The law on dogs
Laws for owner of properties Spain |
If one is a dog owner, there are certain municipal obligations to fulfil. As an example of what is the norm, we shall take the 'Ordenanza' from the municipality of Altea . (You can go to your 'ayuntamiento' and ask if they have any such 'Ordenanza' on dogs ('perros' in Castellano and 'gossos' in Valenciano) and get a copy of it.)
Laws for ownesr of properties Spain
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Article 2 of the Altea dog rules states that all owners of dogs are obliged to register the animal and get a health card for it if it is more than three months old.
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Article 3: On public thoroughfares, the dog must always be on a lead and carry a health disc on its collar. If dogs are dangerous, they must be muzzled.
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Article 4: The person walking a dog on public thoroughfares, in gardens, parks or on promenades, must assure that the dog does not leave any deposits, or, if it does, that the person must remove them.
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Article 5: It is absolutely forbidden to let a dog enter places where foodstuffs are being manufactured, stored or sold. The owners of the establishments must prohibit the entry of dogs in such places, even if wearing a muzzle. Dogs are absolutely prohibited to enter both cultural and sports events.
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Article 6: The beaches are completely 'off limits' to dogs.
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Article 7: Any dog that bites a person will be taken by the municipal services and kept under veterinary observation for 14 days. The owners of such a dog are obliged to report the dog to the municipality. Laws for owner of properties Spain
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Article 8 and 9: A dog without a known owner, home, registration, health disc or that is running in the streets without a lead, will be considered vagrant. It will be picked up by the Animal Protection Society of Benidorm, with which the municipality has an agreement. If the reason is that the dog has no health disc, the owner must provide such a disc within five (5) days.
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Article 10: It is an offence to abandon a dog. The owner who wishes to abandon it must deliver it to the town hall.
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Article 11: Any person being cruel or abusive to a domestic animal will be fined. |
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New law against noise. Laws for owners of properties Spain |
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The World Health Organisation is pointing to the health hazard connected with the high noise level in Spain , where 80% of the population is exposed to a noise level of more than 80 decibels (the level where the noise may affect your health). The European Union has admonished Spain , known as the noisiest country in Europe, and on a world scale only beaten by Japan , to take measures to reduce the noise level. That is the background for the preparation of a new law against noise, especially protecting dwellings from exterior noises.
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An airplane taking off produces 120 decibels, but even a coffee grinder reaches 100 decibels, the same as the noise level in a disco. Noise in the streets may go up to 70 decibels, in an office 60, while a well protected bedroom should not surpass 20 decibels.
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Of course, motorcycles may surpass 85 decibels, and the noise from public works reaches 100.
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The new law will improve the insulation in construction, both in exterior walls and in divisions between dwellings, as well as reducing the noise from lifts and central water heaters. Anyone who has stayed in a Spanish apartment building will understand the need for the new law.
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The promoters have calculated that the measures foreseen in the new law will increase building costs by 5%. Well worth it!
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.... AND A COURT SENTENCE AGAINST NOISE Laws for owners of properties Spain
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A family in Murcia lived 50 metres from a factory processing deep-frozen food. After some time the factory also started to load and unload lorries during the night, up to 24 hours per day. Because their complaints were not attended to, the family took the matter first to the town hall, which did not react, and then to the Ombudsman (Defensor del Pueblo) who was also ignored by the town hall. The authorities of the region of Murcia produced a report confirming the high noise level produced by the factory. Laws for owner of properties Spain
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The family took the factory to court (for noise and nuisance) and also the town hall (for not complying with their duty to eliminate such noise and nuisance), and asked for damages. The court in Molina de Segura sentenced the factory and the town hall to pay the family 800.00 Euros per month for each of the four family members. Moreover, the factory and the town hall were obliged to supply another dwelling for the family, at a value of 300.000 Euros.
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The factory and the town hall appealed the sentence, and the provincial court of Murcia ratified the previous sentence, but reduced the damages to be paid.Laws for owners of properties Spain
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