gestão de combustível
Published 5 November 2026, 06:07
gestão de combustível — clearing a strip around a house of anything that burns
The obligation to remove dry grass, scrub and lower branches in a strip around a building: 50 metres if the strip takes in woodland, and 10 metres if it is only farmland; around a settlement bordering woodland, 100 metres. The obligation falls not only on the owner but also on the tenant and anyone else using the land, and it is tied to the land, not the house: you will have to clear around a neighbour’s house too if your plot falls within those 50 metres. Exactly how the clearing must be done is set out in Despacho n.º 675/2026.
Where you come across it. A private house near woodland, a plot next to someone else’s house, a letter from the câmara before summer.
The deadline for the work is set each year by government order (in 2026 it was extended to 30 June). If you do not clear the strip, the câmara will do it and send you the bill — not instead of a fine, but on top of it.
Official website: sgifr.gov.pt/gestao-de-combustivel