Painters in Torremolinos: your facade and the new aesthetics by-law
Painting for apartments, flats, facades and communal stairwells in the municipality of Torremolinos. Since September 2026 there has been an approved urban aesthetics by-law that says which colours do not belong on a facade, what has to be kept in repair and where the range of colours is narrower. It is worth knowing before you choose a shade.
From the centre to El Calvario, La Carihuela, Los Álamos, Montemar.
From the facade to the apartment
Each job has its own page, covering what holds anywhere on the coast. Here, what is different in Torremolinos.
Facade painting
To repaint the outside of a block or a house, choosing the colour with the by-law in front of you.
Facade repair
To close cracks and make the render sound before painting: the by-law requires visible cracks to be repaired.
Facade waterproofing
To stop the water that leaves damp stains on the wall, instead of covering them up.
Communities of owners
For a whole building or its shared areas, with the work voted on at the owners’ meeting.
Painting a flat or house
For an apartment or a whole flat, inside, from ceiling to skirting board.
Walls and ceilings
For one bedroom, a living room or a stained ceiling, without painting the whole home.
What it asks of a facade
The full council gave final, unanimous approval to the by-law (ordenanza) on urban aesthetics on 24 September 2026, after ruling on the objections. Here is how the council summed it up that day; before any work, the reference is the full text.
Colour stops being a purely private choice. Facades must keep, in the words of the council’s announcement, “a harmonious colour scheme consistent with the immediate urban surroundings”, and fluorescent, neon, metallic or highly saturated colours are banned on them.
Fittings count too: air conditioners, aerials, panels, boxes, cabling and gutters have to be “hidden, recessed or blended in colour with the facade”. That last option is often a painter’s job: a gutter or a junction box painted the same shade as the wall stops being noticed.
The by-law also covers how windows and openings line up, shop signs and awnings, which must be retractable and made of matt, opaque canvas.
Five things that can no longer wait
The by-law turns the visible upkeep of a facade into an obligation. This is its list, and what each point means when the building is going to be painted.
Worn paintworkRestore or renew it
It comes first on the list. A flaking facade, or one where the paint has worn away, is no longer just a question of looks: the by-law requires it to be restored.
Damp stainsClean them off
The by-law talks about cleaning. But if water keeps getting in, the stain comes back: what lasts is finding where the water enters and stopping it before painting over it.
Visible cracksRepair them
A crack that is painted over without being opened up and sealed shows through the new paint again. It is repaired first, the filler is left to cure, and then it is painted.
Broken or rusted itemsReplace them
A rusted railing or window grille is the most common case. And on any metal that gets painted, the rust is taken back to sound metal before the colour goes on: painted over, it comes through again.
Self-seeded plantsRemove them from cornices, terraces and facades
Vegetation that grows on its own on a cornice is not ornamental, and the by-law requires it to be removed. Its roots open up the render, which is where water then gets in.
Four of the five are work that comes before the painting. That is why, on a facade in Torremolinos, the quote starts with them.
How cracks and loose render are fixed before painting: facade repairs.
Where the colour comes from a list
The by-law creates the Areas of Special Tourist and Historic Interest (ZEITH, from the Spanish): the parts of town that, because of their heritage, landscape, cultural, local or tourist value, call for “stricter and more uniform” aesthetic treatment.
The announcement of the final approval names La Carihuela, the historic centre, La Nogalera and El Bajondillo. The one for the initial approval, in February, also included El Calvario. If the work is in El Calvario, check with the town planning department.
In those areas, on top of the general rules, only colours from a range set by the council are allowed, for facades and awnings alike. So the shade is not chosen from the manufacturer’s colour card but from within that range, and then you look for the paint that matches it.
What is worth knowing about the coating and the finish, whatever the colour: painting a facade.
Does the current colour have to change?
Not overnight. The by-law sets out the principle that it is not forcibly retroactive: anything that does not comply does not become illegal, and does not have to be removed straight away, as long as it was installed in line with the rules of its time.
Compliance is required when someone applies for a licence or files a declaración responsable for work affecting the outside of the building, when an enforcement order is issued for anything visible from the street, and when the use or the ownership of the premises or the building changes. Painting the facade is exterior work: if it is painted, it is painted to the new criteria.
When it gave initial approval in February, the council announced a general period of 12 months from entry into force for owners to bring non-compliant features into line voluntarily, with priority for any council grants available and free technical advice.
It also mentioned a budget item for remodelling facades, a grants by-law in preparation, and the ICIO (the local construction tax) rebate for refurbishment. Before painting, it is worth asking the council what is currently open.
Painting with a self-declaration
Since 2018 Torremolinos has had its own by-law, number 79, for the declaración responsable: a self-declaration that takes the place of a licence for minor works. In October 2019 the full council amended it unanimously to add more types of work, including interior painting or wall coverings and painting and repairing facades.
Filing the declaration with its paperwork and paying the fees is enough. That change removed the six-day wait that used to follow filing, and extended the time allowed to do the work to six months. Anything that alters the structure or amounts to a general alteration of the facade still needs a planning licence.
For a while, a building without a favourable ITE (the building inspection) could not carry out even small refurbishments. In May 2020 the council announced it would allow them by self-declaration, and in February 2021 it gave initial approval to the change to the by-law.
In those cases the ITE is replaced by a report from the technician in charge of the work guaranteeing the safety, hygiene and appearance of the building as a whole. These are announcements from 2019, 2020 and 2021: before you start, check the current version with the council.
Three questions before you ask for a quote
Is it in a palette area?
If the building is in La Carihuela, the historic centre, La Nogalera, El Bajondillo or El Calvario, ask the town planning department for the colour palette before choosing a shade.
Has it passed the ITE?
If it has not, minor works are still possible: the route the council opened requires a report from the technician in charge of the work to go with the declaration.
What needs fixing first?
Damp, cracks and rust are both what the by-law asks for and what makes new paint fail early. In the quote, they come before the colour.
If the work is just over the municipal boundary, in the city of Málaga, other rules apply there: painters in Málaga.
Questions about painting in Torremolinos
Do you work all over Torremolinos?
Do you work all over Torremolinos?
Yes: in the centre, El Calvario, La Carihuela, Los Álamos, Montemar and anywhere else in the municipality. With the street and a rough idea of the job, we arrange to see it in person.
Which colours are not allowed on a facade in Torremolinos?
Which colours are not allowed on a facade in Torremolinos?
According to the council when it approved the urban aesthetics by-law: fluorescent, neon, metallic and highly saturated colours. And in the areas of special tourist and historic interest, only colours from the palette set by the council are allowed.
Is a licence needed to paint the facade?
Is a licence needed to paint the facade?
Since the October 2019 amendment, painting and repairing facades is among the minor works carried out with a declaración responsable (a self-declaration), filing the paperwork and paying the fees. A general alteration of the facade still needs a planning licence. Check the current version before you start.
Can the building be painted if it has not passed the ITE?
Can the building be painted if it has not passed the ITE?
The council announced it in 2020 and gave initial approval in 2021: small works can go ahead with a declaración responsable without a favourable ITE, as long as they come with a report from the technician in charge of the work guaranteeing the safety, hygiene and appearance of the building.
Which town plan applies in Torremolinos?
Which town plan applies in Torremolinos?
According to the council in July 2025, the PGOU (general town plan) in force is the 1996 one: the plan meant to replace it lapsed, and the new general plan is going through its approval process, with final approval expected in autumn 2027. For painting, what you notice day to day is the aesthetics by-law and the declaración responsable.
Where this comes from
Quotations from Spanish-language documents are our own translations.
- Ayuntamiento de Torremolinos: «Todos los grupos políticos respaldan con su voto la aprobación de la ordenanza que regula la estética urbana de Torremolinos» (24 September 2026)
- Ayuntamiento de Torremolinos: «Torremolinos impulsa una ordenanza para regular la estética urbana del municipio» (18 February 2026)
- Ayuntamiento de Torremolinos: «Torremolinos añade a la Declaración Responsable más obras menores y reduce la espera para su ejecución» (31 October 2019)
- Ayuntamiento de Torremolinos: «Torremolinos autorizará obras de poca entidad constructiva en inmuebles que carezcan de la Inspección Técnica de Edificios» (28 May 2020)
- Ayuntamiento de Torremolinos: «Torremolinos reforma inicialmente la ordenanza para agilizar el proceso de concesión de licencias de obra menor» (26 February 2021)
- Ayuntamiento de Torremolinos: «Torremolinos publica el avance del Plan General de Ordenación del Municipio en menos de un año y medio desde que decayó el anterior plan» (31 July 2025)
- Ayuntamiento de Torremolinos: ordenanzas municipales
A facade or an apartment in Torremolinos?
Tell us the street, whether it is outside or inside and whether the building has a community of owners. We come round to see it, and the quote reaches you in writing, with any repairs listed separately from the painting.