New Alojamento Local registrations in the Algarve in 2026: containment areas and municipal rules

Updated: 10 November 2026

Planning a new Alojamento Local (AL) in the Algarve and wondering whether your council still accepts registrations? Since Decree-Law 76/2024 the answer depends on the municipality: it can approve an AL regulation with containment and sustainable-growth areas. For all 16 Algarve municipalities we looked for official documents (council and municipal assembly websites, public notices, the Diário da República). Many websites did not open from here; anything we did not read in an official source is marked «unconfirmed». This is not legal advice: before you invest, ask the council to confirm in writing.

The short answer

On 10 November 2026:

We found no Algarve municipality, in an official source, with an AL regulation published in the Diário da República or a suspension of new registrations in force.
Lagoa: the council put a draft regulation to public consultation in January 2026. It provides for containment areas where new registrations are no longer accepted, but only once it enters into force.
Loulé: the municipal assembly voted on the draft sustainable AL management regulation in September 2025. We did not read the text or its final publication.
Unconfirmed: Albufeira, Faro, Portimão, Lagos, Tavira, Silves, Vila Real de Santo António, Olhão, Aljezur, Vila do Bispo, Castro Marim, Monchique, São Brás de Alportel and Alcoutim.
Until a regulation or suspension is in force, the national rule applies: a prior notice with a deadline through the Balcão Único Eletrónico, and 60 days for the council to object (90 in containment areas).

The national framework, in two lines

The details are in our other guides:

What changed with DL 76/2024 and DL 151/2026 (municipalities with more than 1,000 registrations have until 31 December 2026 to decide; suspensions can be extended once up to that date): see /portugal-local-accommodation-2026-ceal-insurance.
Whether your project is an AL or a tourist establishment (capacity, registration, classification): see /portugal-tourist-establishment-vs-local-accommodation-differences-2026.
Under DL 151/2026, the extensions and additional suspensions it allows do not affect valid registrations made before each resolution.

Lagoa: draft under public consultation

Draft Municipal Regulation for the Sustainable Growth of Local Accommodation in Lagoa (version of 5 January 2026):

At its meeting of 13 January 2026 the council decided unanimously to put the draft to public consultation for 30 working days (Public Notice 2/2026, Resolution 9).
Containment areas: defined by neighbourhoods and housing estates (municipal estates, SAAL estates, cooperatives and housing development contracts), listed in annex I.
In containment areas, new registrations are not accepted once the regulation enters into force, with exceptions (for example, properties empty for more than three years or refurbishment).
Sustainable-growth areas: zones where AL accounts for more than 5% and pressure is between 25% and 50%, with maximum limits; they can become containment areas if the indicators rise.
According to the annex II data (1 October 2025), no parish or territorial unit reaches the containment threshold (share above 15% and pressure above 50%).
It enters into force on the first day of the month after publication in the Diário da República and is reassessed every three years.
We have not confirmed final approval by the municipal assembly or publication in the Diário da República.

Loulé: draft voted by the municipal assembly

At its ordinary session of 26 September 2025, the Loulé Municipal Assembly voted on the «Draft Municipal Regulation for the Sustainable Management of Local Accommodation in Loulé» (council proposal 1691-2025): approved unanimously, with 34 votes.
We did not read the regulation or find its publication in the Diário da República; containment areas and any limits on new registrations are unconfirmed.
The council's page of draft regulations did not open from here.

Faro

Unconfirmed. The council's municipal regulations page and the Diário da República did not open from here.
Regional press reported in 2025 a draft «Municipal Regulation for the Sustainable Management of Local Accommodation in Faro» under public consultation. We did not read it in an official source: check with the council.

Albufeira

Unconfirmed. On the council's website we found no AL regulation or draft; in the municipal assembly minutes we read (December 2025), AL only comes up in connection with the tourist tax.

Portimão, Lagos and Tavira

Unconfirmed. We found no AL regulation, draft under public consultation or suspension of new registrations on the councils' websites.
Lagos has had many registrations cancelled for inactivity or missing insurance (see the national guide), but that is not a containment area.

Silves, Olhão and Vila Real de Santo António

Unconfirmed. We found no official document on an AL regulation or containment areas; Silves council's AL page did not open from here.

Aljezur, Vila do Bispo, Castro Marim, Monchique, São Brás de Alportel and Alcoutim

Unconfirmed. We found no AL regulation, public consultation or suspension on these councils' websites.
The extraordinary deadline in DL 151/2026 applies to municipalities with more than 1,000 registrations on 31 December 2025. We did not check which of these councils exceed that number.

Before you file a new registration

A short checklist:

Ask the council in writing whether the property is in a containment area, a sustainable-growth area or under a suspension of new registrations.
Search the Diário da República (2nd series, «Município de ...») for «alojamento local», and check public notices and consultations on the council's website.
If the council has a draft under public consultation, you can send comments within the deadline.
New regulations may appear before 31 December 2026: check again before signing contracts or starting works.

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Frequently asked questions

Can I still register a new AL in the Algarve in 2026?

As a rule, yes: on 10 November 2026 we found no Algarve municipality, in an official source, with an AL regulation in force or a suspension of new registrations. Lagoa and Loulé have draft regulations; elsewhere the situation is unconfirmed. Check with the council before you invest.

What is a containment area?

A zone set by the council in its AL regulation where new registrations are limited or no longer accepted. Under DL 76/2024 the council has 90 days, instead of 60, to object to a registration in those areas.

Does a new regulation affect my current registration?

A suspension under DL 151/2026 does not affect valid registrations made before the resolution. In a regulation, limits may apply, for example, to transferring new registrations in containment areas.

Sources

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