Administrative Law

It depends on whether there are solid grounds to appeal. For traffic fines, paying within 20 calendar days of notification cuts the amount by 50%, but you give up the right to contest it. In other penalty proceedings, voluntary payment and admitting liability can each give a 20% reduction. Before paying, it is worth checking the notice, the evidence and the legal classification for defects.

Against an express decision, an administrative appeal (alzada or reposición) must be filed within one month, and a judicial review claim within two months. In tax matters, the reposición appeal and the claim before the Tax Tribunal also have a one-month deadline. If the authority does not reply (administrative silence), in most cases those deadlines do not run against you.

Do not ignore it: the deadline to respond is usually ten working days and failing to reply can lead to a penalty. We analyse exactly what the Agency is asking for, which documents to provide and how to submit them. As a rule, the Tax Agency can only review the last four years.

Administrative penalties cannot be enforced until they are final in the administrative route, and tax penalties under appeal are suspended without any guarantee. For tax debts and other assessments, however, you must request suspension and usually provide a guarantee; otherwise they can be collected with surcharges.

Yes, through a public liability claim against the Town Hall or the body responsible. You need to prove the damage and its link to the poor state of the public service: photos, witnesses, medical reports. The deadline is one year from the accident or from when the injuries stabilise.

In the Valencian Community, the Town Hall has fifteen years from completion of the works to order planning legality to be restored; on protected rural land there is no time limit. Many works can be legalised if they comply with the planning rules. Before buying a home, it is worth checking its planning status.

In the Valencian Community the home must be entered in the Tourism Register, with a municipal planning compatibility report, and since 1 July 2025 you also need the national single registration number, which is mandatory to advertise on platforms. In residential buildings, the owners’ association must approve it by a three-fifths majority. Many municipalities have restricted new licences, so check before you buy.

In judicial review, as a rule, the losing party pays the other side’s costs, although courts usually cap them at a moderate amount. That is why we assess your real chances with you before filing. In many cases a well-prepared administrative appeal solves the problem without going to court.