The Directorate General of Traffic has published a new instruction that affects the caravans that are camped and not parked on the seafront that would involve fines of more than 220 euros per day

Fines of more than 40 euros per square meter of occupation and day are those that can be received by caravans camping by the sea. Taking into account that motorhomes have a length ranging between 5.50 and 8 meters, the minimum penalty would be 220 euros per day. This is what the Dirección General de Tráfico (DGT) states in a new instruction published this week. The document responds to a Proposition not of Law (PNL) approved in the Congress of Deputies on October 27, 2020 that urged to carry out a study to analyze the regulatory aspects related to the mobility in motorhome.

This is an activity that has grown exponentially since the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, the DGT has prepared this new instruction that updates the one approved in 2008.

Some autonomous communities such as Navarra, Andalusia, Extremadura, Castilla la Mancha, Valencia and Asturias have adapted their legislation to regulate motorhome reception areas in the tourist accommodation modality, but this is not the case of the Balearic Islands where there is no specific regulation.

Ban on parking of caravans by the sea

The DGT also addresses the unauthorized parking or circulation of motorhomes in the maritime-terrestrial public domain area and especially on the seashore. The unauthorized parking and circulation of vehicles shall be sanctioned with fines of between 50 and 150 euros.

According to the instruction, “parking is not camping”, so the traffic regulations, regardless of whether or not the occupants are inside the motorhome, will apply when the vehicle is with the engine stopped and in contact with the ground through the wheels, without stabilizing legs or any other device except the chocks. Also when the vehicle does not occupy more surface area than it occupies when closed, i.e. without the deployment of projectable elements, chairs, tables, etc. The vehicle must not emit any type of fluids or noises to the outside.

If any of the above three requirements are not met, the maneuver would not be considered a parking maneuver. In this case, it would be a regulated activity, either by existing regional regulations, by municipal regulations or by the aforementioned Coastal Law.