Cisterns and Wells on Mallorca: Permits and Costs

A cistern on Mallorca needs a permit that depends on your municipality; a well always needs authorization from the Balearic water authority. That distinction sounds like a bureaucratic detail, but it decides whether you're legally collecting water on your finca or whether an open administrative case lands on the table at your next sale. After a summer in which several municipalities in the Serra had to top up their local network with tanker trucks, the question of your own water storage is very much on people's minds on the island.

At a glance

You're allowed to collect rainwater from your own roof; the tank for it usually needs a permit from your municipality. Groundwater is different: drilling and pumping require authorization from the Direcció General de Recursos Hídrics, even for small volumes. Processing can take up to six months, and silence from the authority counts as a rejection. An unregistered well becomes a sticking point at the latest when you sell.

Why this topic is so pressing in 2026

The Balearic water portal publishes a drought index every month and divides the islands into ten demand units for it. In the assessment for July 2026, 9.5% of the area was in the normal state, 58.9% in pre-alert, and 31.6% in alert. Balearic reserves fell from 45% to 39% within a month; on Mallorca, from 46% to 39%.

What that means day to day shows up in Deia. According to a report by Ultima Hora on 30 June 2026, the municipality had to order five to six tanker trucks a day just to keep supply running. If you live further out, you don't have that buffer, which is why people start thinking about their own storage. We've put together ways to cut your own household use in the post on saving water as a resident.

Collecting rainwater: what a cistern is allowed to do

The legal framework here is comparatively relaxed. Article 54 of the Spanish water law explicitly allows the owner of a finca to use rainwater that runs across their land, as well as standing water within their boundaries. The text is in the consolidated Real Decreto Legislativo 1/2001. So you don't need a concession for the water itself.

What needs a permit is the construction. A sunken tank, a newly built basin, or major earthworks fall under your municipality's building regulations, and whether that requires a full licence or a simple notification is decided by your local town hall. Ask there before the drilling company shows up, because legalizing something after the fact regularly costs more than getting the process right beforehand.

Tax-wise, a cistern has an advantage that's rarely mentioned. The Balearic wastewater charge law names the taxable event in Article 2 and explicitly excludes rainwater collected in cisterns from it. The rates in Decreto Legislativo 1/2016 rise sharply with consumption:

Posten	Kosten	Dauer
Household up to 6 m³ per month	€0.285924	per m³
Household over 10 to 20 m³	€0.571848	per m³
Household over 40 m³	€1.714516	per m³
Rainwater from a cistern	not taxable	per m³

The charge is only one part of your water bill; the supplier's own price comes on top of it. What else ends up on the invoice is covered in the guide to utility connections.

Watch out: cistern water isn't drinking water

Water from a cistern isn't suitable for consumption without treatment and regular testing. For irrigation, a pool, or flushing toilets, untreated water is fine. If you host guests or rent out the property, you're also subject to the rules for water intended for human consumption.

Drilling or legalizing a well: the route through the water authority

Legalizing a well on Mallorca means applying to the Direcció General de Recursos Hídrics for authorization to drill, develop, and pump groundwater. It covers extractions of up to 7,000 cubic metres a year at no more than one litre per second, and covers domestic, agricultural, commercial, and tourism use. Without it, the well is illegal, even if it's been running for decades.

The procedure is described in detail on the Balearic administrative portal's tramite page. It has three phases, the first two of which run together for small extractions.

Check the water body first

Look up the groundwater body under your plot in the groundwater register viewer to see whether it is in good quantitative status. If it isn’t, permits are granted only in a few exceptional cases, such as reorganizing existing extraction points.

Check the location

On Mallorca, no permits are granted within the coastal strip from the shoreline up to 800 metres inland; on Menorca, Ibiza, and Formentera, up to 500 metres. Irrigation for golf and polo grounds and sports facilities of three hectares or more is also excluded.

Pay the fee and submit the application

The fee is paid via form 046 of the Balearic tax authority, ATIB. You also need a copy of your NIF, a current land registry extract or other proof of ownership, and the drilling project signed by a qualified engineer.

Wait for the decision

The authority has six months. If it stays silent, the application counts as rejected. You still need the municipal licence separately; the water authority’s authorization doesn’t replace it.

Register the pump

The third phase covers the pumping equipment. From the date authorization is granted, you have one year to apply for it.

There's a separate rule for wells drilled before 1986. If you proved your right back then and had it recorded in the water register as temporary private water use, you keep it for 50 years from 1 January 1986, meaning until the end of 2035. After that, you have priority for the regular concession. If you never provided that proof, you can still use the water, but without the administrative protection registration provides.

Tip: only order tanker trucks with a register entry

Companies delivering drinking water by tanker truck must be listed in the register of water suppliers for human consumption kept by the Govern. Ask about that entry before the first delivery, and about accessibility: typical tank sizes run around 12,000 litres, and not every supplier carries a 100-metre hose as standard.

What an unregistered well means at resale

In the listing, the well is a selling point. At the notary appointment, the question is whether it has a title. If the authorization is missing, you take on an open administrative case along with the finca, including possible back charges and the obligation to retrofit meters and control equipment.

Clarify before signing:

Does the authorization or register entry exist as a document, with a file number and date?
Do the authorized annual volume and flow rate match what the house and garden actually need?
Does the location on the land registry map match what's shown in the water authority's viewer?

If there are discrepancies, legalization belongs in the preliminary contract as a condition, with a deadline and who pays. More points to check before buying are in our guide to buying property on Mallorca.

Common questions about cisterns and wells

Can I collect rainwater from my roof without a permit?

Yes, using rainwater on your own property is allowed under Article 54 of the water law. Only building the storage tank requires a permit, and that comes from your municipality.

How long does a well permit take?

The statutory deadline for processing and notification is six months. If the authority doesn't respond, the application counts as rejected, not approved.

Do I pay the wastewater charge on cistern water?

No. Rainwater collected in cisterns is explicitly excluded from the taxable event under the Balearic wastewater charge law. The charge does apply to well water, though.

Can I just keep using an old well?

Only with a title. Without authorization or an entry in the water register, there's no legal basis, regardless of how long the pump has been running.

Authorization for drilling and groundwater use up to 7,000 m³

Official Balearic procedure page with requirements, documents, and deadlines.

Register of groundwater extractions and private water

Map tool from the Direcció General de Recursos Hídrics showing authorizations and concessions.

Balearic drought index

Monthly classification of the ten demand units and reserve levels.

Bottom line

Cisterns and wells on Mallorca are two different legal questions. The rainwater is yours; the tank for it needs your municipality's sign-off. The groundwater isn't yours, which is why the water authority decides on every extraction, even small ones. An afternoon at the town hall and a check in the water authority's viewer are usually enough to know where your finca stands. Finding out only at the notary appointment means negotiating under time pressure.