Consequences
Governing: Ley 42/2007 (BOE-A-2007-21490) arts. 79–81; Decreto 25/2018 art. 13; RD 191/2026 art. 12. Builds on: L2.1, L2.2.
Which law fines you
Neither decree sets its own fines. Both send you to Ley 42/2007, del Patrimonio Natural y de la Biodiversidad (and, for Balearic protected areas, Ley 5/2005, the LECO). Article 81.1 sets three bands:
| Class | Fine |
|---|---|
| Leve | €100 – €3,000 |
| Grave | €3,001 – €200,000 |
| Muy grave | €200,001 – €2,000,000 (regions may raise the maximum) |
How an anchoring case is classified
Decreto 25/2018 art. 13.2 names "alteration of the habitat by anchoring" and points at letters h, j, m, n, o, q, s, t and x of Ley 42/2007 art. 80.1. The ones most likely to fit a yacht case:
- h: altering a protected natural area by occupation, uprooting or similar;
- j: significant deterioration of components of a priority habitat of Community interest (Posidonia is one);
- n / o: destroying or damaging a species, or the habitat of a species, on the special-protection list without being catalogued;
- q: significant alteration of habitats of Community interest;
- s: breaching the rules or management plans of protected areas and Natura 2000 sites;
- x: breaching any other requirement of the law.
Art. 80.2 then grades them. Letters h, j, n and o are grave unless they reach muy grave. Letters q, s and x are leve if there is no damage or damage is valued at €100,000 or less, and grave above that. Any letter becomes muy grave if damage is valued above €200,000. Repeating a grave offence within two years of a final sanction is itself muy grave.
Art. 81.2 lists the grading criteria: the risk and its effects, the damage, intent, benefit obtained and irreversibility. Decreto 25/2018 art. 13.3 adds that the area of meadow affected is especially relevant.
Repair on top of the fine
Art. 79.2: whatever the fine, the offender must repair the damage under the environmental liability law (Ley 26/2007), and pay compensation for damage that cannot be repaired. Where responsibility cannot be apportioned between several people, they are jointly liable (art. 79.4), which is worth remembering on a crowded anchorage.
What does a "typical" anchoring fine cost?
Nobody publishes one. No official table, BOIB resolution or government figure for a typical yacht anchoring case was found in this research. Press reports quote a range of individual cases, and they vary. The honest answer is: it depends on the offence letter the instructor picks, the damage valuation and the aggravating factors. The floor is €100; a case classed grave starts at €3,001.
WARNING — Do not quote a number to owners or guests If someone asks "what's the fine?", the correct answer is the band and the fact that the amount depends on the classification and the damage. Any single figure you repeat from the dock will be wrong for somebody.
Other laws that may apply at the same time
The same inspection may also find charter or navigation breaches under the Balearic charter sanctions law (Ley 2/2015; L6.1) or state merchant-marine law. Art. 79.5 prevents a double sanction for the same facts protecting the same interest, but different facts are sanctioned separately.
TIP — Aggravating factor in buoy fields Decreto 25/2018 art. 7.4: pumping bilges or discharging waste in a buoy field aggravates the offence. Keep the bilge pump switch where the guests cannot find it.