In short
Under the OMLU published on 30 December 2025, most total or partial demolitions in Málaga city go through a declaración responsable; protected buildings, protected settings and archaeological zones still need a licence. Inside the Centro Histórico, a heritage-listed area, prior authorisation from the regional heritage department is also required. We carry out the demolition and rubble removal using the documents your técnico prepares, and keep you informed in English.
Which procedure does Málaga city apply to a demolition?
Málaga city has applied a new Ordenanza Municipal de Licencias Urbanísticas (OMLU) since the day after its publication in the provincial gazette on 30 December 2025. In its Annex I.1, item 2 covers «demoliciones totales o parciales de edificaciones»: in urban land, rustic land and for buildings in SAFO status the route is a declaración responsable, a sworn filing with the town planning office (GMU) rather than a permit you wait for. A full licencia is still needed for protected buildings, buildings in a protected setting and archaeological zones.
For a declaración responsable for works, Annex II.8 asks for a project or technical report signed by a técnico competente together with a technical certificate, photographs, and a separate document if the works will occupy the public road. A licence for a partial demolition also requires a nota simple from the Land Registry less than three months old, and a Estudio de Seguridad y Salud is needed where a project under the building law (LOE) is involved. You and your técnico sign and file these; we do not. Our guide on what the GMU asks for goes through each document.
The Centro Histórico: an extra layer of heritage control
Málaga's Conjunto Histórico is registered as a Bien de Interés Cultural under Decree 88/2012. Following the GMU's Instruction 2025/04, any total or partial demolition inside it needs prior authorisation from the regional department responsible for historic heritage before the municipal procedure can move forward.
For an owner abroad this changes the calendar more than the work itself. Demolition dates cannot be fixed until that authorisation is in hand, so we plan around your técnico's timetable instead of offering a start date at the first contact. On site, the historic centre also means narrow streets, shared party walls and buildings that have to be taken down from the top, often largely by hand before any machine can enter.
How the work differs across the city's districts
The municipality is divided into 11 districts, and the type of demolition job tends to follow the type of district:
- Centro – the historic centre and the port area: heritage procedure, tight access, careful manual work next to occupied neighbours.
- Este – La Malagueta, El Limonar, Monte Sancha, Pedregalejo and El Palo: older detached houses and villas on sloping plots near the sea, often replaced by a new home.
- Ciudad Jardín, Puerto de la Torre, Churriana and Campanillas – lower-density housing, rural plots and old outbuildings on the edge of the city.
- Cruz de Humilladero, Carretera de Cádiz and Bailén-Miraflores – industrial estates and dense blocks of flats, where interior strip-outs and partial demolitions are more common than knocking down a whole house.
The Guadalmedina river runs through the city and the Montes de Málaga close it off to the north, so access and lorry routes vary considerably from one address to the next. A site visit or a set of clear photos tells us which situation yours is.
Flats and shared buildings: the community of owners
Many overseas owners in Málaga own a flat rather than a house. In a building under propiedad horizontal (Ley 49/1960), the community must be informed before walls, structure or façade elements are demolished, and works that affect common elements need the agreement of the owners' meeting. That is a matter between you, your técnico and the administrator; we start once it is settled.
Inside a flat we usually work by hand, bag the rubble and take it down through the route agreed with the community. For work that is purely interior, our sister site Demolición Interior Málaga covers strip-outs in detail; for partial structural work see our partial demolition service.
Running a Málaga city demolition from abroad
We send a written quote in English, agree dates with your architect, and report progress with photos at each stage: before, during and once the plot or unit is clear. Materials are sorted on site and taken to an authorised facility, and the delivery receipts are passed on to you and your técnico for the file. How this works step by step is set out on managing a demolition from abroad, and for complete houses see house and villa demolition.
Services
Building demolition in the province of Málaga
Multi-storey blocks, old commercial and mixed-use buildings taken down top-down, with selective strip-out and waste sorting.
House and villa demolition: demolish and rebuild on the Costa del Sol
Demolish and rebuild: old houses and villas taken down selectively and the plot handed over ready for the new build.
Partial demolition and reconstruction of houses and buildings
Extensions, wings, upper floors, porches and roofs removed while the rest of the house stays standing and protected.
Managing a demolition in Spain from abroad
For owners who live abroad: English communication, written scope, photo updates and coordination with your architect.
Frequently asked questions
Does a demolition in Málaga city still need a licence?
Usually not since the OMLU of December 2025: most total or partial demolitions go through a declaración responsable. A licence remains necessary for protected buildings, protected settings and archaeological zones.
My property is in the old town. What is different?
The Centro Histórico is a Bien de Interés Cultural, so any total or partial demolition there needs prior authorisation from the regional heritage department. Your técnico handles that procedure; we schedule the work once it is granted.
Who prepares the technical report the GMU asks for?
A técnico competente drafts and signs the project or technical report and the technical certificate. We are the contractor and work from that documentation.
I own a flat in a block. Can you demolish interior walls?
Yes, once the community has been informed and, where common elements are affected, the owners' meeting has agreed. Interior work is done by hand and the rubble is removed in bags.
Is a land registry extract needed for a partial demolition?
For a partial-demolition licence in Málaga city, the OMLU asks for a nota simple less than three months old. Your técnico or gestor will confirm whether your case is a licence or a declaración responsable.
Do you also work in the outer districts such as Churriana or Campanillas?
Yes. We work across all of Málaga city, including the lower-density districts on the edge of the city, where jobs are more often old houses and outbuildings on larger plots.
Does a demolition here need a health and safety study?
Yes. Under Real Decreto 1627/1997 every job has a health and safety study or a basic study prepared by the técnico, and the contractor writes its plan from it.
Can you demolish part of an apartment building?
Partial demolitions in buildings under propiedad horizontal are possible once the community has been informed and, for common elements, the owners' meeting has agreed.
Do you deal with the town hall for me?
No. You and your técnico file the declaración responsable or licence application. We work with that documentation and provide any information about the works your técnico needs.
Is the demolition done by machine or by hand?
Usually both: the strip-out and the work next to boundaries or retained parts by hand, the main structure by machine.