The City of Valencia has replaced its 2024 moratorium on tourist-licence applications with a permanent saturation system. Three interlocking caps now decide which districts stay open to new short-term rental licences — and which are closed indefinitely.
The rule applies only to the municipality of Valencia city. The wider Comunitat Valenciana — including the Alicante province and the Costa Blanca — is governed by the regional 2024 framework (five-year licences, urban-compatibility report at sale), but does not apply the 2% cap. Costa Blanca buyers should read this as a directional signal, not as their current rules.
The three locks: 8%, 2% and 15%
Approved at the 31 March 2026 plenary and in force from 25 May 2026, the ordinance sets three simultaneous ceilings per barrio and per distrito:
- 8% — total tourist beds (hotels, apartments, VUTs) versus registered residents
- 2% — share of housing stock allowed for tourist use
- 15% — share of ground-floor premises in tourist use, to protect retail and neighbourhood services
Hit any one cap and the zone closes automatically to new licences — no appeal procedure. New tourist apartments are also restricted to the ground or first floor, always below residential use, with a separate street entrance independent of the residents' lobby. The old city, Ciutat Vella, keeps its earlier dedicated regime.
Districts already at the limit
Three of the city's 19 districts already exceed at least one cap and are now closed to new tourist licences. The most extreme case is Poblats Marítims, where tourist beds run above 14% of residents (versus the 8% cap) and tourist housing reaches 3.34% of the residential stock. More than 50 barrios still sit below the thresholds, but those margins narrow as new licences land.
What about existing licences?
The 2% cap does not retroactively cancel valid licences — the "locks" block new openings, they do not close current operations. But three points still matter for owners and prospective buyers:
- Five-year validity. Under the regional law, tourist licences are no longer indefinite. Anything issued before 8 August 2024 runs until 8 August 2029; on renewal the property is checked against the rules in force at that date.
- No automatic transfer at sale. When ownership changes, the new owner must file a fresh responsible declaration with a favourable municipal urban-compatibility report. In a saturated zone, that favourable report will not be issued — so tourist use effectively stops at the closing.
- Vintage layers. Properties registered as tourist before 1 July 2018 keep their original conditions; those between 7 July 2018 and the new decree retain the registration but must meet updated quality requirements.
Court status and what it does not change
On 14 April 2026 the regional High Court (TSJCV) annulled the 2024 moratorium — but the new 2% ordinance from 31 March is a separate instrument and remains in force. The City Council is studying an appeal to the Tribunal Supremo. Neighbour associations have already raised challenges in earlier rounds, so further movement is possible.
How Valencia compares to where Bravos operates
The picture differs sharply across Spain's eastern coast:
- Costa Blanca (Alicante province) — same regional 5-year framework, but no municipal 2% cap. Alicante city has suspended new STR licences in Centro and Playa San Juan; a 0.3-licence-per-inhabitant ceiling is planned for 2027.
- Costa Cálida (Murcia) — currently the lightest regime of the three: licences issued in around a week, mandatory €300,000 liability insurance, no municipal saturation caps yet.
- Mallorca (Balearic Islands) — the strictest. The ETV moratorium has run since 2022 and was extended indefinitely in May 2024; Palma added a full municipal ban on new ETVs from 3 February 2026. Buying for short-term rental there now means buying a property that already holds a valid ETV.
What buyers should do in 2026
- Confirm the zone, not just the licence. A valid VUT in a saturated barrio cannot be transferred to you at sale. Ask the seller for the most recent CATAV registry status and a pre-application check from the Ayuntamiento.
- Plan a fallback. If you cannot inherit the tourist licence, can the property still work as a long-term let or second home for you? In Valencia's saturated coastal districts that fallback often becomes the actual exit.
- Watch the appeals. The 2% decree is in force, but the legal landscape can still shift. Treat any pre-2029 modelling as a base case, not a guarantee.
For the related tax side of investing in our area, see our note on the Costa Blanca purchase-tax cut to 9% from June 2026.
