Mérida approves the final ordinance for its low-emission zone

The Mérida City Council has definitively approved the municipal Ordinance regulating the city’s low emission zone (LEZ), which restricts the access, circulation, and parking of the most polluting vehicles within the delimited area of the municipality. The full text is published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Badajoz number 182, corresponding to September 23, 2026, under the reference Announcement 3689/2026. The regulation will enter into force once its definitive approval is published and the period provided for in article 65.2 of Law 7/1985, of April 2, Regulating the Bases of the Local Regime, has elapsed.

The definitive approval corresponds to the Plenary of the Corporation, in a session held on May 28, 2026, once the claims submitted during the public exhibition period were resolved, and is published in compliance with article 70.2 of Law 7/1985. The ordinance develops the obligation that article 14.3.a) of Law 7/2021, of May 20, on Climate Change and Energy Transition, imposes on municipalities with more than 50,000 inhabitants, and conforms to Royal Decree 1052/2022, of December 27, which regulates low emission zones.

The preamble justifies the measure with official data: road transport is responsible for 8.65% of PM2.5 fine particle emissions, 32.93% of nitrogen oxides, and 27% of greenhouse gas emissions in Spain. The regulation is structured into three titles, nineteen articles, one additional provision, one transitional provision, one repealing provision, two final provisions, and two annexes.

Authorized vehicles and municipal registry

• Vehicles specified in section 1 of Annex II may access, circulate, and park freely.
• Those included in section 2 may do so with temporary authorization, following registration in the Municipal Registry of Vehicles Authorized in the LEZ.
• The Mayor’s Office may grant exceptional authorizations for reasons of general interest through a reasoned resolution.
• All vehicles accessing the LEZ must display the environmental badge on the windshield.
• Anyone who enters by mistake may leave the zone within a period of at least thirty minutes without being penalized.

Authorizations will be revoked, among other cases, for failure to comply with requirements, loss of vehicle ownership, voluntary withdrawal, or fraudulent use. When revocation requires a prior resolution, the interested party will have a maximum period of fifteen business days to present arguments.

Camera control and sanctioning regime

Access control will be carried out through automated technical means for the identification of vehicles and license plates, subject to Regulation (EU) 2016/679 and Organic Law 3/2018, of December 5. As a general rule, images will be kept for a maximum of one month, and proposed sanctions must be previously verified by authorized personnel.

Entering or circulating in the ZBE (Low Emission Zone) in breach of the ordinance constitutes a serious infringement according to article 76.z3) of the Law on Traffic, Motor Vehicle Circulation and Road Safety, and is punishable by a fine of 200 euros according to article 80.1, with increases of up to 30% in case of recidivism, understood as more than one infringement of the same nature within a period of one year.

The sanctioning regime will not be applied immediately: it will enter into force for each group or category of vehicles six months after the restrictions become materially applicable to them and the automated control system is operational. During this period, the Mérida City Council will communicate infringements for exclusively informative and adaptation purposes.

Parking, goods, and monitoring

• Parking is divided into zones for residents and regulated zones for authorized non-resident vehicles.
• Rates may be modulated according to the environmental badge, with a lower cost for zero-emission vehicles.
• Loading and unloading operations will have a maximum time of 60 minutes, and access to vehicles without an environmental badge will not be permitted for urban goods distribution, except for bicycles.
• The ZBE project must be reviewed at least three years after its establishment and, thereafter, with a minimum periodicity of four years.

The specific delimitation of the perimeter and the implementation schedule are listed in Annex I, while the list of vehicles with free access and authorized access is collected in Annex II, which can be consulted via the link published by the Mérida City Council.

The ordinance affects all drivers and residents of Mérida, who must check the environmental badge of their vehicles and, if applicable, request registration in the municipal registry before the restrictions become applicable to them. The text incorporates an adaptation period without sanctions and information and support measures, but already establishes a permanent framework for access to the urban center that may be expanded if air quality objectives so require.

Source: Official Gazette of the Province of Badajoz, No. 182, September 23, 2026, Local Administration, page 2 (official reference: Announcement 3689/2026).