Fines that seem to be taken from a neighborhood dystopia. Or from a delirious conversation in a WhatsApp group of parents. But no. They are real, they are collected in laws, regulations and municipal ordinances. And they can cost you from 75 to 100,000 euros.
Here is a list of some of the strangest ones – some are common to all of Spain and some are specific to Madrid.
Driving without a shirt (or in flip-flops, or in a bikini).
There is no article in the Reglamento General de Circulación that says “it is forbidden to drive in a bathing suit”, but there is a quite literal interpretation of Article 18, which requires freedom of movement, permanent attention and a clear field of vision.
So if you go shirtless or wearing flip-flops in your own car, you face fines ranging from 80 to 200 euros. And in serious cases, withdrawal of points.
Nail biting (literally punishable)
The DGT considers nail biting dangerous. Not for aesthetics, but because it can be distracting. The same applies to putting on make-up, drinking water or eating a donut. If the gesture compromises your attention to the road, it can cost you 100 euros. If, in addition, you generate an obvious danger, it can cost you 500 euros and six points on your license.
Feeding pigeons
Who says no to a granny throwing breadcrumbs to some poor turtledoves in El Calero park? The Madrid City Council. Because feeding pigeons disturbs the natural balance, makes a mess, causes noise and damages monuments. In the capital, this behavior can cost you 300 euros.
Leaving a box next to the container
If the box doesn’t fit inside, let someone else do it. Mistake. Since the approval of the 2022 Municipal Cleaning Ordinance, depositing large packaging next to containers in Madrid is a serious infraction. Fines range from 2,001 to 100,000 euros, although the average is around 2,000. In this regard, an article published by journalist Fernando Peinado three years ago in the newspaper El País is quite illustrative: Madrid fines a neighbor with 2,001 euros for a cardboard box thrown outside the container.
Barking that turns into a fine
Your dog can bark. But not too much. And certainly not after 22:00. Municipal ordinances consider it annoying noise, as if they were a radial. If someone complains and the thing is repeated, you (or he) can be fined up to 300 euros.