Sant Vicenç de Montalt approves the ban on smoking on all beaches

The Sant Vicenç de Montalt City Council has initially approved ordinance no. 94 regulating the use of the municipality’s beaches, a text that declares all beaches smoke-free and establishes a sanctioning regime of up to 1,500 euros. The agreement is from the Plenary dated September 24, 2026, and was published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Barcelona on October 21, 2026, under file 2026/1735-1217 and official reference CVE 202610156390. The document, consisting of 27 pages, is subject to public consultation for 30 days.

The regulation is processed in accordance with articles 22.2.d) and 49 of Law 7/1985, of April 2, regulating the bases of the local regime, article 178 of the Revised Text of the Municipal and Local Regime Law of Catalonia, and article 63 of the Regulation of works, activities, and services of local entities. The approved revised text consists of 48 articles, distributed across a preliminary title and six titles, in addition to transitional, repealing, and final provisions. The announcement is signed by the mayor, Javier Sandoval Carrillo, on October 9, 2026.

Smoke-free beaches and coexistence

Article 27 is the most relevant for the citizenry: it prohibits smoking on all beaches in the municipality, which are now considered “smoke-free,” and extends the prohibition to electronic cigarettes and vaporizers. The measure must be signaled with signs at all entrances, and smoking on a smoke-free beach is classified as a minor offense.

• Exceptions: terraces of authorized beach bars (guinguetes) and spaces designated for parties, fairs, festivals, or concerts.
• Beach bars: minimum separation of 100 meters between establishments.
• Sunbeds and umbrellas: minimum distance of 2 meters from the access walkways to the sea.
• Occupation: facilities cannot collectively exceed half of the beach surface area at high tide.

The text also prohibits camping and bivouacking, street vending without municipal authorization, unauthorized massages and tattoos, advertising and graffiti, and the use of musical instruments that disturb other users.

Bathing, safety, and nautical activities

Surveillance and rescue are regulated by a flag system: red (bathing prohibited), yellow (dangerous beaches), and green (free beaches), with dimensions of 1.5 meters wide by 1 meter long on 3-meter poles. Bathing with a red flag or jumping into the water at jetties and rocky areas is a serious offense.

• Kitesurf: only between June 1 and September 30 if permitted by the Use Plan; it is allowed outside the bathing season, except on protected beaches.
• Recreational rod fishing: from 21:00 to 01:00 hours on jetties, breakwaters, and the shoreline; it is prohibited between 01:00 and 07:00 to ensure mechanical cleaning.
• Floating devices: entry and exit through the channels at a maximum of 3 knots and distance between 100 and 250 meters from the shore.
• Pets: prohibited during the bathing season, except in authorized sections, and prohibited year-round in dune areas and coastal vegetation.
• Metal detectors: only during night hours, from 22:00 to 07:00, during the bathing season.

Sanctions and appeal periods

The sanctioning regime grades infractions as minor, serious, and very serious, with fines of up to 300 euros, from 301 to 600 euros, and from 601 to 1,500 euros, respectively. Voluntary payment before the start of the procedure reduces the fine by 50%, while the acknowledgment of responsibility once the procedure has already started allows for reductions of 30% (via expedited process) or 20% (via ordinary process). The City Council may substitute fines for training sessions or community service.

Appeals may be submitted for 30 days starting from the day after the publication of the announcement in the bulletin, and the file can be consulted at the municipal offices and on the electronic headquarters www.svmontalt.cat. If no claim or suggestion is presented, the agreement will be understood as definitively approved.

The new ordinance arrives with the beach season already closed and, therefore, the bulk of the restrictions—especially the smoking ban and the limitations on animals and nautical activities—will be fully applied in the summer of 2027, once the approval is definitive and the text enters into force the day after its full publication in the bulletin.

Fuente: Official Bulletin of the Province of Barcelona, October 21, 2026, Local Administration, pp. 1-27 (official reference: CVE 202610156390).