Estepona

Can you build a house on rustic land?

Andalucía requires at least 2.5 ha for a new house on rustic land.

Other cases: 5 ha on forest land.

Decreto 550/2022, art. 31. A town plan can be stricter.

Plan in force: Plan General (a full town plan), from 1994. The region's planning viewer ↗

The national urban information system (SIU) maps the land class for 100% of the municipality.

Only the town hall can confirm it, in writing: ask for a certificado urbanístico.

Is there water?

IGME records 151 wells and boreholes in Estepona. Half of the 143 with a depth found water at 8–70 m. 4 springs are recorded.

Ground: 42% practically impermeable; 33% low permeability, local groundwater only; 13% porous aquifer, high productivity; 11% porous aquifer, medium productivity.

Choosing where to drill takes a hydrogeologist.

What to watch for

• 4 fires since 2016 reached the municipality: 14,696 ha in all, the latest in 2022.
• 1.5% of the municipality lies in the 100-year flood zone; 1.5% in the 500-year one.
• 1.5% of the municipality is preferential flow zone, where new building is generally banned.
• 37% of the municipality is Natura 2000: new works need the region's consent.
• 3.6% of the municipality is a protected natural area, whose plan limits what can be done.
• Not a radon zone.

Living here

• 4G reaches 100% of homes; fibre 97%. Averages for the municipality.
• Rain: 778 mm a year (1971–2000), about 654 by 2041–2070.
• Summer highs: 29.3 °C, about 32 °C by 2041–2070.
• Frost days: 0 a year, about 0 by 2041–2070.

Around it

Genalguacil · Benahavís · Jubrique · Casares · Júzcar · Marbella