Lift and Elevator Codes and Standards in Portugal
New lifts are placed on the market under Decreto-Lei 58/2017, which transposes the Lifts Directive 2014/33/EU and replaced DL 295/98. Maintenance and inspection of lifts, goods lifts, escalators and moving walks in service are governed by Decreto-Lei 320/2002, which made municipal councils (câmaras municipais) responsible for periodic inspections, re-inspections and accident inquiries, carried out through inspection entities (EI) recognised by the energy directorate (DGE, now DGEG). Maintenance may only be done by lift maintenance companies (EMA) registered with DGEG.
Who regulates lifts
Direção-Geral de Energia e Geologia (DGEG) for EMA/EI recognition; municipal councils for inspection and enforcement
Periodic inspection
Municipality via recognised inspection entities (EI): lifts every 2 years in commercial/service buildings open to the public, 4 years in mixed buildings or residential buildings with >32 dwellings or >8 floors, 6 years in other residential/industrial buildings; escalators and moving walks every 2 years; goods lifts every 6 years. After two periodic inspections the interval becomes biennial (as reproduced in municipal regulations).
Installer and maintenance licensing
Yes: maintenance companies (EMA) must be entered in a DGEG register and meet Annex I of DL 320/2002; inspection entities need DGEG recognition (preferably IPQ accreditation).
Laws, codes and standards
- DL 320/2002 (2002) — Regime for maintenance and inspection of lifts, goods lifts, escalators and moving walks after entry into serviceMandatory
- DL 58/2017 (2017) — Lifts and lift safety components — transposition of Directive 2014/33/EUMandatory · Directive 2014/33/EU
- DLR 2/2004/M (2004) — Madeira regional regime for lift maintenance and inspectionMandatory
Lift associations and bodies
Last verified 2026-10-16. Standards are copyrighted: we list which one applies and its legal status, not its text.