# Enclosures for bars and restaurants

> How to enclose a bar or restaurant terrace in Alicante: what the terrace bylaw allows, what the smoking law says and how to keep the air fresh.

## How do you enclose a bar or restaurant terrace?

A bar or restaurant terrace is enclosed with glass curtains on the sides and a retractable roof or pergola on top. First check whether it stands on private land or on the street: on the street, the Alicante bylaw only allows removable elements and two closed sides at most. With more walls, smoking is no longer allowed either.

The usual combination for [hospitality enclosures](https://luneks.es/en/hospitality-enclosures/) is [glass curtains](https://luneks.es/en/glass-curtains/) along the sides, which stack at one end when the weather is good, and a roof that opens: a retractable roof, a bioclimatic pergola or a fabric pergola. That way you can serve in wind and rain, and on a sunny day everything is fully open again within minutes.

The technical side is the easy part. What shapes the project most is the legal framework: the municipal bylaw if the terrace takes up the street, the smoking law if the enclosure turns the space into an indoor one, and fresh air supply when there are a lot of people inside. This guide goes through all three using the rules in Alicante.

## Why does it matter where the terrace sits?

The first question is who owns the ground. Seating on the pavement, in a square or on a promenade occupies public space and needs the council's permission to use the street. In Alicante that permission is governed by a specific bylaw, which sets out which elements you can put up, at what size and in which streets.

A terrace on private land, such as the venue's own courtyard, a roof terrace or a setback in the facade, does not take up the street. The street bylaw does not apply there, but planning rules and the venue's activity licence do, and the enclosure is usually processed at the town hall as building work or an installation, as our page on [enclosure permits](https://luneks.es/en/enclosure-permits/) explains. (to be confirmed)

## What does the Alicante terrace bylaw allow?

The [Alicante bylaw on temporary use of public streets](https://www.alicante.es/sites/default/files/documentos/202606/ordenanza-ovp-mayo2026.pdf), in the current text published in the provincial gazette BOP no. 110 on 12 June 2026, defines an open air terrace in article 13 as one that is not covered, roofed or enclosed by permanent walls. It only allows temporary, portable or removable installations, and with them no more than two side panels.

Articles 27 and 28 list the permitted elements and their limits. Portable screens, covered pergolas and vertical enclosures are only allowed in squares, parks, promenades, roundabouts and boulevards with wide pavements, and always with two sides left open. On top of that, the installations in article 28 require an approved layout plan (Plan Ordenador) for that public space first.

In practice, outdoor seating on an Alicante street cannot be closed in with fixed glass curtains on all four sides. Where the street allows it, you can shelter two sides and cover the area with a removable structure. The amendment approved in May 2026 set the high season for terraces from 1 May to 1 November and left articles 13, 27 and 28 unchanged, which is where the figures below come from.

## What limits does the Alicante bylaw set for each element?

Figures from the [Alicante bylaw on temporary use of public streets](https://www.alicante.es/sites/default/files/documentos/202606/ordenanza-ovp-mayo2026.pdf), articles 27 and 28, current text approved by the city council on 28 May 2026 and published in BOP no. 110 on 12 June 2026.

| Element | Where it is allowed | Main limits |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Portable screens (art. 27.1.d) | Squares, parks, roundabouts, promenades and boulevards with a pedestrian route of at least 8 m | Two sides at most, up to 1.40 m high; fabric screens are removed every day |
| Planters with a windbreak screen (art. 27.1.c) | Corners of the terrace | Clear laminated safety glass screen; total height up to 1.40 m |
| Covered pergolas or awnings (art. 28.1.a) | Parks, promenades, squares, roundabouts and boulevards with a pedestrian route of at least 12 m | Removable, clear height over 2.20 m, 1 m from the kerb, fire retardant materials |
| Vertical enclosures (art. 28.1.c) | The same spaces with a route of at least 12 m | Panels on a self supporting frame, two sides at most, up to 1.50 m high |
| Any installation under art. 28 | All cases except requests for the carriageway only | Needs an approved Plan Ordenador (art. 28.2) |

## Can customers smoke on an enclosed terrace?

Spain's [Law 28/2005 on health measures against smoking](https://www.boe.es/buscar/act.php?id=BOE-A-2005-21261) bans smoking in enclosed bars, restaurants and other eating establishments (article 7, letter u). Its article 2.2 defines an open air space in hospitality as any space without a roof, or a roofed space surrounded at the sides by no more than two walls or partitions.

That gives the rule venue owners work by: with a roof and three or four sides closed, the space stops being open air and smoking is not allowed. The law does not distinguish between a masonry wall and a glass enclosure, so a covered terrace closed with curtains on three sides is best treated as indoors. When in doubt, the health inspectorate decides, not the installer.

A change is on the way. On 21 July 2026 the Council of Ministers approved a [bill extending smoke free areas to terraces](https://www.sanidad.gob.es/gabinete/notasPrensa.do?id=6968) of bars and restaurants, according to the Spanish Ministry of Health. Until parliament passes it and it appears in the BOE, the 2005 law and its two wall rule still apply.

## How much fresh air does an enclosed terrace full of customers need?

An enclosed area with forty people eating builds up heat, humidity and smells quickly. As a reference point, Spain's [Regulation on Thermal Installations in Buildings (RITE)](https://www.boe.es/buscar/act.php?id=BOE-A-2007-15820) places restaurants, cafés and bars in air quality category IDA 3 and sets an outdoor air supply of 8 dm³/s per person for it. Where smoking is allowed, that minimum doubles.

At that rate, forty customers need about 320 litres of outdoor air per second. A well planned enclosure helps you get there without machinery: leave the glass curtains slightly open in one or two sections, slide the retractable roof back a few centimetres, or tilt the louvres of a bioclimatic pergola to let hot air out. If the venue has air conditioning, the installer needs to account for the enclosed area.

## Which systems suit each type of hospitality terrace?

There is no single enclosure that suits every venue. The choice depends on where the seating area is, how many months a year it trades and whether customers want to look at the street or the sea. These are the combinations that work best for bars and restaurants on the coast:

- Street terrace in Alicante: removable elements on two sides and, if the street is wide enough, a removable pergola or awning.
- Terrace on private land in front of the venue: glass curtains across the front and sides, with a [retractable roof](https://luneks.es/en/retractable-roofs/) to open up the sky in good weather.
- Rooftop or penthouse restaurant: a bioclimatic pergola for shade and glass curtains against the wind.
- Beach bar or seafront venue: glass curtains that stack away completely when the wind drops, so the sea view stays.
- Dining room also used in winter: insulated double glazed curtains and a fixed roof.

## How do you prepare your venue's terrace enclosure?

1. **Check the ground.** Find out whether the terrace is on the street or on private land; that decides which rules apply.
2. **Read the municipal rules.** For a street terrace, check the terrace bylaw and whether there is a Plan Ordenador for your street or square.
3. **Settle the smoking question.** With a roof and more than two closed sides the terrace counts as indoors and smoking is not allowed.
4. **Work out the ventilation.** Count the expected customers and plan how outdoor air will get in with the enclosure shut.
5. **Choose the systems.** Sides that stack away quickly and a roof that opens, to suit the orientation and how you trade.
6. **Plan the installation.** Pick the venue's closing day or the low season so you do not lose service. (to be confirmed)

> In a bar, measure the gap a waiter needs with a full tray, not just the customers. If the stacked panels eat fifteen centimetres of the aisle, you feel it on every round with the terrace full in August. That is why the side where the curtains stack is decided before the track goes in.
>
> Mikhail, founder of LUNEKS

## What else do venue owners ask about enclosures?

### Can you fully enclose a street terrace in Alicante?

No. The street use bylaw treats a terrace as open air when it is not enclosed by permanent walls, and it only allows removable installations with two sides at most. Pergolas and vertical enclosures are also limited to spaces where the pedestrian route is at least 12 metres wide.

### Can customers smoke on a terrace with glass curtains?

If the terrace has a roof and is closed on three or four sides, Law 28/2005 treats it as an enclosed space and smoking is not allowed. With a roof and no more than two closed sides it remains an open air space. Stacking the curtains away changes things, but the inspectorate has the final word.

### When will smoking be banned on all terraces?

On 21 July 2026 the Council of Ministers approved a bill that adds hospitality terraces to the list of smoke free areas. It still has to go through Congress and the Senate, and it will take effect once published in the BOE. Until then the 2005 law and its two wall rule apply.

### Do you have to close the venue during installation?

Usually there is no need to stop trading for several days. The work can be scheduled on the venue's day off or in the low season, and the curtains and roof go in section by section so the terrace is back in service as soon as possible. (to be confirmed)

### Which system opens fastest when the sun comes out?

Glass curtains are stacked by hand in a few moves, with the panels gathered at one side. The retractable roof and the bioclimatic pergola open by remote control or motor. For a venue that opens and closes its terrace several times a day, that speed matters as much as the protection does.

### How much does it cost to enclose a bar or restaurant terrace?

It depends on the area, the systems chosen and what the licence or the bylaw allows. We do not publish prices: the quote follows a visit to the venue to measure the terrace, because every street and every facade puts its own conditions on the enclosure.

## What else is worth reading before enclosing your terrace?

- [Do I need a permit to enclose my terrace? Alicante, Valencia, Murcia](https://luneks.es/en/blog/terrace-enclosure-permit/): Licences, owners' associations and procedures town by town.
- [Bioclimatic pergola, awning or tensioned fabric](https://luneks.es/en/blog/bioclimatic-pergola-awning-or-fabric/): Three ways to get shade and how each copes with wind and rain.
- [Glass curtains by the sea: wind, salt and maintenance](https://luneks.es/en/blog/glass-curtains-by-the-sea/): How glass copes on the seafront and how to look after it.

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https://luneks.es/en/blog/enclosures-bars-restaurants/