Wildfire Land-Clearing Rules for Homeowners Near Lisbon
If you buy or rent a house with land in Sintra, Cascais or the Setúbal peninsula, the law makes you part of wildfire prevention. These are the obligations and deadlines.
Owners, tenants and anyone else holding land within 50 metres of houses in forest areas must manage vegetation in that strip every year to reduce wildfire risk, under Decree-Law 82/2021, Portugal’s integrated rural fire management system (SGIFR). The strip is 10 metres in agricultural areas and 100 metres around villages. In 2026 the deadline was 31 May, extended to 30 June in municipalities under a state of calamity.
This applies to many homes around Lisbon, especially in Sintra, Cascais, Mafra and the Setúbal peninsula. Rules below are as of November 2026; the 2027 deadline has not been set yet.
Who has to clear land, and how wide is the strip?
The duty falls on whoever holds the land: owners, tenants, usufructuaries and other holders. If your plot lies within the strip around someone else’s house, you may have to clear part of your land for their protection, and vice versa.
| What is protected | Width of the fuel-management strip |
|---|---|
| Buildings in forest areas | 50 metres, measured from the outer wall |
| Buildings in agricultural areas | 10 metres |
| Villages and settlements, campsites, industrial parks, logistics platforms, landfills | 100 metres |
Fuel management (gestão de combustível) does not mean removing every plant. It means reducing and spacing vegetation according to technical standards: cutting undergrowth, keeping distance between tree crowns, pruning lower branches and keeping the area next to the house clear of flammable material. The technical standards in force from 1 January 2026 were approved by Despacho 675/2026.
What is the yearly deadline?
The government sets the deadline each year. For 2026, Despacho 3440/2026 fixed 31 May. At the end of May, the government extended the date to 30 June 2026 for municipalities covered by a declaration of calamity after the winter storms; reports differed on whether the extension applied nationwide, so check your municipality’s notice.
Work is best done in spring, before vegetation dries out. Check your Câmara Municipal’s website or the SGIFR portal early in the year for the 2027 date.
What happens if I do not clear my land?
The Câmara Municipal can notify you to do the work within a deadline. If you still do not, the municipality can carry it out and charge you the cost. You can also be fined.
- Failing to manage fuel around buildings is a minor offence: €150 to €1,500 for individuals and €500 to €5,000 for companies, according to a summary of the 2026 rules by Santander Portugal.
- Other offences under the same law carry higher fines, which the SGIFR portal puts at up to €5,000 for individuals and €25,000 for companies.
Inspections are carried out by the GNR (Guarda Nacional Republicana, the national guard that polices rural areas) and municipal services. If you are buying a property with land, ask whether the strip has been maintained; our guide to property documents to check covers the other records worth reviewing.
When is burning allowed?
Burning garden waste in a pile (queima) and burning vegetation over an area (queimada) are tightly restricted. Both are prohibited during the critical period, which normally runs from 1 July to 30 September and can be extended by the government when fire risk stays high. A queimada is restricted all year and needs authorization and qualified supervision.
- Check that you are outside the critical period and that the fire-risk level for your municipality is not very high or maximum.
- Register or request authorization for the burn on ICNF’s online platform for queimas e queimadas, or through your municipality.
- Follow the conditions given, keep water and tools at hand, and never leave the fire unattended.
- Consider alternatives: many municipalities collect garden waste or have composting schemes.
How do I check the fire risk?
IPMA, the national weather institute, publishes the daily rural fire-risk level for every municipality, from reduced to maximum, on its website and app. On very high and maximum risk days, extra restrictions apply, including to burning, machinery use in forest areas and access to some forest zones.
Civil protection (ANEPC) sends SMS warnings to phones in affected areas when risk is severe. Our guide to IPMA weather warnings explains the color levels and alerts.
What should I do if I see a fire?
Call 112 immediately and give the location as precisely as you can. Do not try to fight a spreading fire yourself, and follow instructions from the fire services and the GNR if an evacuation is ordered. Our guide to emergency numbers in Portugal lists the other lines worth saving.
Bottom line
If your house is surrounded by pines or scrub, plan the clearing for early spring rather than the last weeks before the deadline, since cutting dry vegetation with machinery later in the season carries its own fire risk. Keep invoices or photos of the work, which help if an inspection or a neighbor’s complaint follows.
FAQ
Do these rules apply in the city of Lisbon?
They apply wherever buildings sit in or next to rural, forest or agricultural land. Most of central Lisbon is urban, but municipalities around it, such as Sintra, Cascais and Mafra, have many homes in covered areas.
Is a tenant responsible for clearing the land?
The law places the duty on owners, tenants and other holders of the land. Check your lease for who carries out and pays for the work.
Can I burn garden waste in summer?
No. Burning is prohibited during the critical period, normally 1 July to 30 September, and on very high or maximum fire-risk days outside it.
Who checks that land has been cleared?
The GNR and municipal services inspect land, and the Câmara Municipal can order the work and carry it out at your expense if you do not.
