Malaga city council will automatically refund all fines collected under its Low Emission Zone (ZBE) scheme without requiring affected drivers to submit individual administrative appeals.
The decision, announced on Monday by the municipal councillor for finance, Carlos Conde, follows a recent ruling by the High Court of Justice of Andalucí (TSJA) that annulled the local penalty framework after deeming it discriminatory against vehicles registered outside the provincial capital.
49,000
Fines have been processed, either in full or in part, during this period.
Of these, 13,600 have actually been paid out.
Municipal figures show that local authorities opened approximately 49,000 fine proceedings since enforcement began. Of those, only around 13,600 penalties had been paid by motorists, while the remaining 35,400 pending cases will now be formally suspended and shelved.
Municipal response follows judicial ruling
The automatic refund procedure aims to streamline the administrative resolution, avoiding a flood of individual claims at city hall offices. The city council officially suspended fine collection on Wednesday 14 October following the TSJA verdict.
The court ruling established that penalising non-resident vehicles while exempting locally registered cars violated equal treatment principles. As a result, municipal authorities must redraft the local low emission ordinance before enforcement can resume.
Opposition political groups had called for immediate ex-officio refunds for affected drivers following the court decision. City hall officials confirmed that further details regarding the refund timeline and bank transfer procedures will be released in the coming days.