Budia approves the ordinance regulating its traditional bull runs

The Budia City Council has definitively approved the Ordinance regulating control measures over the organization, development, and participation in the traditional bull runs through the countryside of Budia, published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Guadalajara number 172, dated September 9, 2026. The regulation, signed in Budia on September 4, 2026, by the mayor, Mr. David Nicolás Cuevas, will enter into force the day following its public exhibition in the gazette if no objections are presented.

The ordinance is issued by virtue of the municipal powers recognized in Law 7/1985, of April 2, regulating the Bases of Local Government, and complies with the regional regulations of Castilla-La Mancha: Organic Law 4/2015, of March 30, Law 7/2011, of March 21, on Public Spectacles, Recreational Activities, and Public Establishments, and Decree 38/2013, which approves the Regulations for Popular Bullfighting Festivals, modified by Decree 73/2014, of August 1, and Decree 60/2016, of October 11. Its purpose is to guarantee three principles: the safety of people and property, the protection of animals, and respect for local tradition.

Two bull run plans through the countryside

The ordinance distinguishes between two route plans. Bull Run Plan A starts from the portable pens of the Las Cañadillas area, with releases in the areas of Pozo de La Virgen, Las Cañadillas, Los Corrales de Mariana, and El Olmillo; as there is no area with sufficient security, all attendees are considered participants. Bull Run Plan B starts from the fixed pens of the mobile bullring at Plaza de España and runs through San Pedro and Teniente Verde streets and the Camino de Fuente Larga, with releases in areas such as El Abubillo, Alto del Arenal, Peña Redonda, La Esmota, Los Montecillos, El Cabezo, El Mariposo, Monte del Olivar, El Carbonal, La Calzada, and the Camino de Peñalver, with spectators in the bullring stands.

Security and control measures

The driving of the cattle requires a minimum security apparatus:

• 6 riders with experience in driving fighting cattle.
• 6 organization vehicles for participant refuge and redirection.
• 3 lead bulls as a control mechanism against the risk of the cattle leaving the release area.
• A minimum of 15 volunteer collaborators for the runs through the countryside, authorized and identified by the City Council.
• A safety distance of at least 200 meters between the herd and the rest of the participants.

The maximum duration of the bull run shall be three hours, and the president may adopt measures for its conclusion within the following thirty minutes in situations of special risk. The presidency of the event corresponds to the mayor, who may delegate it to a councilor, and shall have a professional fighting director registered in sections I or II, or with the category of banderillero from section V.

Participation, prohibitions, and sanctioning regime

The minimum age to participate in the spectacle is set at sixteen years, and persons in a state of intoxication, under the influence of narcotics, or with symptoms of mental alienation are excluded. It is prohibited to wound, prick, hit, or treat the cattle cruelly, as well as to cut them off or harass them with objects or vehicles. From one hour before the start, the circulation of motor vehicles and horsemen not authorized by the route is prohibited. The applicable sanctioning regime is that provided for in Law 7/2011, of March 21, and the new ordinance repeals the previous municipal regulation.

The approval of this ordinance consolidates the legal framework of festivities deeply rooted in the town, balancing the protection of participants and cattle with the preservation of tradition. For the residents and visitors of Budia, the regulation provides predictability and safety in each edition of its runs through the countryside.

Source: Official Gazette of the Province of Guadalajara, No. 172, September 9, 2026, Town Councils section (official reference: document 2026_2337, Budia Town Council).