Gijón provisionally approves the alcohol and drug testing fee

The Plenary Council of Gijón/Xixón, in a session held on October 9, 2026, provisionally approved the imposition and regulation of a new tax and the approval of fiscal ordinance no. 3.13, regulating the tax for the provision of the service of performing contrast tests for the determination of alcohol levels or for the detection of drugs. The regulation is scheduled for application starting January 1, 2027. The agreement is made public via edict in the Official Gazette of the Principality of Asturias no. 204, dated October 21, 2026, with official reference 2026-08358, and opens a period of thirty business days to submit claims.

The published text contains a single point of agreement: “To provisionally agree on the imposition and regulation of the tax, and the approval of fiscal ordinance no. 3.13, regulating the tax for the provision of the service of performing contrast tests for the determination of alcohol levels or for the detection of drugs, for its application starting January 1, 2027.” The processing complies with article 17.2 of the revised text of the Law Regulating Local Treasuries, approved by Royal Legislative Decree 2/2004, of March 5, and article 49 of Law 7/1985, of April 2, Regulating the Bases of the Local Regime.

The edict is inserted in section IV, Local Administration (City Councils), of the regional gazette and was signed in Gijón/Xixón on October 9, 2026, by the Secretariat of the City Council of Gijón/Xixón. The new figure is incorporated into the municipal fiscal numbering as number 3.13 and its entry into force is set for the 2027 fiscal year; the announcement does not detail the amount or the tariff structure of the tax.

Thirty business days to examine the file and lodge appeals

The period for public information and hearing for interested parties is activated upon the publication of the announcement and is governed by these conditions:

• Thirty business days are counted from the day following the publication of the announcement in the Official Gazette of the Principality of Asturias.
• The file may be examined at the Revenue Management Service of the City Council, located in the “Antigua Pescadería Municipal” Administrative Building.
• Inquiries are handled from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM, Monday to Friday.
• Any claims deemed appropriate must be submitted within this same period.

What the new ordinance taxes

The fee is linked to the provision of the municipal service for conducting confirmatory tests—that is, tests intended to determine alcohol levels or detect the presence of drugs. Fiscal Ordinance No. 3.13 jointly regulates the imposition, the organization of the fee, and the text of the fiscal regulation; its application is deferred to January 1, 2027, meaning it will not operate during the current fiscal year.

The official announcement does not include the amount of the fee, the application base, or the list of scenarios that trigger it; these details must be consulted in the file deposited at the Revenue Management Service during the public exhibition period.

Final approval if there are no claims

Once the period has elapsed without any claim having been filed, the plenary agreement will automatically become final, without the need for a new pronouncement by the Plenary. This is established by Article 49.c) of Law 7/1985, of April 2, Regulating the Bases of the Local Regime, and Article 17.3 of the consolidated text of the Law Regulating Local Treasuries, approved by Royal Legislative Decree 2/2004, of March 5, as stated in the edict itself.

Provisional approval, therefore, does not finalize the content of the regulation: any interested party may challenge the text or propose modifications before the ordinance acquires a definitive character and produces economic effects in 2027.

The implementation of this fee means that confirmatory alcohol and drug tests will now have a regulated economic reflection within the municipal taxation of Gijón/Xixón, an area that until now had no specific ordinance in the local fiscal series. For those affected, the period opened this October 21 is the only window to review the file and file claims before the regulation is finalized.

Source: Official Gazette of the Principality of Asturias, no. 204, of October 21, 2026, section IV. Local Administration (City Councils), page 1 (official reference: 2026-08358).