Minor or major works: which licence you need
Work that does not affect structure, facade, volume or use is processed as minor works through a prior notification or simplified licence, while any intervention on structural elements or on the exterior requires a major works licence with a technical project.
gelisted editorial team · Updated 15 August 2026
The short version
- Minor works must not affect structure, facade or built volume.
- Major works require a technical project and site supervision.
- The construction tax runs about 2 to 4 per cent of the budget.
- Listed buildings follow a longer procedure of their own.
It is only a bathroom is sometimes true. When it stops being true, the cost of the missing permission exceeds the cost of the works.
Where the line falls
Minor works are those that do not affect the structure, do not alter the facade or roof, do not change the built volume or the use, and do not touch common elements in a building under horizontal division. Changing floors, tiling, sanitaryware, internal joinery or painting sits there. Opening a hole in a load bearing wall, enclosing a terrace or altering the roof does not.
| Work | Procedure | Documentation |
|---|---|---|
| Painting and new floors | prior notification | budget and description |
| New sanitaryware and tiling | prior notification | budget and description |
| New internal partition layout | minor works | sketch and memorandum |
| Opening in a load bearing wall | major works | project and technical supervision |
| Enclosing a terrace | major works | project and technical supervision |
| Work on the facade | major works | project and technical supervision |
| Construction tax | 2 to 4 % of the budget | |
| Municipal fee | by ordinance |
Timescales
A prior notification allows work to start within days of submission once the fee is paid, subject to later verification by the town hall. Minor works with a simplified licence usually resolve in 2 to 6 weeks. Major works require a stamped technical project, and between drafting and municipal decision the process can run 2 to 6 months, longer in busy municipalities or on protected land.
What is specific to the island
Many old town centres carry a heritage catalogue, and there any intervention visible from the public street, including a change of external joinery or a facade colour, passes through a heritage report and criteria on material and tone. Those reports add 1 to 4 months. On rural land, limits on extension and new building are strict and require a prior consultation before any design work begins.
The community of owners is a separate matter again: any work affecting common elements needs its agreement before starting.
What happens without one
A stop notice, a penalty file and, at worst, an obligation to restore the previous state at the owner's cost. On top of that comes a practical problem that appears years later: unlicensed work complicates a sale, because what is registered does not match what is built, and it can block a purchaser's mortgage.
Frequently asked
+What counts as minor works?
Work not affecting structure, facade, roof, volume or use, nor common elements of the building.
+When are major works required?
When touching load bearing walls, facade or roof, enclosing terraces or changing volume or use.
+How long does each take?
Days for a prior notification, 2 to 6 weeks for minor works and 2 to 6 months for major works.
+What does the licence cost?
The construction tax runs about 2 to 4 per cent of the works budget, plus the municipal fee.
+What if I do not apply?
Stop notice, penalty, possible restoration of the previous state and problems on a future sale.
Sources
- 1Boletín Oficial del Estado, BOE (August 2026)
- 2Govern de les Illes Balears, Govern de les Illes Balears (August 2026)