Bagà definitively approves the ordinance regulating advertising billboards

The Bagà City Council has definitively approved the Ordinance regulating advertising billboards and activities with a landscape impact in the municipality, a text that sets the conditions for outdoor advertising and establishes a regime of infractions and sanctions. The Corporate Plenary initially approved the regulation in an ordinary session on June 19, 2026 and, once the public information period closed without claims or allegations, it has been made definitive. The full publication is made in the Official Gazette of the Province of Barcelona on October 8, 2026, with the official reference CVE 202610147648.

The text, signed by Mayor Lluís Casas Prados on September 30, 2026, spans nineteen pages and is structured into four titles: general provisions, regulation of advertising activities, procedure for obtaining the license, and the sanctioning regime. The ordinance is framed within Law 8/2005, of June 8, on the protection, management, and planning of the landscape, and Legislative Decree 1/2010, of August 3, which approves the revised text of the Urban Planning Law.

The preamble justifies the regulation due to Bagà’s status as the main and most frequented gateway to the Cadí-Moixeró Natural Park from the C-16 road, and the desire to protect the landscape of the Bastareny river basin, which is threatened by processes of degradation and banalization.

Scope of application and prohibitions

The ordinance applies to the entire municipal area, regardless of the land classification and whether it is publicly or privately owned. Advertising activities contrary to the law, those with sexist or xenophobic content, or those that produce major distortions of the natural or urban landscape or could be confused with traffic signs will not be authorized.

• Advertising for tobacco and alcohol is prohibited, except under the conditions provided for by applicable regulations.
• The placement of any advertising element suspended from trees is prohibited.
• Projections, graffiti, and visual effects on elements of the urban landscape are prohibited.
• Advertising activity with external sound effects is not permitted.
• The City Council may order the removal of installations incompatible with public works or safety, without the right to compensation.

Licenses and technical conditions

The installation of fixed structural supports requires prior municipal authorization, granted by the Mayor’s Office with a delegable character. Advertising fences will only be authorized if they have a motivation of public interest, and their license will be provisional and may be revoked by a reasoned agreement.

• Billboards: maximum length of 1.5 meters and maximum height of 1 meter, including the frame.
• Advertising poles: maximum length of 1.5 meters and maximum height of 2 meters.
• Signs: may not protrude more than 0.20 meters from the plane of the facade.
• Commercial displays on public roads: only coinciding with commercial hours and never on sidewalks less than 3 meters wide.
• Prior guarantee equivalent to 30 percent of the installation budget for advertising fences.
• Resolution deadline: two months for fixed supports and one month for the remaining elements.

Sanctioning Regime

Infractions are classified as minor and serious. Non-compliance with license conditions when there is no danger or nuisance to people or property, and the lack of identification of the advertising or installation company, are considered minor. Installation in non-permitted locations, installation without a municipal license or permit, non-compliance that poses a danger or nuisance, and the commission of two or more minor offenses are considered serious.

• Minor infractions: fine of up to 600 euros.
• Serious infractions: fine of 3,000 euros and/or revocation of the license and removal of the advertising element.
• Jointly liable parties: the person requesting the license or arranging the placement, the owner of the message content, and the owner of the support.
• Subsidiarily liable party: the owner, lessee, or usufructuary of the land, building, or asset where the support has been placed.
• The competent body for imposing fines is the Mayor’s Office.

Adaptation Deadlines and Entry into Force

The regulation includes a transitional regime for supports already existing in the municipality, with staggered deadlines according to the type of element.

• Advertising fences placed before publication must be adapted within a maximum of six months.
• Advertising companies must submit a list of installed fences within three months, including number, location, and installation date.
• The remaining supports and advertising elements must be adapted within five years from publication.
• Entry into force will occur once fifteen business days have passed since the full publication in the bulletin.

The regulation directly affects shops, advertising companies, and individuals in Bagà, who must regularize fences, signs, banners, placards, awnings, and displays on public roads. An administrative appeal may be filed against the final imposition and ordering agreements of the ordinance before the High Court of Justice of Catalonia within a period of two months starting from the day following publication.

Source: Official Bulletin of the Province of Barcelona, October 8, 2026, Local Administration, pp. 1-19 (official reference: CVE 202610147648).