New year, new laws, so we leave you here 5 new rules, ordinances and laws that this 2025 will change the daily life of the people of Barcelona.
From the definitive regulation of scooters to modifications in the Low Emission Zone, the year arrives with laws and controversial measures that are important to know to move around the city in the coming months.
Ban on gas stoves on terraces:
A small measure that generated a lot of commotion. At the end of 2024 Barcelona announced that it would ban the use of gas stoves on the terraces of bars and restaurants. The measure seeks to reduce polluting emissions and improve air quality in the city and is part of a broader effort to promote energy efficiency and sustainability in the hospitality sector.
The idea is for establishments to adopt more sustainable alternatives, such as energy-efficient electric stoves or infrared heating systems. The measure has obviously generated discomfort in the sector because of the outlay involved, but the city council defends that the measure is in line with European policies to fight climate change and seeks a balance between economic activity and environmental protection. The City Council is expected to offer information and support to businesses to facilitate the transition to these new technologies.
New ordinance for scooters (VMP):
From February 1, 2025, a new municipal ordinance will come into force that will regulate the use of Personal Mobility Vehicles (PMVs), mainly electric scooters, in Barcelona. This regulation seeks to improve the coexistence between pedestrians, cyclists and users of VMP, as well as to increase road safety, sanctioning some of the most problematic behaviors of scooters, such as their circulation on sidewalks (fines of up to 500 €), the mandatory use of helmets or stricter speed limits. We tell you all about it here.
Progress in the Low Emission Zone (LEZ):
Barcelona’s Low Emission Zone (LEZ) will continue to expand and tighten in 2025. Although nothing has been confirmed yet, new restrictions for the most polluting vehicles, extensions to the perimeter of the LEZ and/or restricting access to vehicles with less favorable environmental labels are expected.
New public transport fares:
As usual every year, there have been adjustments in public transport fares in Barcelona for 2025, after a few years of frozen prices thanks to the government’s subsidy. This year, the Autoritat del Transport Metropolità (ATM) has approved a generalized fare increase of around 3%, WHICH responds to the need to balance the costs of the system and finance investments in maintenance and improvement of the network. We tell you all about it here.
The issue of rising rents is a topic that occupies and worries the population enormously. The prices do not stop rising and this 2025 to establish a ceiling to that escalation the Government of Spain has approved a new reference index to update the contracts to tenants. This is the Housing Lease Reference Index (IRAV), which is calculated by adding the annual variation of the CPI, underlying inflation and the average variation of the last two. The result of this calculation, which is provided by the INE, will mark from 2025 onwards the ceiling for rental price increases.
We do not know if this will slow down the rise in rents, but we leave you here all the information so that you are aware of the measure.