Housing creates team to prepare Building Code proposal

The Office of the Secretary of State for Housing has established a working group with the aim of drafting a proposal for a Construction Code, pursuant to Order no. 12528/2026, published in the Diário da República, 2nd series, no. 200, of October 15, 2026. The measure is part of the “Construir Portugal” program, included in the Program of the XXV Constitutional Government, and was signed on October 7, 2026, by the Secretary of State for Housing, Patrícia Gonçalves Costa de Machado Santos.

The order bases the initiative on the “dispersion and disconnection of the vast existing legislation in the area of construction,” which has led to “a reiteration of the need to create a codifying document of the norms applicable to the various components of the complex life cycle of a construction project.” The creation of the code is presented as an objective to which all entities should contribute, especially those within the organizational structure of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Housing.

The diploma is issued under Decree-Law no. 87-A/2025, of July 25, which approves the organization and functioning regime of the XXV Constitutional Government, and in the exercise of the powers delegated by the Minister of Infrastructure and Housing through Order no. 11063/2025, of September 19, published in the Diário da República, 2nd series, no. 181.

Composition of the working group

The team operates under the Office of the Secretary of State for Housing and is composed of four representatives:

One representative from the Office of the Secretary of State for Housing, who chairs the group;
One representative from the Institute of Public Markets, Real Estate and Construction, I. P. (IMPIC, I. P.);
One representative from the National Laboratory for Civil Engineering, I. P. (LNEC, I. P.);
One representative from Construção Pública, E. P. E.

The order acknowledges the duties legally assigned to IMPIC, I. P. regarding the formulation of legislative and regulatory proposals related to the construction and real estate sector. Nevertheless, it considers that “the vastness and diversity of matters to be defined” recommend that the preparatory work be collaborative and benefit from the continued contributions of various entities with distinct technical experiences and knowledge.

External collaborations and absence of remuneration

The working group may request the collaboration and participation of other services and bodies, sectoral and business associations, or experts, according to their respective areas of expertise. The order further determines that participation in the work does not entitle any right to remuneration.

Framework within the Construir Portugal program

The creation of a construction code is one of the measures of «Construir Portugal», a program included in the Program of the XXV Constitutional Government. The order emphasizes that this is an objective to which all entities must contribute, especially those that are part of the organizational structure of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Housing, led by Minister Miguel Martinez de Castro Pinto Luz.

The same edition of the Diário da República includes Order no. 12527/2026, which appoints Miguel Pedro da Cruz as deputy to the Office of the Minister of Infrastructure and Housing, effective October 7, 2026, and Commendation no. 492/2026 to the former head of the Office of the Secretary of State for Housing, Rui Guilherme Matias Rodrigues Susana.

The measure is of direct interest to construction and real estate companies, technicians, designers, and owners, as it promises to gather in a single codifying document the standards applicable to the entire life cycle of a project. The team has no fixed deadline in the order nor its own budget, therefore the pace of work will depend on the coordination between the government office, the regulator IMPIC, I. P., the laboratory LNEC, I. P., and the public company Construção Pública, E. P. E., in addition to any external contributions that may be requested.

Source: Diário da República, 2nd series, no. 200, of October 15, 2026, Part C (official reference: Order no. 12528/2026).