What this letter is
It is the notificación de una denuncia de tráfico (notice of a traffic offence report) issued on a city street. It may come from the local police, from regulated parking wardens (ORA, SER, blue or green zone) or from the cameras of a zona de bajas emisiones (ZBE) (low-emission zone). The fine is imposed by the mayor or the body the mayor delegates to (art. 84.4 of the Traffic Act). The procedure is the same as for the DGT; what changes from city to city are the bylaws and some amounts.
How to read it: the key parts
| What you see on the letter | What it means |
|---|---|
| Ayuntamiento / Órgano instructor (town hall / investigating body) | Who is fining you and who you address objections to. |
| Nº de expediente or Nº de boletín (case number / ticket number) | Your fine’s number. You need it to pay or object. |
| Hecho denunciado (reported offence) | What you did according to the report: parking without a ticket, overstaying, entering the ZBE… |
| Norma infringida (rule broken: Traffic Act, Regulations or ordenanza municipal, municipal bylaw) | The rule that was broken. For ORA it is usually the city’s own bylaw. |
| Calificación (leve, grave, muy grave) (classification: minor, serious, very serious) | How serious it is, which sets the amount. |
| Importe and importe con reducción (amount and reduced amount) | The full fine and what you pay with the 50 % discount. |
| Agente or dispositivo (officer or device, e.g. camera) | Who or what detected the offence. |
| Requerimiento de identificación del conductor (request to identify the driver) | If it appears, you must say who was driving. |
What deadline you have
You have 20 calendar days from the day after notification (art. 93.1 of the Traffic Act). Weekends and public holidays count.
Some town halls notify through the Dirección Electrónica Vial (DEV) (the DGT’s electronic mailbox); others by post to your home. If they can’t find you, they publish the fine in the BOE’s Tablón Edictal Único (official notice board) and it is treated as notified.
Example: you are notified of a ZBE fine on 14 January. The period starts on the 15th and ends on 3 February.
What you can do
| Option | When it makes sense | What happens next |
|---|---|---|
| Pay with the 50 % discount | If the facts are correct | The procedure ends. You give up objecting. |
| Submit objections (alegaciones) | If you had a valid ticket, permit or emissions label, or there’s an error in the details | You lose the discount. If they agree with you, the case is closed. |
| Ask for the photo or the case file | If you have doubts about the camera or the location | It helps you decide within the deadline. |
| Identify the driver | If you weren’t driving | The fine is redirected to that person. |
| Do nothing | Never | The report can become a final penalty and go to enforced collection. |
For a ZBE, check whether your vehicle was allowed in: environmental label, resident’s permit, private parking or a grace period in your city. If so, provide the proof.
What happens if you do nothing
- In many cases the report counts as the penalty 30 calendar days after notification.
- Once final, you have 15 calendar days to pay (art. 110).
- After that, the town hall or its collection body starts the vía de apremio (enforced collection): a surcharge of up to 20 %, interest and possible seizure of accounts.
- Against the penalty decision you can file a recurso de reposición (appeal for reconsideration) within 1 month (art. 96.2).
Common mistakes
- Thinking municipal fines have no discount: they do.
- Paying the 50 % and then submitting objections: they are treated as not submitted.
- Throwing away the ORA ticket. It is your best evidence.
- Thinking a ZBE fine won’t reach you if your car has foreign plates.
- Arguing, without evidence, that you didn’t see the sign.
How to respond, step by step
- Check the plate, street, date and time.
- To pay: use the online portal or payment gateway of the town hall or its collection body, with the case number. Keep the receipt.
- To object: log in to the town hall’s online portal (sede electrónica) with Cl@ve or a certificate. The general electronic registry or any official registry also works.
- Attach your evidence: ticket, permit, vehicle registration document, photos.
- Keep the receipt with the date of entry.
Sample text (write it in Spanish):
Expediente n.º [número]. D./D.ª [nombre], DNI/NIE [número], formulo alegaciones a la denuncia notificada el [fecha]: [motivo, p. ej., disponía de ticket válido hasta las 12:30, que adjunto]. Solicito el archivo del expediente.
(In English: Case no. [number]. I, [name], DNI/NIE [number], submit objections to the offence report notified on [date]: [reason, e.g. I had a valid ticket until 12:30, which I attach]. I request that the case be closed.)
Cartamiga tip: if the fine is correct, pay with the 50 % discount and don’t give it another thought. If you had a ticket or permit, object with the proof in hand: it’s the argument that works best.