# Roofs in Vila Real: frost, heat, PDM rules and the Alvão park > Roofs in Vila Real (Trás-os-Montes), with sources: IPMA climate, INE data by parish, PDM rules for heritage and the Alvão park. - Page: https://telhadoseguro.pt/en/roofs-vila-real - Language: English - Updated: 2026-11-05 ## The roofs of Vila Real Vila Real has 21,321 buildings in the 2021 Census. Only 3.4% (720) date from before 1919 and 14.2% from before 1961. The biggest group is 1961 to 1980, with 5,240 buildings (24.6%), and 80.2% were built by 2000. 6.0% need deep repair, against 4.6% nationally. The municipality has 20 parishes and the figures vary a lot between them. In the parish of Vila Real, 3.8% of buildings (129 of 3,404) need deep repair and 77.6% need no repair at all. In São Tomé do Castelo e Justes it is 21.3% (228 of 1,069), and only 36.4% have no needs. The municipal average therefore says little about your street. Part of the territory lies inside the Alvão Natural Park and part in the Alto Douro Vinhateiro. The PDM published in 2018 gives those areas their own rules for works on buildings: see "Local rules and permits". We found no official source on the tiles most used in the city. ## Buildings (INE Census 2021) - 21321 buildings counted in Vila Real - 14.2% built before 1961; 80.2% built up to 2000 - 6.0% with deep repair needs (whole building, not only the roof) - Antes de 1919: 720 (3.4%) - 1919-1945: 962 (4.5%) - 1946-1960: 1353 (6.3%) - 1961-1980: 5240 (24.6%) - 1981-1990: 4341 (20.4%) - 1991-2000: 4484 (21.0%) - 2001-2005: 2082 (9.8%) - 2006-2010: 1344 (6.3%) - 2011-2015: 391 (1.8%) - 2016-2021: 404 (1.9%) Source: INE, Census 2021, indicator 0011482, updated 2022-11-12. CC BY. ## Rain, wind and sun At the IPMA station in Vila Real (no. 567, 1991-2020; altitude 561.5 m) average rainfall is 951.2 mm a year, with peaks from October to January, and the mean temperature is 13.8 °C. There are 92.8 days a year with 1 mm of rain or more, 32.7 with 10 mm or more and 5.7 with 30 mm or more. The heaviest daily fall was 82.6 mm, on 11 December 2017. The note on the data sheet says only "hybrid series". Cold is the station's mark: 16.7 days a year with a minimum below 0 °C (6.5 in January and 4.5 in December) and -5.7 °C on 1 March 2005. Summer weighs too: 40.2 days reach 30 °C and 6.6 reach 35 °C, and the maximum was 39.6 °C, on 3 August 2018. Your building may stand higher or lower than the station. **SCE climate zone.** For the Douro region, at the reference altitude of 579 m, the SCE Manual gives 1,764 heating degree-days and a June–September mean of 22.7 °C: winter zone I2 and summer zone V3. The zone changes with the building's altitude: I1 up to 247 m, I2 from 248 to 604 m, I3 above 604 m in winter; in summer, V3 up to 695 m and V2 above that. The limit for the thermal transmittance of horizontal elements of the opaque envelope, in new works or a renovated element, is 0.35 W/(m²·°C) in zone I2 and 0.30 in I3; conservation works are excluded. The Portaria does not say whether a pitched roof counts as a horizontal element: ask the SCE assessor. See the [roof insulation aid guide](https://telhadoseguro.pt/en/guides/roof-insulation-aid). ## Houses and roofs - The 2018 PDM still lists the Detail Plan of the Historic Centre (Declaração 307/2003), that of Vila Velha and that of Bairro dos Ferreiros among the plans to observe. We did not read these plans, so we do not know what tile, colour or eaves they ask for. On heritage buildings, any work that changes the roof needs council approval. - The Palácio de Mateus and the Fragas de Panóias have wider protection perimeters than the 50 metres given to other heritage buildings (PDM, article 77, no. 2). Whoever owns a house near one of them should ask the council for the zoning map before ordering tile. - Outside the urban areas, the Alvão Natural Park and the Alto Douro Vinhateiro have their own rules: in the Alvão, rebuilding or altering a building depends on authorisation or an opinion from ICNF. We do not know whether replacing tile like for like counts as an alteration; ask the council. - Two in three buildings in the municipality (66.0%) date from 1961 to 2000, according to INE. If the roof of yours was never replaced, it is already over 25 years old: see the guide on roof lifespan and the before-winter checklist. ## Rules and permits The Vila Real PDM (Aviso 1447/2018, Official Gazette of 30 January 2018), article 77, no. 3, says that on buildings of the municipality's cultural heritage and in their protection areas, works that alter alignments, building heights and, in general, the distribution of volumes and roofs or the exterior cladding of buildings are subject to council approval, without prejudice to the opinion of the heritage authority for listed buildings. For unlisted heritage, no. 2 sets safeguard areas of 50 metres. In the Alvão Natural Park, article 24-B places works of reconstruction and alteration of buildings, whatever their use, under ICNF authorisation or a binding opinion. In the Alto Douro Vinhateiro, article 23 requires a binding opinion from the heritage authority to build, rebuild or alter buildings on rural land. Under article 26, new houses on forest land need a 50-metre protection strip within the plot and should use fire-resistant materials, with attention to the roof. We read the 2018 text and did not confirm later amendments. We did not read the Código Regulamentar or the City Urbanisation Plan (Aviso 18469/2020), which may add rules. https://files.diariodarepublica.pt/2s/2018/01/021000000/0353203563.pdf ## Ice in January, sun in August: what the tile faces In IPMA's file, January has 6.5 frost days and July and August each pass 24 days at 25 °C or more, with 13.5 and 13.8 days at 30 °C or more. The same tile meets water, ice and strong sun within twelve months. Ask the supplier for the tile's frost-resistance class (see the [guide to tiles and climate](https://telhadoseguro.pt/en/guides/roof-tiles-by-climate)) and check the eaves and gutters before November. ## Storm Kristin and Vila Real Vila Real is not on the list of municipalities in calamity in no. 2 of RCM 15-B/2026, which we read on 4 November 2026. No. 3 lets the Government add other municipalities by order; we did not read those orders and do not know whether Vila Real was added. We found no official source on damaged roofs in the municipality. ## What we could not confirm The Vila Real council website did not open on 4 November 2026, so we did not read the Código Regulamentar, the rules of the historic-centre plan or the urban rehabilitation area documents. We could not confirm what tile or colour the council requires in the historic centre, or whether fees are reduced for rehabilitation works. The City Urbanisation Plan was published by Aviso 18469/2020 of 13 November, according to a council document; we did not read its regulation. ## Sources - [IPMA, climate normal for Vila Real (read on 4 November 2026)](https://www.ipma.pt/bin/file.data/climate-normal/cn_91-20_VILA_REAL.pdf) - [INE, Census 2021 (0011482)](https://www.ine.pt/ine/json_indicador/pindica.jsp?op=2&varcd=0011482&lang=EN) - [Vila Real PDM, Aviso 1447/2018 (Official Gazette, read on 4 November 2026)](https://files.diariodarepublica.pt/2s/2018/01/021000000/0353203563.pdf) - [Despacho 6476-H/2021 (SCE Manual), section 5.3 and Annex II](https://files.dre.pt/2s/2021/07/126000002/0006600316.pdf) - [Portaria 138-I/2021, Annex I, Table 1 (read on 4 November 2026)](https://files.dre.pt/1s/2021/07/12602/0001200053.pdf) - [RCM 15-B/2026 (CCDR Centro, read on 4 November 2026)](https://www.ccdrc.pt/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/RCM_15_B_2026.pdf) - [Vila Real council, information note 54/2021 (cites the City Urbanisation Plan, Aviso 18469/2020)](https://pcgt.dgterritorio.gov.pt/sites/default/files/08_deliberacao_2021_cm_i_g_1892-planopormenormateuspoente.pdf) - [Photo: Wikimedia Commons, Vila Real (52651938087)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vila_Real_(52651938087).jpg) ## FAQ ### How many frost days does Vila Real have? At the IPMA station in Vila Real (1991-2020, at 561.5 m altitude) there are 16.7 days a year with a minimum below 0 °C, 6.5 of them in January. The lowest recorded was -5.7 °C on 1 March 2005. The tile must stand up to ice. ### Can I replace tiles on an old house in Vila Real without talking to the council? If the house is municipal heritage or lies within 50 metres of a heritage building, article 77 of the PDM makes works that change the roof or the exterior cladding subject to council approval. We did not read the historic-centre plans. Ask the council before ordering. ### Do I need authorisation for roof works inside the Alvão Natural Park? Article 24-B of the PDM places works of reconstruction and alteration of buildings under ICNF authorisation or a binding opinion. We do not know whether a like-for-like tile replacement counts as an alteration. Ask the council or ICNF before starting. ### Which SCE climate zone is Vila Real in? In the Douro region, at the reference altitude of 579 m: winter I2 and summer V3. Up to 247 m it is I1 and above 604 m it is I3. In new works or a renovated element, the roof limit is 0.35 W/(m²·°C) in zone I2 and 0.30 in I3. Check with the SCE assessor. ### Was Vila Real on the list of municipalities in calamity for storm Kristin? It is not in no. 2 of RCM 15-B/2026, which we read on 4 November 2026. We did not read the later orders that added municipalities, so we do not know whether it was added afterwards. --- Source: https://telhadoseguro.pt/en/roofs-vila-real. Independent information, not legal or tax advice.