace the territorial framework, the land registry documents or the appraisal of the specific operation. Before buying, the classification of the land, the uses allowed, the constraints and the requirements applicable to the intended scenario should be confirmed.
What happens if the intended scenario is not viable?
Whenever there are reasonable alternatives, we look at whether the operation can be reformulated through a different use, lower capacity, a different siting, phasing or another technical solution. If the obstacle is a blocking one, we say so clearly, to avoid further investment in a scenario that has no support.
How much does the study cost?
The figure depends on the size of the property, the territorial complexity, the number of scenarios, the documentation available and the enquiries required. After the first contact we present a proposal setting out scope, fees, timescale and the material to be delivered.
How long does it take?
The timescale depends on the scope and on the availability of the necessary material. It is set out in the proposal before the work begins. Consultation of municipal files, external opinions and procedures such as a PIP have their own timescales and do not depend on CertiAmb alone.
Does Planning Feasibility include the design?
No. The study serves to establish a sound basis before investing in the design. If the conclusion is favourable, CertiAmb can prepare the architectural design, coordinate the engineering disciplines and follow the applicable permitting or notification procedure, under a separate proposal.
Related services
Next step
Safe Purchase
Preliminary screening before you buy and identification of the points that require verification.
See Safe Purchase →Design and Licensing
Architecture, coordinated engineering disciplines and follow-up of the procedure through to the municipal decision.
See Design and Licensing →Legalisation of existing buildings
Analysis and regularisation of existing buildings that do not match the approved records.
See Legalisation →Next step
Understand the potential before investing in the design
Send us the location of the property and a description of what you intend to develop. We will contact you to clarify the scope and provide a proposal setting out fees, timescale and expected result. The documents required will be requested afterwards, in line with the agreed scope.
Usual reply within 1–2 working days · Technical analysis begins after the proposal is accepted.