Design of a farm cortijo in the Poniente (western Almería)
The design of a farm cortijo costs from €900 + VAT. Most fall between €900 and €2,800, depending on the floor area and what goes inside. In the Poniente, the cortijo is the building on the farm that houses the agricultural machinery, the irrigation pumps and control head, the plant protection products and the tools. It is processed with a municipal licence, as a building linked to the farm holding.
Legalising a cortijo that is already built is quoted as a legalisation or as an AFO declaration, depending on the case.
What is included
Included
- A check of what the local plan (PGOU) allows on your land: floor area, height and distances
- Justification of the link to the farm holding
- Design with the layout: machinery, irrigation control head, store for plant protection products and a toilet if you need one
- Handling of the licence application at the town hall
- Final works certificate if you appoint us for site supervision (dirección de obra)
Not included
- Municipal fees and construction tax (ICIO)
- Site supervision (optional)
- Irrigation and electrical installation, which your installer carries out
When you need it
- You are putting up a greenhouse and need the cortijo for the irrigation and the machinery
- You keep plant protection products and fertilisers without a closed, ventilated place
- You want to extend or replace an old cortijo
- The cortijo was built without a licence and you need it in order for a grant, an insurance policy or a sale
How we do it
Feasibility
We look at the class of land and what the local plan allows on your plot.
Design
We lay out the cortijo to suit your farm and draw it.
Licence
We submit it and answer the town hall until it is granted.
Building work
If you wish, we supervise the build and sign the final certificate.
What we need from you
- Title deed or Land Registry extract (nota simple) for the land
- Cadastral reference
- Farm holding documents (REA, PAC or similar)
What the regulations say
A cortijo linked to a farm holding is an ordinary action on rural land (suelo rústico) under article 21 of Andalusia's planning act, Ley 7/2021 (LISTA), and is processed with a municipal licence. Its size must be in proportion to the farm and comply with the town's local plan. To store plant protection products, Real Decreto 285/2021 (article 7) requires a cabinet, a room or a marked area of a ventilated, lockable building, kept apart from plant material and from products for human or animal consumption.
Questions about farm cortijos
Do I need a licence to build a cortijo on my land?
Yes, a municipal building licence with a design. If it is linked to your farm holding, it does not need the prior authorisation required for extraordinary actions.
How big can it be?
It depends on your town's local plan and the size of the farm: it has to be in proportion to the holding. We tell you in the first consultation, with the cadastral reference.
Can I live in the cortijo?
No. A farm cortijo is a building for agricultural use. A home on rural land has its own, more demanding procedure.
Can a cortijo built without a licence be legalised?
If it complies with the local plan, it is legalised with a legalisation licence. If it does not comply and was finished more than six years ago, an AFO declaration may be possible.
Shall we take a look?
Send us the cadastral reference or a few photos on WhatsApp and we will tell you the next step.