The municipal corporation of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria has initiated a review of around 100,000 annual penalties issued for parking in blue or green zones without a ticket or exceeding the permitted time. This process stems from a deficiency in the payment processing system that has been in place for several years.
The error involved the City Council failing to notify users of the proposed debt settlement before directly claiming the amount. This omission violates the legal tax procedure required for collecting fees, which could potentially invalidate these settlements.
“"We were carrying out the settlement, but a prior step was missing, which is to inform the user of the proposed settlement."
To rectify this situation, an automated system has been implemented for opening files and notifying proposed settlements. The Councillor for Finance, Francisco Hernández Spínola, stated that this measure aims to resolve a long-standing issue in the city, adapting management to current regulations.
A spokesperson for the Consistory explained that the municipal Treasury is adopting a «more guaranteeing system». Although the City Council maintains that the previous procedure did not violate rights, as it allowed for appeals and remedies, advisory bodies have recommended a different process that includes a prior settlement proposal.
The absence of this step could lead to the annulment of the fee collection, which amounts to 6 euros for exceeding parking time (2 euros if paid within the first hour) and 8 euros for parking without a ticket. This review does not affect those who properly pay for regulated parking.
According to the 2026 report from the Municipal Parking Company (Sagulpa), Las Palmas de Gran Canaria has 7,001 regulated parking spaces, with 3,857 in blue zones and 3,144 in green zones. Regulated parking generates annual revenues exceeding five million euros, supplemented by approximately 700,000 euros from claims for non-payment or exceeding time, which is the focus of the current review.
