Loja initially approves the animal ownership and welfare ordinance

The Plenary of the Loja City Council initially approved, in an ordinary session on August 6, 2026, the Municipal Ordinance on the ownership, protection, welfare, and responsible coexistence with animals, and opened a 30-day period for submitting allegations. The announcement is published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Granada no. 182, dated September 21, 2026, with the official reference BOP-GRA-2026-182020 (page 58 of 70).

Initial approval and public exhibition

The processed file is 2026/2417 and originates from the report of the Permanent Information Commission on the Environment dated July 30, 2026. That report, issued after the text was submitted for public consultation, was favorable by an absolute majority, with the abstention of the representatives of the socialist municipal group (2) and the Vox group (1).

The plenary agreement adopted consists of two points:

• To initially approve the municipal ordinance on animal ownership, protection, welfare, and responsible coexistence with animals.
• To submit the ordinance to public information with publication in the BOP and on the notice board, for the purpose of making the appropriate allegations.

The announcement, number 2026047093, is signed in Loja, on August 26, 2026, by the Deputy Mayor Delegated for the Environment, Ms. Teresa Delgado Vivas.

How the Plenary voted

The ordinary vote on the report was resolved by simple majority, in accordance with article 99.1 of Royal Decree 2568/1986, of November 28, which approves the Regulation of Organization, Operation, and Legal Regime of Local Entities. The result was as follows:

• Vote in favor of the members present assigned to the Popular Municipal Group.
• Vote in favor of the members present assigned to the Socialist Municipal Group.
• Abstention of the member present assigned to the VOX Municipal Group.

Period for allegations and procedure

Interested parties have 30 days, counted from the day following the publication of the announcement in the Official Gazette of the Province of Granada, to present allegations and suggestions regarding the text of the ordinance. The publication is also made on the municipal notice board, as stated in the plenary agreement itself.

The ordinary session of August 6, 2026, in which this ordinance was approved, also handled other matters of the Loja City Council, including the delegation of powers to the Provincial Council of Granada for the collection of certain waste (file 2026/345), published in the same gazette with the reference BOP-GRA-2026-182022.

The regulation governs the ownership, protection, welfare, and responsible coexistence with animals within the municipal district of Loja, thus directly affecting people who live with animals in the municipality. The current open period is the final opportunity for owners, entities, and neighbors to propose changes before the text is finalized, and its final content will determine the obligations and conditions of coexistence enforceable in Loja.

Source: Official Gazette of the Province of Granada, no. 182, September 21, 2026, Local Administration – City Councils, page 58 of 70 (official reference: BOP-GRA-2026-182020).