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Madrid Council Approves New Terraces Ordinance to Take Effect in January 2026

The measure replaces a rule annulled for lacking environmental review, pairing tougher penalties with simpler paperwork.

Overview

  • The Plenary gave final approval with PP voting in favor, Más Madrid and PSOE opposed, and Vox abstaining, after objections from neighborhood groups.
  • The ordinance is designed to replace the prior regulation struck down by Madrid’s courts for the absence of an adequate environmental impact evaluation.
  • Administrative procedures are simplified by eliminating redundant documentation and enabling simultaneous processing of applications.
  • The sanctions regime is expanded and hardened, adding new serious offenses, upgrading others, and allowing license extinction for repeat violations, with examples including penalties for furniture noise and unlicensed elements.
  • District boards gain stronger powers to set area-specific limits in saturated or heritage zones with resident and sector input and approval by the Commission of Terraces, while a handful of proposals were adopted from over 100 public submissions.