Barcelona City Council has started processing a new ordinance to regulate street vending and services in the city. It is the first time Barcelona will set rules for authorisations for street vendor markets, occasional markets and individual stalls, using the 2017 Trade Law as the basis.
The council says the aim is to bring transparency and fairness to access for these activities. After the Government Commission agreements are published, a mandatory public consultation period will begin this Monday, allowing individuals and organisations affected by the future rules to give their views before the approval process continues.
Once consultation ends, the ordinance will go through initial approval, public exhibition and then final approval by the City Plenary Council. The council expects the new rules to take effect in the first quarter of 2027. For ongoing city coverage, see our news page.
Raquel Gil, Deputy Mayor for Economic Promotion, Trade, Markets, Restaurants and Employment, said Barcelona will have, for the first time, a regulation for the city's non-sedentary markets, which number more than 70. She said these markets have commercial value, many have history, create jobs and complement local trade.
The ordinance covers street vendor markets, occasional markets and individual stalls set up in public spaces with demountable or transportable structures, run by professional non-sedentary vendors on a periodic and pre-established basis. A key change is the end of collective licences in favour of individual licences valid for 15 years, with the option of extension.
The council says the change is meant to support the survival and profitability of the activity and prevent intermediation among street vendors in the city. It also says the regulation will help keep existing licensed non-sedentary markets in place, improve legal certainty and set specific conditions for each market, including location, frequency, number of stalls, opening hours and health requirements.
To help with the change, the council plans a one-year adaptation period for existing licences. It will also study cases where one holder has several licences, to make sure the activity can continue. For more on the legal framework behind the move, see the Barcelona City Council and the Generalitat de Catalunya official gazette.
