Soria approves its Low Emission Zone with 200-euro fines

The Plenary of the Soria City Council, in a session held on August 25, 2026, definitively approved the Municipal Ordinance regulating the creation and management of the Low Emission Zone (ZBE) of the City of Soria, after resolving the allegations presented during the public information process. The regulation is published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Soria, number 99, dated August 26, 2026, and restricts the access, circulation, and parking of vehicles without an environmental badge in the city center.

The ordinance, which provides the framework for the so-called BES (Bajas Emisiones Soria), will enter into force fifteen business days after its full publication in the gazette, in accordance with article 70.2 of Law 7/1985, of April 2, Regulating the Bases of the Local Regime. An administrative appeal may be filed against the agreement before the Contentious-Administrative Chamber of the High Court of Justice of Castilla y León, based in Burgos, within a period of two months.

Regulatory framework and background

The initiative is based on Law 7/2021, of May 20, on climate change and energy transition, and Royal Decree 1052/2022, of December 27, which regulates low emission zones. Although Soria, as a provincial capital below the threshold of 50,000 inhabitants, is not obliged to implement it, the City Council assumes it as a priority of its commitment to the ecological transition, within the framework of the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan approved by the Local Government Board on September 24, 2021, and the Soria 2030 Roadmap.

The BES is delimited in Annex 1 of the ordinance, with a perimeter that covers roads such as Paseo del Espolón, Plaza Mayor, C/ Collado, or Plaza Mariano Granados, among others. Access control will be carried out through automated technical means and Local Police officers, with signage from the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT).

Restrictions and exemptions

Generally, access, circulation, and parking in the BES are prohibited for vehicles that do not have a DGT environmental badge (0 emissions, ECO, C, or B labels). The regulation provides, however, for a wide catalog of exemptions for vehicles without a badge that register in the City Council’s Access Management System:

Vehicles of registered residents within the LEZ perimeter.
Vehicles of persons with reduced mobility and persons with illnesses that prevent the use of public transport.
Vehicles of essential public services, emergencies, Security Forces and Corps, and Armed Forces.
Taxis and VTC vehicles, public and school transport, and urban freight distribution (DUM) during loading and unloading hours.
Vehicles of companies and professionals providing services or delivering supplies within the LEZ, as well as historic vehicles and guests of lodging establishments.

Implementation calendar and sanctioning regime

The launch of the LEZ is structured in two phases. Phase 1 involves the entry into force of the “trial” zone, with permanent restrictions from 7:00 to 20:00, Monday to Friday, without sanctions but with informative warnings to offenders; it spans from the entry into force of the ordinance until October 31, 2026. Phase 2, which begins on November 1, 2026, with an indefinite duration, fully activates the sanctioning regime.

Infractions, classified as serious according to section z3) of article 76 of the consolidated text of the Law on Traffic, Motor Vehicle Circulation and Road Safety (Royal Legislative Decree 6/2015), are penalized with a fine of 200 euros, which may be increased by 30% in case of recidivism. The sanctioning authority corresponds to the Mayor’s Office, and reports may be filed by the Local Police or by any person.

The approval of the LEZ makes Soria one of the first provincial capitals of its size to anticipate the legal obligation to implement low emission zones, with the aim of reducing traffic pollution, promoting sustainable mobility, and protecting the health of the citizens. Residents, businesses, and drivers must adapt to the new regulation before November 1, when the restrictions will cease to be informative and will begin to have economic consequences.

Source: Official Gazette of the Province of Soria, no. 99, August 26, 2026, section II. Local Administration, page 2922 (official reference: BOPSO-99-26082026).