The main change is that fines for entering, driving or parking with a vehicle without an environmental sticker will no longer apply while the LEZ is inactive. For restrictions to take effect, two requirements must be met at the same time: five of Zaragoza’s eight air-quality monitoring stations must exceed their respective reference values for nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and that situation must continue for two consecutive hours. The thresholds were calculated using the average readings recorded at each station during 2025.
Vox spokesperson on Zaragoza City Council Eva Torres says this will be a very exceptional situation, given that Zaragoza has improved its pollution levels over the past two decades. “People will be able to enter and drive freely, regardless of whether or not they have that environmental sticker,” she said. However, if the protocol is activated, the restrictions currently set out in the ordinance will apply again.
WHEN WILL IT TAKE EFFECT AND HOW WILL I KNOW I CAN DRIVE?
To inform drivers, Zaragoza City Council plans to install panels at the entrances to the zone connected to the municipal traffic control system and the air-quality monitoring network. This will allow users to find out in real time whether restrictions are active. In addition, Councillor for Environment and Mobility Tatiana Gaudes has said the reform will not result in the loss of transport subsidies, as all the requirements for accessing them will remain in place.
The new model does include one exception, however, for eight or nine short sections of streets around Plaza de San Pedro Nolasco, between Don Jaime and San Vicente de Paúl. The current conditions will remain in force on these streets: people will be able to enter and drive, but not park. The exact sections, including their street numbers, will be detailed in an appendix to the ordinance and clearly signposted.
The changes are not yet in effect. They must first be approved by Zaragoza’s municipal government, after which a 30-calendar-day public information and consultation period will open for the submission of objections. The text will then go before the relevant committee and must receive final approval from the municipal plenary. The new regulations are expected to take effect on April 1, 2027. Until then, the current rules will remain in force.
