Town Halls introduce fines of up to €3,000 for reserving places on beaches

Every summer the so-called 'umbrella war' leaves many people unable to find a place on numerous Spanish beaches because others have gotten up early in the morning to reserve their place by leaving their umbrella and towel on the beach, without there being any trace of where those people are.

And this scenario is becoming increasingly common, especially on the Mediterranean coast and on the Andalusian coast. For this reason, several municipalities in Malaga have decided to fine anyone who carries out this practice starting this summer.

This is the case of Torrox and Vélez-Málaga, where fines can reach 300 euros for this practice, and in addition, they will have to pay 50 euros to recover chairs or umbrellas seized by the police on these coasts.

Although the use of Spanish beaches is regulated by Coastal Law 22/88, each municipality can regulate and establish its own rules on these public spaces. Therefore, whether or not you can reserve a space on the beach will depend on the existing regulations in each location.

Malaga is not the only where you can be fined. In Valencia, this practice is also prohibited on the beaches of the capital, as well as in the municipalities of Gandía, Benidorm, and Cullera, where fines can range from 750 to 3,000 euros.

However, the local councils and Local Police have said that sanctions for this type of practice are not very common, and so far this year no fines have yet been issued for this type of action.

The Police in Benidorm said: "These incidents are minimal and don’t represent any real problem. Most are people who stay, they cannot be removed. They usually place the umbrella and go for a walk, but they are not doing anything that is forbidden."

Other municipalities that prohibit it:
Although pursuing these practices is difficult, these types of regulations extend to a large number of other locations. In Alicante, it cannot be done in the towns of  Calpe, Altea, Torrevieja, and Denia.

In Castellón it is prohibited in the municipalities of Oropesa del Mar and Peñíscola. Likewise, in the region of Murcia, it is forbidden to do so on the beaches of San Javier.

Andalusia is another community where several Town Halls have also put a brake on depositing the umbrella on the beach and disappearing. In Malaga, apart from the aforementioned municipalities, it is not allowed to do so in the town of Algarrobo since 2015, or in Nerja, which introduced it in 2020.