Lawyer for licences, urban planning and business activity

When a licence is delayed, a business activity does not start, or an urban planning procedure is initiated, the problem is never purely legal. Investment is also halted, operations become more complex, costs arise, and in many cases the entire project is put at risk.
Here we help you do one very specific thing: understand which authorisation you need, what is failing, and which legal route is the most appropriate. Because in this area, not everything depends on a traditional licence: in Catalonia there are licences, responsible declarations, prior notifications, and specific environmental and activity control regimes. Law 20/2009 regulates environmental prevention and control of activities, Law 16/2015 aims to simplify the start of business activities, and Decree 225/2018 establishes responsible declaration and prior notification as general regimes for economic activity control.

We work from Barberà del Vallès by appointment and also provide online assistance to clients throughout the province of Barcelona. If you have an issue with a licence, an urban planning file, a business activity, or an administrative refusal, what matters is handling it with deadlines, evidence, and strategy.

If your licence is blocked or your business activity is at risk, don’t improvise

In urban planning and business activity matters, many problems start from a false assumption: that everything can be solved by “submitting one more document” or waiting for the local authority to respond. And it doesn’t work like that.
Law 39/2015 requires that any administrative act limiting rights or legitimate interests must be properly reasoned, and it also regulates administrative silence, the review of administrative acts, and appeals against decisions or qualified procedural acts. The Administrative Jurisdiction Act (LJCA) also allows you to go to court not only against formal decisions, but also against administrative inaction and de facto actions by the administration.

Request a review of your licence or administrative file

Licence, responsible declaration or prior notification: what really changes

This is what really changes This is one of the areas where the most mistakes are made.
In Catalonia, the simplification of administrative procedures for business activity has shifted many cases away from prior licensing towards mechanisms such as the responsible declaration and the prior notification, especially following Law 16/2015 and Decree 225/2018, which specifically regulates the intervention regimes for economic activity and establishes responsible declaration and prior notification as general frameworks.

Practical translation: not every business requires the same procedure. Using the wrong route can lead to suspension, requests for corrections, penalties, or even closure.ica: no todo negocio necesita la misma tramitación. Y usar una vía incorrecta puede acabar en paralización, requerimientos, sanción o cierre.

Request to understand which authorisation you need

Urban planning: works, uses, enforcement and defence against administrative proceedings

In urban planning matters in Catalonia, the main legal framework remains the Consolidated Text of the Urban Planning Law, approved by Legislative Decree 1/2010 (updated in 2025), together with the Regulation on the Protection of Urban Planning Legality, under Decree 64/2014.
This includes very common issues:

• works carried out without the correct authorisation;
• stop-work orders;
• procedures to restore planning legality;
• disputes over use or implementation of an activity;
• refusals or conditions attached to permits;
• and conflicts regarding compatibility with urban planning rules.

When a file is opened, improvisation is not advisable. It is necessary to review the planning rules, the authorising title, permitted use, and the scope of the works or activity.

Request to defend yourself against an urban planning file

When the Administration refuses, suspends or does not respond

If your licence is refused, your activity is suspended, or there is simply no response, the first reaction is often paralysis. But legally, there are several ways to challenge the situation.
Law 39/2015 regulates appeals such as administrative appeal (alzada) and reconsideration (reposición), as well as the rules on administrative silence. The Administrative Jurisdiction Act (LJCA) generally sets a two-month deadline to challenge express decisions that exhaust the administrative route, and six months for presumed decisions.
However, in urban planning there is a key limitation: rights or permissions contrary to territorial or urban planning regulations cannot be acquired through administrative silence. This principle is consistently confirmed in official case law and is essential in practice.

Request to unlock a licence or business activity

How we handle your urban planning or business activity matter

1. We identify your legal position
Licence, responsible declaration, prior notification, environmental control, urban planning enforcement file, or a combination of several issues.

2. We review the real basis of the problem
Applicable planning rules, regulations, permitted use, submitted documentation, administrative act, and stage of the procedure.

3. We assess deadlines and the available legal response
Administrative appeal, rectification/submission of additional documents, new documentary strategy, or judicial review before the administrative courts.

4. We focus on the project, not just the paperwork
The goal is not only to “file an appeal”. The goal is to make the activity viable, protect the investment, or prevent further damage.

What documentation we need

If you already have it, it is useful to gather:

• application for a licence, responsible declaration, or prior notification;
• requests and notifications from the Town Hall or competent authority;
• refusal, suspension, or closure decision, if any exists;
• technical project or report;
• urban planning or environmental reports;
• photographs, plans, or other visual documentation;
• planning rules or relevant cadastral/land registry references;
• and any document that helps reconstruct what you applied for, what was answered, and what the actual issue is.

If you don’t have everything, that is not a problem. We will tell you what is essential and what should be requested before taking any action.

If your project depends on a licence or an urban planning file, it is better to handle it strategically

In licensing, urban planning, and business activity matters, mistakes are costly: time, money, investment, and often even the viability of the business or construction project itself.
If you need to open, regularise, appeal, or defend yourself against the Administration, we can help you do

Request an initial urban planning or business activity assessment