Barcelona City Council is preparing to introduce a new measure that promises to tighten up coexistence in public spaces: the obligation for dog owners to clean up after their pets. This change is part of the reform of the civility ordinance, an update of the regulations that came into force in 2005 and which, it seems, will be approved in the first months of next year.
The end of pee-pees on street corners
The new ordinance will prohibit dogs from peeing on any corner, lamppost or flowerbed without their owners cleaning the affected area afterwards. This proposal has been one of the most supported in the participatory process that the Barcelona City Council has carried out to reform the civic ordinance. Among the measures that have received the most support, the one that requires owners to carry a bottle of water or a disinfectant solution to clean up urine on public roads stands out. The question now being asked by many is whether it will be compulsory to always carry a small bottle and whether water will be enough or whether a specific disinfectant liquid will be necessary. Doubts also arise as to whether there will really be fines for those who do not follow these new rules. Negotiations between the different political groups on how this measure will be implemented are about to begin, and it is likely that, given the strong citizen support, it will end up being approved.
A growing problem
Unrest among neighbors has been increasing in recent years due to the problems caused by dog urine on city streets. Shopkeepers, residents and passers-by complain about the bad smell, the dirt and the obligation to dodge puddles on the sidewalks. Barcelona already has more dogs than children, reflecting the huge impact pets have on public space. The number of responsible owners who clean up their dogs’ excrement and urine has grown, but there is still a long way to go before this practice becomes widespread. The Consistory points out that the management of sidewalks and the use of public space has become more complex in recent years, especially after the pandemic. Citizen concerns have evolved, and what used to focus the debate around civility, such as begging or street vending, has now given way to new challenges such as the proliferation of scooters, the occupation of sidewalks by motorcycles and, of course, the impact of pets in the urban environment.
The participatory process that made it possible
The City Council has carried out a participatory process between February and July this year, which collected 570 citizen proposals, finally grouped into 534. Among the most popular were several related to the management of dog urine. The municipal portal #DecidimBCN has published the results of this process, and of the 10 most supported proposals, four have been accepted, three of which refer to pet pee. The accepted proposals call for clear measures: owners must keep their dogs leashed, pick up their droppings and clean up the urine with a bottle of water or disinfectant. In addition, it is requested that dogs be prohibited from urinating in flowerbeds, corners of buildings and lampposts. The City Council has also received suggestions that sanctions be imposed on those who do not comply with these rules and that an information campaign be carried out to educate citizens about their new obligations.
Reform is on its way
Mayor Jaume Collboni’s government is confident that the new civility ordinance will be approved before the summer of 2025. At the moment, municipal technicians are drafting the proposal to be presented to the government commission in February. If the political consensus is achieved, the watering of dog urine will become mandatory through a provision that will amend the ordinance of animal ownership, integrating both regulations in a joint solution. The municipal commissioner for Coexistence, Montserrat Surroca, has also indicated that talks with the opposition have already begun to speed up the process, although tensions between parties could slow down the negotiations. Even so, all indications are that popular demand for this measure will be difficult to ignore.
Other citizen concerns
While the reform of the civility ordinance will focus primarily on issues such as dog urine, other citizen proposals have been left out of this update and have been referred to different areas of municipal management. Among the concerns mentioned are the regulation of electric scooters, motorcycle parking on sidewalks, the installation of terraces and the feeding of pigeons on public roads. These issues, although also strongly supported, will not be included in the reform of the current civility ordinance, but will be dealt with separately, making their resolution less immediate. Other proposals, such as actions against graffiti and locksmith stickers, have also been included in the top ranks of citizen demands.
A necessary change for coexistence
The Barcelona City Council seeks with this new reform to adapt to the current needs of the city and improve the coexistence between neighbors and pet owners. The number of dogs has grown significantly in recent years, and with it, the shared responsibility to keep the streets clean and safe for everyone. If the reform is approved as expected, pet owners will have new obligations to fulfill. The impact of urine on the sidewalks has been one of the main complaints from neighbors, and the City Council is confident that this measure will contribute to improving coexistence and the use of public space in a more respectful manner.
