Torredembarra launches the animal welfare ordinance with a comprehensive sanctioning regime

The Plenary of the Torredembarra City Council, in an ordinary session on July 20, 2026, initially approved the modification of the ordinance on the protection, keeping, and sale of animals, which is now renamed the Ordinance on the Responsible Keeping and Welfare of Companion Animals. The regulation has become definitive after the acting secretary certified that no allegations, amendments, or suggestions were submitted during the public information period. The full text is published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Tarragona on November 9, 2026, with the reference CVE 2026-10189, and enters into force on the day of publication.

The processing was carried out in accordance with article 65.1 of the Regulation of works, activities, and services of local entities, approved by Decree 179/1995, of June 13, according to which regulations and ordinances are understood to be definitively approved if there are no claims during the public information period following the initial approval. The announcement is signed by the mayor, Raúl Garcia Vicente, with an electronic signature date of October 29, 2026. The regulation expressly repeals the ordinance approved on July 25, 2016, and adapts to Law 7/2023, of March 28, on the protection of the rights and welfare of animals.

A text of 35 articles and eight titles

The ordinance is organized into a preliminary title and eight further titles, with 35 articles and a final annex containing the table of infractions and sanctions. The preamble justifies the revision due to the paradigm shift brought about by Law 7/2023 and the conviction that companion animals are beings with feelings and sensitivity.

The text recalls that Torredembarra was declared a Pet Friendly municipality by Plenary agreement in November 2019 and that the scope of application covers any person who is the owner or responsible party for companion animals living within the municipal boundaries, regardless of the animal’s place of residence.

Chip, census, and deadlines for owners

All dogs, cats, and ferrets must carry an approved chip implanted by a registered veterinarian and be registered in the municipal census, which is processed through the General Registry of Companion Animals (ANICOM) of the Generalitat de Catalunya and is free of charge.

• Census registration: three months from birth or thirty days from acquisition or adoption.
• Notification of the animal’s disappearance to the City Council: 48 hours; otherwise, abandonment is presumed.
• Deregistration due to death: 7 business days, with the incineration or burial document.
• Unidentified animals upon entry into force: 12 months of leeway to regularize their status.

Limits on public roads and feline colonies

Title II establishes the circulation conditions: animals must be accompanied, tied with a leash and collar, and have their documentation on hand. It is prohibited to keep more than five pets in the same dwelling, to use electric, impulse, or choke collars, to leave dogs alone for more than 24 hours, and to wash animals on public roads or at fountains.

• Prohibited to walk animals on beaches during the official bathing season, except for the designated dog beach area.
• Prohibited to feed animals on the street, except for persons authorized to manage feline colonies.
• Colony managers must pass the Basic Colony Management Course and possess a diploma, a yellow reflective vest, and an ID card.
• The City Council is responsible for the capture-neuter-return (CNR) method and maintains a registry of colonies and caregivers.

Potentially dangerous dogs and sanctions

Title III lists fourteen breeds considered potentially dangerous, from the ‘akita inu’ to the ’tosa inu’, and requires a municipal ownership and handling license valid for five years, as well as civil liability insurance with minimum coverage of 150,253 euros. These dogs must wear a muzzle and a non-extendable leash of less than two meters; they may not be handled by minors, nor may more than one be walked at a time.

The sanctioning regime (Title VIII) classifies infractions as minor, serious, and very serious, refers the amounts to the municipal Ordinance on Civility and Citizen Coexistence in force at the time of the events, and provides for the preventive seizure of animals. Abandoning, mistreating, or killing an animal, selling it outside authorized establishments, or not having a license for dangerous dogs are qualified as very serious; failing to collect excrement or not carrying documentation are minor.

The collection service for abandoned or lost animals is not provided directly by the City Council, but by the Consell Comarcal del Tarragonès by agreement, with a municipal facility in Cal Danià for stays of up to 48 hours and a period of twenty days to recover the animal.

The new ordinance now obliges thousands of pet owners in Torredembarra to regularize their microchip and census, and provides legal coverage for the local police to sanction abandonment, mistreatment, and uncivil behavior on public roads.

Source: Official Gazette of the Province of Tarragona, November 9, 2026, section I, pp. 1-26 (official reference: CVE 2026-10189).