# How to find a restaurant premises with a smoke outlet (salida de humos) in Madrid or Barcelona > A smoke outlet (salida de humos) is the duct carrying kitchen fumes outside, usually to the roof; on 10 October 2026, 1,515 Madrid retail premises for rent stated one. In Barcelona, 1,788 did. Both cities regulate the outlet in their own ordinances, and rules vary by municipality. Most restaurants need one, so check whether the listing states it. Updated 10 October 2026 · Casafari · https://expansion.casafari.com/guides/smoke-outlet/ ## What a smoke outlet is A smoke outlet is the extraction system of a professional kitchen. It captures cooking fumes at the hood, filters out grease and carries the air through a duct to a discharge point outside the building, generally at roof level. In Spanish listings it appears as 'salida de humos', and also as 'chimenea' (chimney), 'conducto de humos' or 'conducto de extracción' (extraction duct) and 'extracción a cubierta' (extraction to roof level). Catalan listings in Barcelona use 'sortida de fums', 'xemeneia' or 'extracció a coberta'. A smoke outlet is not the same as a [food-service licence](https://expansion.casafari.com/guides/food-service-licence/). The outlet is a physical installation; the licence (licencia de actividad for a bar or restaurant) is the municipal permit for the activity. A premises can have one without the other, so check them separately. As of 10 October 2026, 651 retail premises for rent in Madrid and 1,476 in Barcelona stated a food-service licence. - Campana extractora: the extraction hood over the cooking area. - Filtros de grasa: the grease filters in the hood. - Conducto de extracción: the duct that runs from the hood through the building. - Discharge point: where the fumes leave the building, usually at roof level (a cubierta). ## Why it decides a restaurant site in Madrid and Barcelona In Madrid, the air quality and sustainability ordinance (Ordenanza 4/2021, known as OCAS) sets the rules. According to the Ayuntamiento de Madrid's OCAS FAQ, article 23 requires non-domestic cooking areas to be fully covered by a capture, forced-extraction and filtering system with grease collection, connected to an evacuation duct that complies with article 12 and Annex I. Article 24 lists exceptions to roof-level ducts. The full text is on the [Madrid electronic office (sede.madrid.es)](https://sede.madrid.es). In Barcelona, kitchen extraction is regulated by the Ordenança del medi ambient de Barcelona (2011), published in the Ajuntament de Barcelona's official repository. Across Spain, the Código Técnico de la Edificación (Spain's building code) applies to the installation, in particular DB HS3 on ventilation and DB SI on fire safety ([codigotecnico.org](https://codigotecnico.org)). Adding a duct to a building that has none is often slow, and sometimes not possible. A new duct through a residential building frequently needs the agreement of the comunidad de propietarios (the owners' association, often called comunidad de vecinos), which is a common practical hurdle. That is why restaurant briefs usually treat 'smoke outlet already installed' as a must-have. Rules vary by municipality and change over time. This page summarises the official sources named above; it is not legal or technical advice. - Madrid: OCAS (Ordenanza 4/2021), articles 12, 23 and 24 and Annex I; source: Ayuntamiento de Madrid. - Barcelona: Ordenança del medi ambient (2011); source: Ajuntament de Barcelona. - Spain-wide: Código Técnico de la Edificación, DB HS3 and DB SI. ## How to check it in a listing (and what 'not stated' means) Property portals let you filter by price and size, and some offer a smoke-outlet tick box that depends on how the agent filled in the form. Claro reads the whole listing text instead. For each premises, Claro marks the smoke outlet criterion met, not met or not stated, and quotes the sentence it relied on, for example 'local con salida de humos a cubierta'. As of 10 October 2026, among the retail premises for rent in the agencies' listings Claro holds: in Madrid, 1,515 stated a smoke outlet and 2,058 did not mention it; in Barcelona, 1,788 stated one and 2,822 did not mention it. Counts are after merging duplicate listings and removing withdrawn premises, and are refreshed nightly. 'Not stated' is not a no. Many listings simply leave the detail out. Ask the agent, then verify on site. 'Stated' is not a compliance check either. A listing that mentions a smoke outlet tells you the installation is claimed to exist; whether it meets current rules for your use is for the Ayuntamiento or a licensed technician to confirm. - Met: the listing says the premises has a smoke outlet, with the quoted sentence. - Not met: the listing says it has none. - Not stated: the listing does not mention it; confirm with the agent and on site. ## Questions to ask before visiting A short, factual list for the agent or landlord saves wasted visits. Ask for answers in writing where possible, and check them on site. - Does the duct discharge at roof level, or to the façade or a patio de luces (internal light well)? - Is the duct exclusive to this premises or shared with other units? - Is there an existing licencia de actividad that covers cooking, and in whose name? - What was the previous use: bar, restaurant, café, or a use without cooking? - Is the hood with grease filters still installed, or only the duct? - Has the comunidad de propietarios (owners' association) raised any objection to the existing installation? ## Example brief and free search Put the smoke outlet in your brief alongside the other criteria that decide a restaurant site. Claro checks each one separately, so you can see which premises state an outlet and a licence, and which leave either one not stated. In Madrid and Barcelona, every premises comes with location figures from a Casafari group company: footfall within a five-minute walk (weekday versus weekend, by time of day), residents, income and what is nearby; these figures are not yet available elsewhere in Spain. Claro searches commercial premises across Spain by city or province, and a brief that names no place searches the whole country; premises outside Madrid and Barcelona are added every night, while location figures and nearby places cover Madrid and Barcelona only. For more detail, see the [Madrid city page](https://expansion.casafari.com/madrid/), the [Barcelona city page](https://expansion.casafari.com/barcelona/), the [guide to writing an expansion brief](https://expansion.casafari.com/guides/expansion-brief/) and the [methodology page](https://expansion.casafari.com/methodology/). - Smoke outlet already installed - Food-service licence - Street level (a pie de calle) - Size and rent ceiling - Footfall within a five-minute walk _Rules on activities and installations vary by municipality and change over time. This page is general information, not legal advice; check with the city council or a qualified adviser._ ## Example brief > Pizza restaurant in Barcelona or Madrid, street level, 100–200 m², smoke outlet already installed, food-service licence, previous use bar or restaurant, rent under €6,000 a month, at least 12,000 people a day within a five-minute walk with strong evening and weekend traffic. https://expansion.casafari.com/?q=Pizza%20restaurant%20in%20Barcelona%20or%20Madrid%2C%20street%20level%2C%20100%E2%80%93200%20m%C2%B2%2C%20smoke%20outlet%20already%20installed%2C%20food-service%20licence%2C%20previous%20use%20bar%20or%20restaurant%2C%20rent%20under%20%E2%82%AC6%2C000%20a%20month%2C%20at%20least%2012%2C000%20people%20a%20day%20within%20a%20five-minute%20walk%20with%20strong%20evening%20and%20weekend%20traffic. ## Questions ### What is a 'salida de humos'? A salida de humos is the extraction system that removes cooking fumes from a professional kitchen to the open air, generally at roof level: hood (campana extractora), grease filters, duct and discharge point. Listings also call it 'chimenea', 'conducto de humos' or 'extracción a cubierta'; Catalan listings use 'sortida de fums'. ### Can I open a restaurant in a premises without a smoke outlet? It depends on the municipality, the type of cooking and the equipment. In Madrid, article 24 of the OCAS (Ordenanza 4/2021) lists exceptions to the roof-duct requirement. Rules vary by municipality and change, so for a specific premises consult the Ayuntamiento or a licensed technician. Claro helps you find premises whose listings already state an outlet. ### How do I know whether a listing has a smoke outlet? Read the listing text, or let Claro do it: it reads the agencies' listings it holds across Spain and marks the smoke outlet met, not met or not stated, quoting the sentence it relied on. If the listing is silent, the verdict is 'not stated'; confirm with the agent and on site. ### Does the duct have to reach the roof? In Madrid, OCAS article 23 requires non-domestic cooking to connect to an evacuation duct meeting article 12 and Annex I, which generally means discharge at roof level; article 24 sets exceptions. Barcelona's Ordenança del medi ambient sets its own conditions. Rules vary by municipality and change; this is not legal advice. ### How many premises for rent state a smoke outlet in Madrid and Barcelona? As of 10 October 2026, 1,515 retail premises for rent in Madrid and 1,788 in Barcelona stated a smoke outlet; a further 2,058 and 2,822 respectively did not mention it. Counts cover the agencies' listings Claro holds, after merging duplicates and removing withdrawn premises, refreshed nightly. ### Is a smoke outlet the same as a food-service licence? No. The smoke outlet is a physical installation; the food-service licence (licencia de actividad for a bar or restaurant) is the municipal permit for the activity. A premises can have one without the other. Claro checks them as separate criteria, each with its own verdict and evidence, so a brief can require both. ## Find premises that state a smoke outlet Describe your restaurant site in plain words, or upload your expansion brief, in the search box on the homepage. Claro checks premises across Spain against each criterion, smoke outlet included, and shows the evidence, plus the footfall around each address in Madrid and Barcelona. Your first search is free, with no sign-up. https://expansion.casafari.com/#search ## Read next - [What a food-service licence (licencia de restauración) is and how to check it in a listing](https://expansion.casafari.com/guides/food-service-licence/) - [Commercial premises in Madrid: the agencies' listings Claro holds, checked against your brief](https://expansion.casafari.com/madrid/) - [Commercial premises in Barcelona: the agencies' listings Claro holds, checked against your brief](https://expansion.casafari.com/barcelona/) - [How to write an expansion brief (standard-premises spec or requirements sheet): template for retail, restaurants and gyms](https://expansion.casafari.com/guides/expansion-brief/) - [How Claro counts and verifies commercial properties (methodology)](https://expansion.casafari.com/methodology/)