Are dogs allowed on public beaches in Spain during the winter months?

The general rule is that dogs are not allowed on public beaches, although a blind eye is often turned during the winter months and many dog owners do take their dogs onto beaches. But this can be breaking the law and it is a fineable offence.

The beaches throughout Spain are regulated by the Coastal Law. (Law 22/1988, of July 28, on Coasts, since 2013 modified by Law 2/2013, of May 29).

This is the regulation that affects beaches throughout Spain and regulates the protection, conservation and use of the coastline in general. This law establishes that the autonomous communities and city councils are responsible for maintaining the cleanliness and health conditions of bathing areas as well as for placing information posters with the characteristics, infrastructure and their security measures, the most common being the prohibition of the entry of dogs.

In this law, nothing is mentioned about specifically prohibiting dogs from accessing the beach, but neither is anything that expressly allows it. It simply clarifies that the beaches are public property and that access to the sea and the shore will be “free, public and free for common uses and in accordance with the nature of the latter, such as walking, sitting, bathing, sailing, embarking and disembarking, beaching, fishing, collecting plants and shellfish and other similar acts that do not require works and installations of any kind and that are carried out in accordance with in accordance with the laws and regulations or standards approved pursuant to this Law.”)

So each beach may have a different regulation for dogs.

For this reason, depending on each location we may encounter different rules and restrictions for access to Spanish beaches with respect to the time of year, schedules, etc.

How do I know which beach I can take my dog to?

Knowing that each beach has different rules, the first thing you should do is find out what the current legislation is with your town hall, as well as the municipal ordinances of the coastal area where you are.

You may also see information signs about the permissibility or access of dogs at the beach you wish to visit.

Normally, town councils place information signs on the beach about its characteristics. Whether or not animals are allowed; at what times and under what conditions; If it is mandatory to carry the animal’s vaccination record; whether it can be loose or not (specifications on dogs of potentially dangerous breeds and the use of a muzzle on them); if the animal must be kept away from other users and, of course, they are informed of the need to collect the excrement and throw it in the relevant bin.

There are also specific beaches for dogs. If you want to know if a beach is on this list, you can call the Town Hall or have a look at our other posts listing dog friendly beaches in Spain