Villar del Cobo regulates street vending and limits summer loudspeaker use

The Villar del Cobo City Council has finalized the Municipal Ordinance Regulating Street Vending within the Municipal District of Villar del Cobo, the full text of which is published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Teruel no. 199, dated October 16, 2026, under reference No. 2026-3004. The regulation prohibits the use of loudspeakers between 3:00 PM and 6:00 PM in July, August, and September and provides for fines of up to 3,000 euros.

Final approval without objections

The agreement was adopted by the Plenary of the Villar del Cobo City Council in the session of August 14, 2026. As no claims were submitted during the public exhibition period, the initial plenary agreement was automatically elevated to final status, in accordance with Article 70.2 of Law 7/1985, of April 2, on the Bases of Local Government, and Article 141 of Law 7/1999, of April 9, on Local Administration of Aragon.

The ordinance is issued under the local government regulations and the applicable trade legislation in Aragon, and is declared to comply with the principles of necessity, effectiveness, proportionality, legal certainty, transparency, and efficiency of Article 129 of Law 39/2015. The text will not enter into force until it has been fully published and the period provided for in Article 65.2 of Law 7/1985 has elapsed, remaining in effect until its express modification or repeal.

Loudspeakers, modalities, and obligations

Article 6 establishes the acoustic limitation: in July, August, and September, the use of loudspeaker equipment, speakers, amplifiers, or similar devices intended for announcing or promoting is prohibited between 3:00 PM and 6:00 PM, in order to make the activity compatible with the peace and rest of the residents. The City Council may agree, through a reasoned agreement and for reasons of public interest, the provisional relocation of the habitual site, following notification to the vendor and without the right to compensation.

The permitted modalities are:

• Sales in occasional markets during festivals or other popular events.
• Street sale of perishable seasonal or artisanal food products, by farmers or artisans, directly or through associations and cooperatives.
• Sales from mobile vans of products whose specific regulations do not prohibit it.
• Sales in places not intended for the specific type of commercial activity.
• Charity flea markets, whose proceeds must go to a non-profit organization, a fact that must appear in the advertising and be communicated to the Commercial Activity Registry of Aragon.

Vendors have the right to occupy the stall and carry out their activity publicly and peacefully, and they must comply with trade and market discipline regulations, be responsible for the products sold, and leave their stalls free of waste.

Infractions, fines, and statute of limitations

The sanctioning regime distinguishes three levels:

• Minor infractions: failure to comply with the use of public address systems under Article 6; fine of up to 750 euros.
• Serious infractions: two minor infractions within one year, selling unauthorized products, or abandoning waste and packaging; fine of up to 1,500 euros.
• Very serious infractions: two serious infractions within the same year or causing damage to the pavement or facilities; fine of up to 3,000 euros.

The grading shall consider the amount of illicit profit, the social significance, the speculative behavior of the offender, the overall amount of the operation, and the degree of intent. The statute of limitations periods are six months for minor infractions, two years for serious infractions, and three years for very serious infractions.

Sanctioning authority and appeals

The authority to sanction corresponds to the mayor, according to Article 30.ll) of Law 7/1999 in relation to Article 25 of Law 7/1985, following the instruction of the file, which may be initiated ex officio, by claim, or by complaint, in accordance with Law 39/2015 and Law 40/2015. For matters not provided for, Law 4/2015, of March 25, on Trade in Aragon; Law 7/1996, of January 15, on the Regulation of Retail Trade; and hygienic-sanitary and consumer protection regulations shall apply.

An administrative appeal may be filed against the ordinance before the Administrative Litigation Chamber of the High Court of Justice of Aragon, based in Zaragoza, within two months from the day following the publication of the announcement, pursuant to Articles 10.1.b), 45, and 46 of Law 29/1998, of July 13.

The entry into force of the ordinance provides the municipality with its own framework for a traditional commercial activity, with clear rules on acoustic schedules, stall cleanliness, and authorized products. For street vendors, it implies a defined authorization and sanction regime; for residents, the guarantee of silence during rest hours in the months of highest activity.

Source: Official Gazette of the Province of Teruel, no. 199, of October 16, 2026, Local Administration-Municipalities, pp. 8-12 (official reference: No. 2026-3004).