Skip to content

Where are you from?

Choose your province and we will tell you how the deputies and senators you elected vote, one by one.

 

We remember it in this browser. If you create an account, we keep it there.
Sign in

Type a law, a topic, a person or a province.

What it is

The coast belongs to everyone: protection and beach rules

BOE step 7 of 7 · Passed

It is a government bill. Introduced by the Government. It was introduced on 15 December 1987. Introduced by: GOBIERNO.

Official title: Government bill on Coastal Protection.

Follow this law

Source: Congreso de los Diputados, file 121/000066· updated 11 Nov

Automatic summary, not yet reviewed

  1. The sea, beaches, the seashore and other lands such as dunes and marshes are state public domain property, meaning they belong to everyone. No one can take ownership of them, even if they appear in the Property Registry.
  2. The State determines which lands are public domain through boundary surveys called deslindes. Once approved, the survey prevails over Property Registry entries, and the Administration can recover possession at any time.
  3. A protection easement zone of 100 meters inland from the seashore is created, where housing, untreated waste discharges and advertising are prohibited, among other activities.
  4. Public passage next to the sea is guaranteed: a strip of 6 meters (expandable to 20) must remain open for pedestrian traffic, and planning rules must provide beach access points and parking.
  5. Use of the sea and the beach is free, public and no-cost for activities like walking, swimming or fishing. Beaches cannot be for private use, and installations may not cover more than half the beach at high tide.
  6. Occupying public domain with fixed structures requires a concession, with a maximum term of 30 years (previously 99). Authorizations are personal, cannot be sold, and polluters pay a discharge fee.
  7. Damaging the coast or occupying it without a title is an infraction, with fines up to 50 million pesetas for serious cases, plus the duty to restore the damage. Anyone can file a complaint (public action).
  8. Existing buildings are covered by transitional rules: in urban land the protection easement is reduced to 20 meters and acquired rights are respected, allowing repair works that do not increase volume.

Who it affects

  • Owners of land next to the coast: Their land may be subject to protection, transit and beach access easements, and the boundary survey may include it in the public domain.
  • Beach and sea users: Free access and use of beaches and the seashore are guaranteed, with public walkways and parking.
  • Companies and industries that discharge into the sea or occupy the coast: They need an authorization or concession, pay fees, and risk fines and termination if they break the rules.
  • Municipalities and Autonomous Communities: They have reporting duties, beach service management and planning powers, coordinated with the State.

Words worth knowing

Dominio público marítimo-terrestre (maritime-terrestrial public domain)
Assets such as the sea, beaches and the seashore that belong to the State but are open for everyone's use.
Deslinde (boundary survey)
Official process in which the Administration marks the exact limits of public domain land.
Servidumbre (easement)
A legal limit on the ownership of a plot, for example to allow public passage.
Concesión (concession)
Permission from the Administration to use or occupy a public asset for a set period.
Canon (fee)
A periodic payment made to the Administration in exchange for using or occupying a public asset.

It summarizes the law as published in the BOE. It is written by artificial intelligence and may contain mistakes: the official text is what counts. Read the official text · How we make summaries

Where it stands

How far did it get?

It took 7 of 7 steps. It reached BOE, and today it is passed.

  1. Introduced15 December 1987Someone registers the text in the Congreso.
  2. Admitted15 December 1987The Bureau of the Congreso accepts it and, for a members’ bill, the plenary decides whether to consider it.
  3. Amendmentsno dateGroups propose changes.
  4. Committeeno dateA committee goes through the text in detail.
  5. Plenaryno dateAll 350 deputies vote.
  6. Senateno dateThe Senate can pass it, amend it or veto it.
  7. BOEno dateIt is published in the Official State Gazette (BOE) and comes into force.
See the 2 official steps on a timeline
Dec 198711. 15 December 1987: Presentación22. 15 December 1987: Calificación

Was there a plenary vote?

We have no plenary vote linked to this law in the Congreso’s data.

What happens next

What happens now?

It is law, or will be once published in the BOE. It comes into force on the date its own text sets.

Published in the BOE: Law 22/1988, of July 28, on Coastal Protection.

Sources

Where does all this come from?

  • The data comes from the open files of the Congreso, the Senate and the BOE, unaltered.
  • Each deputy’s province is the one of their seat on the day of the vote.
  • We only say “passed” or “rejected” when the majority needed is certain; otherwise we say which side had more votes.

Read the full method · Report an error