El Viso del Alcor approves the municipal ordinance for outdoor seating areas

The City Council of El Viso del Alcor has definitively approved the Municipal Ordinance Regulating the occupation of open spaces with outdoor terraces, the full text of which is published in the Official Gazette of the province of Seville number 174, dated September 8, 2026. The decision, adopted by the Plenary of the Corporation, was signed by the mayor-president, Mr. Gabriel Antonio Santos Bonilla, and is processed under file 7780/2025.

The initial approval was agreed upon in the ordinary session of the Plenary held on June 25, 2026, and the text was submitted for public consultation for thirty days through announcements inserted in the BOP of Seville number 136, dated July 16, 2026, and on the Corporation’s Notice Board. As no claims or suggestions were filed, the provisional agreement is understood to be definitively adopted without the need for a new plenary agreement.

Regulatory framework and background

The new ordinance replaces the Ordinance Regulating the use and occupation of Municipal Public Domain Assets with terraces linked to Hospitality Establishments, approved by the Plenary on January 31, 2019, which did not cover all the specific cases demanded by the sector. The regulation adapts to Decree 155/2018, of July 31, which approves the Catalog of Public Spectacles, Recreational Activities, and Public Establishments of Andalusia, which sets the maximum opening and closing limits for terraces.

The text is structured into six titles that regulate general provisions, operating periods and schedules, technical installation conditions, prohibitions and obligations, the procedure for granting or renewing authorizations, and the sanctioning regime. The ordinance will enter into force the day following its full publication in the official gazette.

Installation conditions and accessibility

The regulation guarantees in all cases an accessible pedestrian route, protecting the transit of people with reduced mobility or visual impairment, and establishes limitations to avoid hiding shop windows or harming adjacent buildings. Opening and closing times must be compatible with noise pollution regulations and the citizens’ right to rest.

• Umbrellas and mobile elements must be collected before the terrace’s closing time.
• Enclosure elements shall be at least 60% permeable.
• Tents and awnings must be made of fire-retardant material.
• The installation of ledges that encourage customers to stand on the accessible route is not authorized.

Sanctioning regime and participation

The ordinance classifies infractions as minor, serious, and very serious, with an abbreviated procedure for minor offenses. Financial penalties are scaled according to the severity of the conduct.

• Minor offenses: fine of up to 750 euros.
• Serious offenses: fine of 751 to 1,500 euros.
• Very serious offenses: fine of 1,501 to 3,000 euros.

Furthermore, the establishment of a Special Table for Outdoor Terraces is foreseen, with representation from hospitality and neighborhood associations, as well as the possibility of drafting Zonal Plans to regulate installation in squares and unique thoroughfares, such as the Center Zone. An administrative appeal may be filed against the agreement before the Administrative Litigation Chamber of the High Court of Justice of Andalusia, based in Seville, within a period of two months.

The approval of this ordinance provides the hospitality sector of El Viso del Alcor with a clear and updated legal framework, which balances the development of economic activity with the protection of public spaces, accessibility, and neighborhood coexistence, in a municipality where terraces are one of the most demanded leisure alternatives.

Source: Official Gazette of the province of Seville, no. 174, September 8, 2026, Local Administration, p. 70 (official reference: BOP-SE-2026-174017).