Overview
- Barcelona’s updated civility ordinance took effect on February 15 with fines of up to €3,000, raising penalties for public urination to €750—rising to €1,500 in sensitive areas—and setting up to €1,500 for street drinking and up to €3,000 for organized drinking tours.
- New obligations include requiring dog owners to dilute pet urine or face fines of up to €300, alongside higher sanctions for graffiti, noise and sexual exhibitionism in public spaces.
- The city has launched special Guardia Urbana deployments with uniformed and plainclothes patrols and about 50 card readers for immediate payment, with officials training officers and exploring future electronic options such as Bizum.
- Early enforcement activity included a plainclothes stop near Barcelona’s Poble Espanyol that resulted in police accusing two people of drug trafficking after seizing poppers and other drugs.
- In Madrid, joint patrols of municipal police and cleaning inspectors started on January 12 and issued 111 sanctions in their first month for illegal dumping, with fines up to €1,100 and roughly 75% of penalties falling on commercial offenders across several central districts.