# Do I need a permit to enclose my terrace? Alicante, Valencia, Murcia

> Permits to enclose a terrace in Alicante, Valencia and Murcia: responsible declaration, minor works licence and the community vote, with the laws linked.

## Do you need a permit to enclose a terrace?

Almost always yes, although the procedure is usually simple. The town hall asks for a responsible declaration, a prior notice or a minor works licence, depending on the municipality and the type of enclosure. In a block of flats, the Horizontal Property Act also requires a three fifths majority of owners to enclose terraces.

This article summarises national and regional law and the procedure pages of the town halls of Alicante, Valencia and Murcia as they stood in October 2026, with a link to each source. On top of the law, every building has its own community rules, which can set the colour or model of the enclosure, so keep them to hand before you ask for a quote.

If you want the practical summary without the legal articles, it is on our page about [permits to enclose a terrace or penthouse](https://luneks.es/en/enclosure-permits/). Here we go one step further: what each rule says, where it is published, and when a light enclosure stops being a quick formality and needs a licence.

## What does the Horizontal Property Act say about enclosing a terrace?

The [Horizontal Property Act 49/1960, in its consolidated text on the BOE](https://www.boe.es/buscar/act.php?id=BOE-A-1960-10906), names terrace enclosures explicitly. Article 10.3.b lists them among works that alter the structure or fabric of the building and need both administrative authorisation and approval by the owners meeting. Article 17.4 sets the majority: three fifths of all owners, who must also hold three fifths of the shares.

Article 7.1 lets each owner alter the elements of their own flat, as long as this does not affect the safety of the building, its structure or its outward appearance, and the community is told beforehand. A [glass curtain](https://luneks.es/en/glass-curtains/) can be seen from the street and changes the facade, so telling the community is not enough: the owners meeting has to agree.

- Majority to enclose terraces: three fifths of owners and of shares (Article 17.4).
- Deadline to challenge a meeting decision: three months, or one year if it breaks the law or the community rules (Article 18.3).
- Absent owners: their votes can count in favour if they do not object within 30 calendar days, with exceptions your administrator should check (Article 17.8).
- If the community has already approved a standard enclosure, yours has to match it.

## What is the difference between a responsible declaration, a prior notice and a licence?

Article 69 of the [Common Administrative Procedure Act 39/2015](https://www.boe.es/buscar/act.php?id=BOE-A-2015-10565) defines the responsible declaration (declaración responsable) as a signed document stating that you meet the requirements, hold the paperwork that proves it and will keep meeting them. A notice (comunicación) is simpler: you give the authority the data it needs. With either one you can start on the day it is filed.

A minor works licence (licencia de obra menor) works the other way round: the town hall reviews the file and authorises the work before it starts. Which enclosure follows which route is not set by national law but by the planning law of each region and the bylaw of each town. That is why the same system is processed differently in Alicante, Valencia and Murcia.

- Responsible declaration: you file the complete paperwork and can start; the checks come later.
- Prior notice (comunicación previa): a short notice of the work, meant for very simple minor works.
- Minor works licence: you wait for the town hall’s decision before installing.

## Which procedure does Alicante town hall ask for?

Alicante has a [council page for the minor works responsible declaration](https://www.alicante.es/es/tramites/declaracion-responsable-obra-menor-declaracion-responsable-publicidad-exterior-banderines) for work in homes. It takes effect as soon as it is filed with complete documents, and the construction tax (ICIO) has to be declared within one month. The same page excludes maintenance work that affects the facade above ground floor, and any job that needs scaffolding on the public street.

For those cases the council points to the [minor works licence in Alicante](https://www.alicante.es/es/tramites/licencia-obra-menor-acondicionamiento-o-restauracion-muros-y-vallados-piscinas-y-obras), which is decided within two months of the file being complete. Under either route the work must start within three months and finish within six. If your [terrace enclosure](https://luneks.es/en/terrace-enclosures/) is on an upper floor and changes the facade, ask the planning department whether the declaration covers it or a licence is needed.

## How is an enclosure processed in the city of Valencia?

In the Valencian Community the rule book is the [consolidated Land Planning, Urban Planning and Landscape Act (Legislative Decree 1/2021)](https://www.boe.es/buscar/act.php?id=DOGV-r-2021-90283). Article 232 lists what needs a licence, such as new buildings or work of heritage significance on protected buildings. Article 233 places renovation that does not alter the building’s structure under the responsible declaration.

Valencia city council applies that law through its planning licence bylaw. It offers a [responsible declaration for renovating facades, roofs and party walls of unprotected buildings](https://sede.valencia.es/sede/registro/procedimiento/UR.LC.135?lang=1): work can start once all the documents are in, with the fee paid beforehand. Listed buildings cannot use this route, and scaffolding on the street needs its own permit.

## What if the terrace is in Murcia?

The Region of Murcia follows its [Planning Act 13/2015 of the Region of Murcia](https://www.boe.es/buscar/act.php?id=BOE-A-2015-4790). Article 263 keeps the licence for, among other things, work on buildings with specific protection. Article 264 sends to the responsible declaration any renovation that does not substantially change the outward composition, volume or envelope, or replace the main structural elements. Article 265 keeps the prior notice for minor works with no project.

Murcia city council publishes a [responsible declaration for carrying out works](https://sede.murcia.es/ficha-procedimiento/5642) that allows the work from the moment the complete file is registered; the council then has fifteen working days to ask for a licence or more information. For very simple jobs there is the [prior notice at Murcia’s Licensing Office](https://www.murcia.es/web/urbanismo/comunicacion-previa), filed together with proof of ICIO payment.

## How do Alicante, Valencia and Murcia differ?

A summary of the council pages and laws linked above, checked in October 2026. Always confirm the current version.

| Municipality | Regional law | Quick route | When a licence is usually needed |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Alicante | Legislative Decree 1/2021 (Valencian Community) | Minor works responsible declaration for homes | Facade maintenance above ground floor, scaffolding on the street |
| Valencia | Legislative Decree 1/2021 (Valencian Community) | Responsible declaration for facade renovation on unprotected buildings | Listed buildings or buildings being listed |
| Murcia | Act 13/2015 (Region of Murcia) | Responsible declaration or prior notice | A substantial change to the outward appearance, or a specially protected building |
| Building with a community of owners | Horizontal Property Act 49/1960 | An enclosure model already approved by the meeting | No model: a three fifths vote of owners and shares |

## What happens if I enclose my terrace without a permit?

With a responsible declaration the work starts before anyone reviews it, but the review still comes. Article 69.4 of Act 39/2015 says that an essential inaccuracy or false statement, or failing to file the declaration at all, stops the activity from the moment it is discovered. The authority can also require the previous situation to be restored.

In practice, restoring the previous situation can mean taking the enclosure down. The community of owners has its own route if the work was done without the meeting’s approval. The exact penalties depend on the regional law and each council’s bylaw, so a neighbour’s experience tells you little about your own case.

## How do you prepare the permit before enclosing the terrace?

Five steps, in the order that makes most sense.

1. **Ask for the rules and minutes.** Check with the property administrator whether the community has an approved enclosure model and which majority applies.
2. **Define the system.** The [site visit](https://luneks.es/en/process/) fixes the measurements, the type of glass and the colour of the coating. Without that there is nothing to file.
3. **Take the proposal to the meeting.** With photos and a description of the system. If there is an approved model, matching it is enough.
4. **Check the council page.** On your town hall’s e-office (sede electrónica), see whether you need a declaration, a notice or a licence.
5. **File and keep the receipt.** With the registry stamp and proof of the fee and ICIO. (to be confirmed)

> Before asking for a quote, take a photo of your facade and of the neighbouring terraces that are already enclosed. If the community has approved a model, you see it straight away: the same profile and the same coating colour. Matching that model is the quickest way to get through the owners meeting.
>
> Mikhail, founder of LUNEKS

## What else do people ask about terrace enclosure permits?

### Do glass curtains need a licence?

It depends on the municipality. Alicante, Valencia and Murcia all have a responsible declaration for renovation without structural change, but an enclosure that alters a visible facade, or work on a protected building, may need a minor works licence. Your town hall’s procedure page decides which route applies.

### What majority does the community need to approve it?

Article 17.4 of the Horizontal Property Act requires the votes of three fifths of all owners, who must also hold three fifths of the shares. If the meeting has already approved an enclosure model, matching it is usually enough. Check this with your property administrator before ordering the system.

### Can I start work the day I file the declaration?

Yes, if the file is complete. Article 69 of Act 39/2015 lets you exercise the right from the day of filing. The council checks afterwards, and in Murcia it has fifteen working days to ask for a licence or more details. If it finds essential errors, it can stop the work.

### Does a detached house need a permit too?

With no community of owners there is no meeting vote, but the town hall procedure still applies. On an urbanisation with shared areas there may be a community that regulates how facades look. Check your deeds and ask the town hall which route your enclosure needs before anything is installed.

### Do you handle the paperwork?

(to be confirmed)

## What else is worth reading before you enclose the terrace?

- [Enclosing a penthouse without building work](https://luneks.es/en/blog/enclose-penthouse-without-building-work/): Which systems go in without masonry and what to check about wind at height.
- [Enclosures for bars and restaurants](https://luneks.es/en/blog/enclosures-bars-restaurants/): How to enclose a hospitality terrace and what to plan for.
- [Glass curtains for expats on the Costa Blanca](https://luneks.es/en/blog/glass-curtains-for-expats/): A guide for anyone living here part of the year or who has just bought a home.

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https://luneks.es/en/blog/terrace-enclosure-permit/