On Friday 25 September 2026, Lleida's city council approved the measure by 16 votes to 11. The amended civic conduct ordinance treats a fully covered face in public as a minor offence. Fines range from 400 to 750 euros, El Periódico reported.
The ordinance covers the burka and nicab without naming either garment. It has reopened a legal and political dispute that once reached Spain's Supreme Court.
The vote followed a clear political split. Nine PSC-Units councillors in government, five Junts councillors and two Vox councillors supported the measure. Eleven representatives from the PP, ERC and Comú opposed it. Europa Press reported the same final margin. Junts backed the proposal after it passed through the relevant commission, making its five votes decisive. El País and Catalan News identified the shift in position as a basic element of the final vote.
The rule is framed around civic conduct and women's rights, rather than public security. The ordinance does not apply inside places of worship, where covering the face is an accepted social practice, or when doing so is part of exercising a fundamental right.
Lleida has tried this before. The city prohibited full-face veils in public spaces in 2010. In 2013, the Tribunal Supremo overturned the measure after an Islamic association mounted a lengthy legal challenge. The court ruled that the ban restricted religious freedom and exceeded municipal powers.
Catalan News reported that the court's reasoning pointed to the need for legislation at a higher level before such a restriction on religious freedom could be imposed. Other municipalities had adopted similar rules.
The new wording appears designed to avoid another direct clash with the court. It regulates complete face covering instead of naming a particular item of clothing, with exceptions tied to religious practice and accepted customs, alongside protections for Fundamental Rights.
The political argument began at once. Xavi Palau, the PP opposition leader and spokesman, rejected the ordinance. He says it regulates the burka instead of banning it.
Jordina Freixanet of Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya, known as ERC, said sanctions are not the answer. She argued that women who wear such garments should be protected, while acknowledging the negative meaning many people attach to the burka.
The decision puts Lleida back at the centre of Spain's unresolved dispute over full-face coverings. France and Belgium have national laws on the issue. Spain does not.
A subcommittee of the Congreso is examining the subject, but no timetable for a national law has been given. DZC, citing EFE and AFP, described the municipal decision as a local measure shaped by the earlier court defeat.
For residents, the practical rule is direct but limited: a fully covered face may be prohibited in public spaces, with exceptions for worship and accepted customs, as well as situations protected by Fundamental Rights.
The ordinance is more cautious than Lleida's 2010 measure. Opponents say it does not create a complete ban; the council opted for regulation with exceptions.
