Roofs in Setúbal: climate, rehabilitation area and council rules
Setúbal has 24,631 buildings and only 2.3% need deep repair. What heat, frost and the new rehabilitation area change for a roof.
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- Setúbal
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- Setúbal
The roofs of Setúbal
Setúbal has 24,631 buildings in the 2021 Census. 18.5% date from before 1961 and 78.9% were built by 2000. It is a municipality of middle age: less old than Lisbon or Porto, but with a historic centre that has seen many winters.
Only 2.3% of buildings need deep repair, against 4.6% nationally. That is one of the lowest values among the towns on this site. It does not mean the roofs are fine: INE assesses the whole building.
We found no official source for the traditional roof types of Setúbal (canudo tile, marselha, eaves). A university study we read says the architectural heritage of the town’s historic fabric is little studied. So we do not describe a “typical Setúbal roof” here.
SourcesIPMA, normal Setúbal · INE, Census 2021 (0011482) · Setúbal council, ARU · Aviso 23810/2026/2 (ARU Setúbal Central) · Setúbal council, storms
The buildings of Setúbal
24,631 buildings counted in 2021
- 78.9% built up to 2000 (country: 82.1%)
- 18.5% built before 1961 (country: 23.1%)
- 2.3% with deep repair needs (country: 4.6%)
The vertical mark on each bar is the share for the whole country.
Source: INE (Statistics Portugal), Census 2021, indicator 0011482, updated 12/11/2022. CC BY licence. The figures are for whole buildings, not roofs. An old building may have a renewed roof, and a recent building can have problems. The repair need is for the whole building, as assessed in the Census.
Rain, wind and sun in Setúbal
At the IPMA station Setúbal / Estação de Fruticultura (1991-2020) average rainfall is 703.3 mm a year and the mean temperature is 16.7 °C. There are 9.4 days a year with 20 mm of rain or more. The heaviest daily rainfall was 89.2 mm, on 19 February 2008.
Setúbal has frost: 6.5 days a year with a minimum below 0 °C, and -4.8 °C on 9 January 2009. It also has a lot of heat: 56.2 days a year at 30 °C or more, 13.3 at 35 °C or more, and 45.5 °C on 4 August 2018. That is a wide range for tile and flashings.
Houses and roofs in Setúbal
Historic centre
In the historic centre of Setúbal works touch the Setúbal Central rehabilitation area, which got a new boundary in 2026. The council says the ARUs allow tax benefits, mainly on municipal taxes and fees.
Detached houses
Outside the centre there are many two-storey houses, where the roof belongs to one family and the owner decides. With 56 days a year above 30 °C, roof ventilation matters as much as the tile.
Rules and permits in Setúbal
Setúbal council published the Municipal Building and Urbanisation Regulation on 26 June 2025 (Aviso 15851/2025/2), approved by the Municipal Assembly on 30 May 2025. We did not read the articles on roofs, eaves or colours. Ask the council for them before you change the roof.
The Setúbal Central rehabilitation area has a new boundary: the Municipal Assembly approved it on 17 July 2026 (Aviso 23810/2026/2, Official Gazette of 25 September). The 2023 one lapsed because the Urban Rehabilitation Operation was not approved within three years. The notice reproduces the benefits: IMI exemption for three years and IMT exemption when buying property to rehabilitate.
Areas near Setúbal
Do you not live in Setúbal itself? These are the places around it. Each has its own page.
Cannot find your area? Write it in the form.
Storm Kristin in Setúbal
Setúbal is not on the list of municipalities in calamity nor on Despacho 2389-A/2026. Alcácer do Sal, in the same district, is. According to the council, the storm caused 1,149 incidents in the municipality and damage of 56,703,516.81 euros. The news item does not give a roof count. If your roof was damaged, keep your photographs and see the aid guide.
General notes
It does not pay for the work. It gives tax benefits to those who rehabilitate old buildings, such as IMI exemption for three years and IMT exemption when buying to rehabilitate. Renewing the IMI exemption for five more years depends on Municipal Assembly approval, which the notice postponed. Check with the council whether your building is inside.
IPMA counts 6.5 frost days a year in Setúbal, with recorded minimums of -4.8 °C. Very porous, damp tiles are the most sensitive. We have no data on tiles damaged by ice in Setúbal.
The council speaks of 1,149 incidents and 56.7 million euros of damage. Setúbal is not on the official calamity lists. We did not find the number of roofs.
It depends on the job and the place. As a rule, maintenance that does not change the look is exempt, but the historic centre and listed buildings have rules. The 2025 municipal regulation exists and we did not read its articles on roofs. Ask the council and see the permit guide.
Related guides
- Roof tile types and climate in Portugal: frost, salt, wind, heat and snowThe five clay tile formats (lusa, marselha, canudo, romana, plana), what the climate asks of each tile and the questions to ask before buying. With a quick check by zone.11 min
- Permit to change the roof: what changed on 1 October 2026What the revised RJUE (Decreto-Lei 108/2026) says about roof works: exempt maintenance and reconstruction, material swaps, what still needs a procedure and how to ask the council.8 min
- 6% VAT on roof works: rules, the materials limit and the invoiceWhen labour on roof works pays 6% VAT, the 20% limit on materials, what the invoice must say and what is left out (cleaning, new build, solar panels).8 min
- Roof leaks: common causes and how to find where the water gets inBroken tiles, mortared ridges, flashings, gutters, flat roofs and pipes: how to trace a ceiling stain without climbing onto the roof, and how to tell a leak from condensation.9 min
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