Barcelona will fine anyone who does not clean up their dog's pee up to 300 euros

BarcelonaStarting in February, people in Barcelona who fail to dilute their dogs' urine with a little water in the street risk fines of up to 300 euros. This is one of the main changes that will come with the approval of the Catalan capital's future coexistence ordinance, which received provisional approval this Thursday from the City Council's Presidency Committee and now only awaits final approval from the full council next week. After that, a one-month period will begin from its publication in the Municipal Gazette before it comes into effect.

It is increasingly common to see people walking their dogs in the city equipped—in addition to the leash and waste disposal equipment—with a small bottle of water which they pour on their pets' urine. However, once the ordinance comes into force, it will be mandatory. Failure to perform this action will be considered a "serious offense," punishable by fines of up to 300 euros. In a nuance added during recent discussions, the regulation ultimately exempts assistance animals, such as guide dogs, from cleaning up their urine.

The new regulation is established by the third final provision of the text approved this Thursday in committee with votes from the PSC, Junts per Barcelona, and Esquerra. Taking advantage of the processing of a new coexistence ordinance, the municipal government has added a clause that also changes two articles of the Barcelona ordinance on the protection, ownership, and sale of animals, approved in 2014. The clause modifies the wording of the ordinance, specifically the "urban" ordinance, and includes failure to do so in the "serious offenses" section. With this decision, the City Council is addressing one of the citizen demands that received the most support during the participatory process opened to modify the coexistence ordinance, which had remained unchanged for twenty years. Three of the ten most voted-for proposals referred in one way or another to this issue of having to force dog owners to clean up after their pets. The urine of these animals is corrosive and damages lampposts and other street furniture. Harsher penalties for urinating and drinking in the street are also being considered.

The new ordinance—stepped by the Commissioner for Coexistence, Montserrat Surroca—aims to broaden the scope of punishable offenses related to drinking and urinating in public, as well as increase penalties for graffiti. Regarding public urination, the new ordinance establishes three conditions that can increase the penalty: it will be more expensive if it occurs near public restrooms or facilities with free access, around bars or nightclubs, or on narrow streets less than four meters wide. As for drinking in public, the new ordinance maintains the penalty system established by the Citizen Security Law, which was already in effect: fines of €100 to €600 for minor offenses and €750 to €1,500 for drinking in crowded places. However, Collboni's government proposal includes a ban on "bar hopping routes," which are often promoted among tourists as itineraries that take them to several bars with the primary objective of drinking alcohol. In such cases, the penalty could range from €1,500 to €3,000. This is a practice that the City Council has already banned in Ciutat Vella since 2012 and which will now affect the entire city.

Limits on stag and hen parties

Another new aspect of the municipal government's proposal concerns graffiti and tagging. Beyond the corresponding fines, the new ordinance aims to make those responsible for graffiti also responsible for the cost of cleaning it. Furthermore, it adds to the list of infractions actions that may litter public spaces, such as watering plants outside of permitted hours – only allowed between 10 pm and 7 am – shaking out clothes and rugs if it affects public space, or littering with paper, chewing gum, or containers. These actions can result in fines of up to 750 euros. The ordinance also places limits on bachelor/bachelorette parties and prohibits being in public with "clothing, accessories, or objects that explicitly depict human genitalia or have an obviously sexual character."

Officers with card readers

Another objective of the new ordinance is to improve the collection rate of fines, since currently the vast majority go unpaid. One of the new features is that, in the case of minor offenses or for people living abroad, officers of the Guardia Urbana (municipal police) – equipped with card payment terminals – will offer the option of paying the fine on the spot with a discount. However, the discount will be less than the current one. While previously it was possible to obtain a discount of between 50% and 65% of the fine if paid promptly, now the discount will be a maximum of 50% if paid within the first ten days of notification, and 40% if paid after those ten days but before the administrative decision.