What garden work needs permission in Mallorca?

Planting, pruning and laying an irrigation line rarely need permission on Mallorca. Building a retaining wall, changing ground levels, paving a large area or putting up a fixed structure often do, and rural land is stricter than urban. Permissions are set by each ajuntament, so the only reliable answer comes from yours.

What usually does not need permission?

• Planting beds, shrubs and most trees in an existing garden.
• Pruning and routine maintenance.
• Laying a drip irrigation system within the garden.
• Gravel, mulch and other surface treatments that do not change levels or drainage.

What usually does?

The thresholds vary. A wall that needs nothing in one municipality needs a licence in the next, which is exactly why “my friend in Andratx did not need one” is not evidence about your plot.

Why is rural land different?

Because on suelo rústico the starting position is that building is restricted rather than permitted. Works that would be routine in a town garden can require a different class of authorisation on a finca, and the Serra de Tramuntana carries further protection as a UNESCO cultural landscape. If your plot is rural, assume the question is more complicated and ask earlier.

What about trees?

Mature and protected trees are covered by rules in many municipalities, and felling one without checking can be expensive. Palms are a separate case: because of the red palm weevil, removal and disposal of infested material is regulated, and a felled palm left on site can breed the next generation. That is covered in the guide to palms and the weevil.

Who applies, you or the company?

Either, and it should be written into the quote. Some companies handle the application as part of the job and price it in, others expect the owner to arrange it. What causes problems is when neither party assumed it was theirs and the work starts anyway. Ask the question before signing, and get the answer in the same document as the price.

What happens if you skip it?

The mild version is a stop notice and a retrospective application. The expensive version is an order to undo the work, which on a retaining wall or a paved terrace means paying twice for the same ground. Neither is common in ordinary garden work, and both are avoidable by asking first.

How the matching works

We do not give legal or planning advice, and we do not do the work. We pass your job to vetted companies working in your municipality who deal with these applications regularly. Describe the job and where the plot is and they will tell you what it needs when they quote.

Ask before the digger arrives

One phone call to the ajuntament, or one question in the quote, settles this. Send the job through and vetted local companies will price it with the permissions in view.