Ames approves ordinance regulating the parking and overnight stays of motorhomes

The Ames City Council has definitively approved the Municipal Ordinance regulating the parking and overnight stay of motorhomes, camper-type vehicles, and caravans, which organizes this activity on the public roads and spaces of the municipality. The regulation, processed as file GD 20349/2025, was published in the Official Gazette of the Province of A Coruña number 161, on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, under announcement 2026/5514.

Initial approval was granted in the plenary session on June 25, 2026, and the text was subject to public exhibition for 30 business days via an announcement in BOP number 123, on July 2, 2026, on the electronic headquarters notice board and in the Transparency Portal, without any objections being presented. The ordinance will enter into force fifteen business days after its publication, in accordance with articles 65.2 and 70.2 of Law 7/1985, of April 2, Regulating the Bases of the Local Regime.

A framework for itinerant tourism

The regulation responds to the growth of motorhoming across Europe and reconciles tourism, traffic, public space planning, and protected area competencies. Article 93 of the General Circulation Regulations (Royal Decree 1428/2003) expressly refers the regime of stopping and parking on urban roads to municipal ordinances.

The ordinance defines the concepts of motorhome, camper-type vehicle, caravan, motorhome user, parking, reserved overnight stay zone, and recycling point. It recognizes the right to park and stay overnight throughout the municipality according to traffic rules, and establishes reserved parking zones and service areas for the exclusive use of these vehicles.

Reserved zones, deadlines, and coexistence

To guarantee rotation and equitable distribution, maximum stay periods are established based on demand:

• High occupancy level (6/15 to 9/15): maximum stay of 72 continuous hours, with a five-day waiting period before parking again.
• Low occupancy level (9/16 to 6/14): maximum stay of one continuous week, also with a five-day waiting period.
• Rest hours: entry and exit of vehicles is prohibited between 11:00 PM and 7:00 AM.
• Speed: maximum of 30 km/h within reserved zones and service areas.

Recycling points must have a potable water connection, a greywater drainage grate, a WC emptying point, and waste collectors. Free camping and the deployment of awnings, tables, chairs, or stabilizing legs outside the perimeter of the vehicle are prohibited.

Sanctioning regime

Infractions are classified as minor, serious, and very serious, with fines of up to 100 euros, from 101 to 300 euros, and from 301 to 600 euros, respectively, and may include expulsion from the reserved area. The sanctioning authority lies with the mayor, and the procedure shall be conducted in accordance with Law 39/2015, of October 1. An administrative appeal may be filed against the final approval agreement before the High Court of Justice of Galicia within a period of two months.

The regulation, signed in Ames on August 18, 2026, by the 1st Deputy Mayor, Susana Señorís Rodríguez, acting mayor by delegation (decree 2463/2026), seeks to promote economic growth and the offer of sustainable tourist services, while protecting neighborhood coexistence and municipal spaces. For the thousands of people who travel through the region in motorhomes, the ordinance offers legal certainty and quality services, while for the residents, it guarantees rest and the correct management of waste.

Source: Official Gazette of the Province of A Coruña, number 161, August 25, 2026, Local Administration, pp. 1-7 (official reference: announcement 2026/5514, file GD 20349/2025).