Cañada de Calatrava introduces new ordinance to control construction and activity licenses

The City Council of Cañada de Calatrava has definitively approved the Ordinance regulating the instruments for controlling the legality of urban and environmental activity, which determines when works and activities require a prior license and when a responsible declaration with subsequent control is sufficient. The text is published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Ciudad Real number 181, dated September 21, 2026, under file CCVA2026/162 and announcement number 2994. The regulation will enter into force 15 days after its complete publication in the provincial gazette.

The initial plenary agreement, dated June 23, 2026, was automatically elevated to definitive status as no claims were submitted during the public exhibition period, in compliance with article 70.2 of Law 7/1985, of April 2, Regulating the Bases of the Local Regime. Against the agreement, which ends the administrative route, a contentious-administrative appeal may be filed before the High Court of Justice of Castilla-La Mancha within two months of publication.

The ordinance develops the applicable regional and state regulations: Legislative Decree 1/2023, of February 28, which approves the consolidated text of the Law on Land Use and Urban Activity of Castilla-La Mancha; the Urban Discipline Regulations approved by Decree 34/2011, of April 26; Law 7/2011, of March 21, on Public Spectacles, Recreational Activities and Public Establishments of Castilla-La Mancha; Law 12/2012, of December 26, on urgent measures for the liberalization of trade; and Law 2/2010, of May 13, on trade in Castilla-La Mancha. The City Council justifies the initiative based on the regional legal vacuum for activities not included in Law 7/2011 and the legal uncertainty derived from modifications to the urban law without reflection in the discipline regulations, and sets a triple objective: to clarify the procedure, simplify and expedite processing, and preserve legality and environmental protection.

Two control routes: prior license or responsible declaration

Title II regulates the control of works in two modalities: prior, through a municipal license as an enabling title, and subsequent, through a responsible declaration or prior communication before the start of works, with subsequent municipal verification. Subject to a license, among others, are new construction works, extensions that alter occupancy, height, buildability or number of dwellings, comprehensive renovations, demolitions, earthworks, aggregate extraction, property fencing, the opening of roads, greenhouses, installations affecting the subsoil, and acts on protected elements.

Works of minor construction entity on consolidated urban land, those linked to the conditioning of commercial premises under Law 12/2012, solar installations on roofs or plots —when they do not occupy more than 40% of the non-buildable area—, electric vehicle charging points inside buildings, and definitive urban service connections shall be processed via a responsible declaration.

Resolution deadlines, start of works, and validity

• Two months for urban planning licenses for works and first occupancy.
• Three months for installation and operational licenses for activities.
• Six months for activities included in Law 7/2011.
• Three months to conclude subsequent control procedures.
• Fifteen calendar days from the submission of the responsible declaration to be able to start the works.
• Six-month execution period for the works, unless an extension or postponement is requested.
• Three months from the notification of the license to start the works; suspension not exceeding one month nor accumulating more than 20% of the planned time; the final deadline shall be that of the project or, failing that, fifteen months.

Activities, shows, and commerce

Title III establishes the regime for activities. Prior installation licenses are required for the opening of public establishments with a capacity exceeding 150 people, shows with temporary or dismantlable structures, those held in buildings of cultural value, terraces, sports activities on public roads, and bullfighting events. Shows and establishments not included in that regime, those organized by the City Council for festivals and fairs —unless there is a special risk— and those of artistic or cultural interest with a capacity of up to 50 people are controlled subsequently via a responsible declaration.

In the scope not subject to Law 7/2011, the responsible declaration enables, from its submission, the exercise of retail commercial activity with a useful exhibition and sales area not exceeding 750 square meters, as well as activities considered harmless. The declaration must be submitted at least fifteen calendar days before the start of the show or the opening of the establishment.

The ordinance now conditions promoters, companies, and individuals who build or open an activity in the municipality, who must prove to the City Council whether their project requires a prior license or if a responsible declaration is sufficient. An unfavorable subsequent control obliges the restoration of the site to its original state prior to the start of the works, and inaccuracy or falsehood in the declaration prevents the continued exercise of the right.

Source: Official Gazette of the Province of Ciudad Real, number 181, September 21, 2026, CITY COUNCILS section, page 8625 (official reference: file CCVA2026/162, announcement number 2994).