Madrid's 2.5 million low-emission zone fines ruled illegal, but they keep coming
Madrid's High Court struck down the city's low-emission zones in 2024. Yet the city council has still issued 2.5 million fines worth 479 million euros. Appealing costs more than paying.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Madrid's 2.5 million low-emission zone fines ruled illegal, but they keep coming
Madrid's High Court of Justice (TSJM) struck down the Sustainable Mobility Ordinance governing the city's low-emission zones (ZBE) in September 2024. Since then, the city council led by José Luis Martínez-Almeida has appealed the ruling to the Supreme Court, but the fines have kept pouring in. According to AEAPress data from July 2025, between September 2021 and December 2024 the council issued 2,506,611 penalty notices worth 479,658,910 euros. A multimillion-euro business that, despite the judicial nullity, remains active.
Affected drivers find themselves in a Kafkaesque situation: appealing a fine costs more than paying it. One concrete case illustrates this: contesting a 200-euro fine in court requires a lawyer and a court representative, at an estimated cost of 500 to 900 euros. The deadline to file the claim is ten working days from notification, and if it is not filed, the fine becomes final. The advice is clear: don't pay the fines and appeal them all, because if the annulment is upheld, the city council will not refund anything paid voluntarily.
The political debate adds extra spice. The low-emission zones were introduced in 2018 by Manuela Carmena's government, but Almeida kept them and tightened them. Now, some accuse the mayor of being a "incivil" for defying the ruling, while others point out that those protesting "are six years late," having backed the original measure. The irony is that the current conservative PP government is defending a rule that came from the left, while France is already scrapping similar restrictions.
Until the Supreme Court rules, Madrid residents trapped in the zone keep paying the price. The practical advice: always appeal, even if it costs more than the fine, because the precedent of the face-mask fines suggests that annulled penalties end up going uncollected. Until then, the fine-collection machine keeps running, court ruling notwithstanding.
Madrid's High Court of Justice (TSJM) struck down the Sustainable Mobility Ordinance governing the city's low-emission zones (ZBE) in September 2024. Since then, the city council led by José Luis Martínez-Almeida has appealed the ruling to the Supreme Court, but the fines have kept pouring in. According to AEAPress data from July 2025, between September 2021 and December 2024 the council issued 2,506,611 penalty notices worth 479,658,910 euros. A multimillion-euro business that, despite the judicial nullity, remains active.
Affected drivers find themselves in a Kafkaesque situation: appealing a fine costs more than paying it. One concrete case illustrates this: contesting a 200-euro fine in court requires a lawyer and a court representative, at an estimated cost of 500 to 900 euros. The deadline to file the claim is ten working days from notification, and if it is not filed, the fine becomes final. The advice is clear: don't pay the fines and appeal them all, because if the annulment is upheld, the city council will not refund anything paid voluntarily.
The political debate adds extra spice. The low-emission zones were introduced in 2018 by Manuela Carmena's government, but Almeida kept them and tightened them. Now, some accuse the mayor of being a "incivil" for defying the ruling, while others point out that those protesting "are six years late," having backed the original measure. The irony is that the current conservative PP government is defending a rule that came from the left, while France is already scrapping similar restrictions.
Until the Supreme Court rules, Madrid residents trapped in the zone keep paying the price. The practical advice: always appeal, even if it costs more than the fine, because the precedent of the face-mask fines suggests that annulled penalties end up going uncollected. Until then, the fine-collection machine keeps running, court ruling notwithstanding.
Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (38 replies).
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