Decree-Law n. 270/2001 of October 6, altered and republished by Decree-Law n. 340/2007 of October 12, approves the legal regime for research and exploration of mineral masses (quarries).

A quarry is the set formed by any mineral mass (limestone, granite, marble, sand, clay, among others) object of the licensing, by the necessary installations for its extraction, extraction area and defense zones, by the deposits of extracted mineral masses, sterile, removed soil, as well as by its annexes.