Deadlines

The 2027 deadline

Not published yet. The deadline for clearing fuel-management strips is set every year by a government order (despacho), usually in spring. As soon as the 2027 order appears in the Diário da República, we will update this page.

Until then, expect a deadline in spring: in 2026 it was 31 May (later extended), and in other years it has been as early as 30 April. The safest time to clear is February to April, before the vegetation starts growing again.

The 2026 deadline (passed)

	Deadline
Original deadline, whole country	31 May 2026
Municipalities under a state of calamity after storm Kristin	30 June 2026
Extension (Despacho 7164/2026)	30 June 2026

The original deadline was set by Despacho 3440/2026 of 9 March. Despacho 7164/2026 of 5 June extended it to 30 June — according to municipalities and the press, for the whole country.

What happens after the deadline

• Inspections. The GNR checks the land and issues reports. In 2025, inspections in the priority parishes ran from 1 to 31 May for strips around buildings, villages and facilities, and from 1 to 30 June for roads and power lines. (Despacho 4717/2025, no. 2)
• The municipality steps in. The municipality can notify the person responsible and, if they don’t clear by the date it sets, clear the land at their expense. (DL 82/2021, art. 58) Notice can be given by public notice and a sign on the land when the owner is unknown or, in urgent cases, before 1 June. (art. 59)
• The neighbour steps in (only in municipalities where the PMDFCI is still in force): if nothing has been done by 31 May, the owner of the house can notify the land owner, wait 10 days for an answer, post a notice on site at least 5 days ahead, and then clear the land and recover the cost. (DL 124/2006, art. 15(6) to (9))

Clearing is not a one-off: vegetation grows back, and the strip has to be kept in order through the whole fire season, not just on the day of the deadline.

Through the year

When	What
Autumn and winter	Check on the map whether your land is in a strip; talk to the neighbours; get quotes in good time.
February to April	Clear, before the vegetation starts growing. The GNR makes awareness visits at this time (Campanha Floresta Segura).
By the deadline	Finish the clearing. Burning cut material must be notified or authorised — check the ICNF rules before you burn.
Summer	Maintain: cut back what has grown again; no cut material or firewood left in the strip.

Changes ahead

The old regime (DL 124/2006, with the municipal plans) stays in force until 31 December 2026 in municipalities without an approved sub-regional programme. (DL 82/2021, art. 79, extended by DL 86/2026) Unless it is extended again, DL 82/2021 applies across mainland Portugal from 2027. See The rules for what changes.