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Lift and Elevator Codes and Standards in Spain

New lifts are placed on the market under Real Decreto 203/2016, which transposes the Lifts Directive 2014/33/EU (CE marking, notified bodies). Commissioning, modification, maintenance and inspection of lifts in service are governed by ITC AEM 1 'Ascensores', approved by Real Decreto 355/2024 (in force 1 July 2024; it repealed RD 57/2005 and RD 88/2013), administered by the regional (autonomous community) industry authorities, and amended by RD 164/2025 (owner notification of inspection dates, quality-system route for major modifications, transitional rule for existing lifts), RD 485/2025 (a Valencia-only moratorium that ran to 1 July 2026) and RD 770/2025 (maintenance-company staffing). Existing lifts without a CE/UE declaration must add the safety measures listed in Annex VII of the ITC, most within one year of the first periodic inspection that finds them missing (two-way car communication, load control, automatic-door protection 25-1,600 mm; levelling ±10 mm stopping / ±20 mm levelling for single-speed drives), with 3-10 year deadlines for old guide rails and counterweight guiding; an owner may ask the regional authority for exemption with an inspection-body report. Under the Horizontal Property Law (art. 10.1.b, as amended by RDL 7/2019 and Ley 4/2026), accessibility works including installing a lift are compulsory without a meeting vote when requested on behalf of a disabled resident or one over 70, within a cost cap of 12 monthly service charges after subsidies (no cap once subsidies reach 70 %); otherwise a simple majority suffices to establish a lift service (art. 17.2, Ley 10/2022).

Who regulates lifts

Ministerio de Industria y Turismo (national rule-maker); autonomous-community industry departments (competent bodies for registration and enforcement)

Periodic inspection

Accredited organismo de control (OCA, RD 2200/1995): every 2 years for lifts in industrial buildings or public-access premises; every 4 years for buildings with more than 20 dwellings or more than 4 floors served; every 6 years otherwise (ITC AEM 1 art. 11.4). Minor defects must be corrected within six months of detection (art. 11). Since RD 164/2025 the maintenance company must notify the owner of the inspection deadline and take the lift out of service on the next working day if the inspection has not been done (art. 11.6.a / 7.7). A lift stopped for more than three months needs an annual-scope UNE 58720 maintenance check before restart. Inspection content per UNE 192008-1/-2.

Installer and maintenance licensing

Yes. A maintenance company (empresa conservadora) files a declaración responsable with the regional competent body (valid nationwide) and must have at least one university-qualified technical manager and one qualified conservador; since RD 770/2025 (art. 6.9.b ITC AEM 1) these may be employed under any lawful contract form and may be the same person if qualified for both. Civil-liability insurance of at least EUR 600,000 per accident (stored, not re-checked this run). The conservador must hold a qualifying degree, vocational title, experience recognised under RD 659/2023 (wording from RD 164/2025) or an accredited personal certification.

Laws, codes and standards

Lift associations and bodies

Last verified 2026-10-17. Standards are copyrighted: we list which one applies and its legal status, not its text.

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