Lanzahíta approves its animal protection ordinance with fines of up to 30,000 euros

The Lanzahíta City Council has finalized its Municipal Ordinance on Animal Welfare and Protection, following the absence of claims during the public exhibition period. The regulation, approved by plenary agreement on June 25, 2026, is published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Ávila number 178, dated September 15, 2026, under file number 1812/26.

The ordinance regulates the ownership, protection, and welfare of animals within the municipal district and applies to companion animals as well as urban wildlife and production animals, in everything affecting citizen coexistence. It will enter into force following its publication in the official gazette and after the legal period has elapsed.

A tiered sanctioning regime

The text classifies infractions into three degrees and establishes a schedule of fines that reaches its maximum for the most serious conduct against animals:

• Minor (failure to pick up excrement, failure to register the animal): from 100 to 600 euros.
• Serious (mild mistreatment, abandonment without consequences): from 601 to 3,000 euros.
• Very serious (mistreatment resulting in injury, death of the animal, abandonment in dangerous conditions): from 3,001 to 30,000 euros.

Obligations and prohibitions for owners

The ordinance imposes a series of duties on any person who owns an animal: providing adequate food, water, shelter, and veterinary care; guaranteeing their physical and psychological well-being; preventing their escape or abandonment; and identifying them in accordance with current regulations.

It is expressly forbidden to mistreat or physically assault animals, abandon them on public roads or in natural spaces, keep them in inadequate conditions of space, hygiene, or ventilation, and use them in shows or activities that cause them suffering.

Management of feline colonies and adoption campaigns

The City Council may authorize and collaborate with animal protection entities for the ethical management of feline colonies using the TNR method (Trap-Neuter-Return). Collaborating entities must be registered and have trained personnel, and sterilized cats must be identified by ear-tipping and/or microchip, with controlled feeding points potentially being established.

Likewise, the council will promote sterilization, identification, and responsible adoption campaigns in collaboration with associations, veterinary clinics, and the citizenry.

Appeal and validity

An administrative appeal may be filed against the approving agreement and the definitively approved ordinance, which concludes the administrative process, before the Administrative Chamber of the High Court of Justice of Castilla y León within two months from the day following the publication of the announcement, in accordance with Article 46 of Law 29/1998, of July 13. The document is signed by the mayor, José Miguel Gómez Gómez, dated September 7, 2026.

The entry into force of this ordinance makes Lanzahíta one of the municipalities in Ávila with a more demanding animal protection regime, with sanctions that can reach 30,000 euros. Pet owners must strictly comply with the obligations of identification, care, and waste collection, as well as avoid any behavior that could be classified as abuse or abandonment.

Source: Official Gazette of the Province of Ávila, number 178, of September 15, 2026, Local Administration (official reference: number 1812/26).