How to find your own town's local charges and rates

Terms used

• Ordenanzas fiscales — Ordenanzas fiscales are the local rules in which a town sets its taxes, charges and rates.
• Boletín Oficial de la Provincia — The Boletín Oficial de la Provincia is the provincial official bulletin where approved local ordinances are published.
• Sede electrónica — The sede electrónica is a public body's official online office, where you find procedures, documents and rate tables.
• IBI — The IBI (Impuesto sobre Bienes Inmuebles) is the yearly local property tax paid by the owner.
• Tasa de recogida de residuos — The tasa de recogida de residuos is the local charge for rubbish collection.
• Valor catastral — The valor catastral is the property's official value on the land registry, used to calculate the IBI.
• ORA — The ORA is the town's regulated street parking scheme, where you pay to park.

Key rules

• Local rates: Each town sets its own rates, so use your own town's ordinances, not another town's.
• Current version: Always confirm you are reading this year's ordinance, because changes for the next year are usually approved in autumn.
• No copy online: The town hall's secretaría or tax office can give you a copy.

Start with your town hall's website

Every town sets its own local charges, so the figures for your town are in its own rule sheets. These are called ordenanzas fiscales. Open the town hall website and look under headings like Normativa, Ordenanzas or Hacienda/Tributos.

Then check the town's sede electrónica, its online office, or its tax portal. Many towns publish rate tables and a tax calendar there.

If the website has nothing

Each ordinance is published in the Boletín Oficial de la Provincia after it is approved. Search the bulletin for your province and your town's name. In the Basque Country and Navarre, the bulletins are those of the provincial councils.

Small towns often hand tax collection to the provincial tax agency (the diputación). If that applies to yours, its portal usually carries the ordinances and rates too.

If you still find nothing, ask the town hall's secretaría or tax office for a copy.

Which ordinances to look for

• Property tax: the ordinance for the Impuesto sobre Bienes Inmuebles (IBI).
• Rubbish: the tasa de recogida de residuos.
• Parking: the ORA or regulated-parking ordinance, or its price list.

Estimate the IBI on a property

1. Find the property's valor catastral in the Sede Electrónica del Catastro.
2. Find the IBI rate in your town's ordinance.
3. Apply the rate to the valor catastral.

For the actual charge, ask the seller or neighbours for last year's IBI and rubbish receipts.

Make sure it is this year's version

Ordinances are usually amended in autumn for the following year. Check that the version you have is the current one. If you are unsure, ask the town's tax office.

The checklist and questions below go through these steps again in short form.

Checklist

• Open your town hall website and look under Normativa, Ordenanzas or Hacienda/Tributos for the fiscal ordinances (ordenanzas fiscales).

• Search the provincial official bulletin (Boletín Oficial de la Provincia) if the town site has no copy.

• Ask the town hall's secretaría or tax office for a copy if you find none online.

• Find the IBI ordinance (Impuesto sobre Bienes Inmuebles, the property tax), the rubbish charge ordinance (tasa de recogida de residuos) and the regulated parking (ORA) ordinance or price list.

• Use the provincial tax agency's portal if it collects taxes for your town.

• Look up the property's valor catastral in the Sede Electrónica del Catastro and apply the IBI rate to estimate the tax.

• Confirm the version you read is for the current year, since ordinances are amended each autumn for the next year.

Frequently asked questions

What if my town hall website has no ordinances online?

Ask the town hall's secretaría or tax office for a copy of the ordinances. You can also search the provincial official bulletin (BOP), where fiscal ordinances are published after approval.

Can I find my town's rates at the provincial tax agency instead?

Yes, if your town has handed its tax collection to the provincial tax agency (diputación), you can use that agency's portal. Many small towns do this, and the agency often publishes their ordinances and rates too.

When do town ordinances change during the year?

Ordinances are usually amended each autumn for the following year. Make sure the version you read is for the current year, and ask the tax office if the dates are unclear.