2004-12-09-Minimum Plot Size

A big spread of rural land is still a big attraction for property buyers from the crowded countries of Northern
Europe. However, it can come as a shock to discover just how big your plot must be for your new rural home in the sun to be legal.

By the Law 10/2004 of 9th December 2004, the Comunidad Valenciana imposed a minimum plot size of 10,000 Square Metres (approximately 2.4 acres) for a home with a built area of 200 square metres and a "footprint" of 100 square metres -in other words a two storey house of 100 square metres on each floor.

New property built after these dates must comply with these rules otherwise you cannot get the necessary certificates which are absolutely essential to enable the property to be legally sold, and to have electricity and water connected.

Rural homes which have been built on smaller plots or which exceed the maximum footprint can be legalised, either if they are older, or the four year period for enforcing planning infringements and imposing fines has expired.

You may also find that some Ayuntamientos in rural areas are reluctant to issue certificates to buyers that
properties do not infringe planning regulations, as so many properties in those areas do not comply with the
regulations and they would then be forced to take enforcement action against the owners which they are
reluctant to do for political reasons.

Many buyers of rural property also hope to become "smallholders" and keep a few animals and grow some
vegetables for sale. The provincial governments have also imposed minimum plot sizes on small-holdings.

The size of these plots depends on whether the land is officially classed as irrigated ("regadio") or arid
("secano"). In the Comunidad Valenciana the minimum viable size of plots of irrigated land is 5,000 square metres (approximately 1.2 acres) and arid land as 25,000 square metres (approximately 5 acres).

If you hope to retire and relax in the sun in rural Spain always check first that the size of your plot is big enough to achieve your dream.