Real-time occupancy management is the use of digital systems that count every entry and every exit so that the number of people inside a venue never exceeds its maximum authorised capacity. It isn't just good operational practice: in several Spanish regions it's a legal obligation with a written threshold, specific technical requirements and its own penalty regime. This control removes human error from manual counting and leaves an auditable record for each zone — which is what allows organisers to respond to police, fire services or civil protection without stopping the event. The oldest national framework is still the Reglamento General de Policía de Espectáculos (General Regulation on Policing of Public Events), from 1982, which applies in a supplementary capacity wherever a region hasn't legislated. Before applying these thresholds, it's worth reviewing the whole event-day operation in our guide to running the event day.
What does the law require in terms of real-time occupancy counting?
The obligation exists, and it comes with figures — though not the same ones in every region. Catalonia sets the threshold at 151 people for music venues and the Comunitat Valenciana at 2,000 for extraordinary events; the Basque Country states the obligation without a number and leaves it to the licence.
| Region | Regulation and article | When an automatic counting system is required |
|---|---|---|
| Catalonia | Decret 112/2010, arts. 68 and 69 | Music venues or activities from 151 people upwards; extraordinary music events indoors from 151 and outdoors from 1,000; special-regime venues with any capacity. From 501 people, with the systems set out in Annex III |
| Comunitat Valenciana | Decreto 143/2015, art. 185 | Extraordinary, singular or exceptional events with capacity above 2,000 people, and party venues, nightclubs, dance halls and pubs with authorised capacity above 2,000 |
| Basque Country | Decreto 17/2019, arts. 101 and 105 | General obligation to "disponer de sistemas de conteo de personas y control de aforos, cuando proceda" (have people-counting and capacity-control systems in place, where applicable); the authorisation may require proof of their availability |
| Madrid | Decreto 167/2018, art. 7 | Does not require automatic counting: the report must determine "el número de espectadores o asistentes que hayan de constituir el aforo máximo del recinto o local" (the number of spectators or attendees that constitute the venue's maximum capacity) |
The article 67 of Decret 112/2010 is the one that defines responsibility, and it's worth reading in full: the organiser "ha de designar un o una responsable del control de l'aforament respectiu, que ha d'evitar que en cap moment l'afluència de públic superi l'aforament màxim autoritzat, i que ha d'estar en condicions de proporcionar en qualsevol moment informació als i a les agents de la policia de Catalunya sobre el nombre de persones que es troben a l'establiment, espectacle o activitat recreativa" (must appoint a person responsible for occupancy control, who must prevent attendance from ever exceeding the maximum authorised capacity, and who must be able to provide information to Catalan police officers, at any time, on the number of people present at the venue, event or recreational activity). Two obligations in one sentence: don't exceed capacity, and be able to say how many people are inside at any given moment.
Article 69.5 adds the detail that makes this verifiable: in venues with authorised capacity from 151 people upwards, "l'agent de l'autoritat ha de connectar el seu propi dispositiu al sistema de comptatge de persones i verificar si hi ha hagut o no un excés d'aforament" (the officer must connect their own device to the people-counting system and verify whether there has been an excess of occupancy or not). Inspection isn't a question — it's a connection.
In the Comunitat Valenciana, article 185 of Decreto 143/2015 requires that, when capacity exceeds 2,000 people, organisers "efectuar un control de acceso del público a través de sistemas técnicos de cuenteo automático de manera que se compute con exactitud el número de personas que acceden y que se hallan, asimismo, en el interior del local" (carry out access control of the public through automatic technical counting systems so that the number of people entering, as well as those inside the venue, is accurately computed). Its subsection 3 closes the loophole for larger venues: if the space is divided into sections and each one exceeds 2,000 people, "cada espacio o recinto deberá contar con su respectivo sistema de cuenteo automático de aforo" (each space or area must have its own automatic occupancy counting system).
Why doesn't manual counting work?
Many events still rely on manual clickers or visual estimates. This approach has critical limitations.
- Human error: fatigue and distraction affect accuracy
- No record: no data available for later audits
- Delay: information doesn't reach decision-makers in real time
- Multiple zones: impossible to consolidate data from different areas
There's also a regulatory argument. Annex III of Decret 112/2010 tolerates "un marge d'error en el comptatge instantani de més/menys el 2 per cent per una afluència total de 500 persones" (a margin of error in instantaneous counting of plus or minus 2% for a total attendance of 500 people). That's the level of accuracy the regulation considers acceptable for an approved system: ten people over or under out of five hundred. No manual count holds that tolerance over six hours at the door, let alone with several entry points open at once.
What technical requirements must the system meet?
A system isn't valid just because it counts. Annex III of the Catalan regulation, the most detailed provision on this subject in Spain, sets out conditions worth raising with any supplier during negotiations.
- Non-intrusive passage sensors, capable of simultaneously counting people entering and leaving.
- Margin of error of ±2% in instantaneous counting for a total attendance of 500 people.
- Readings every ten seconds, with date and time, total entries, total exits and any active alarms at the time of the reading.
- Real-time display, either an illuminated panel or a monitor, with digits at least 150 mm high and 90 mm wide, showing current occupancy, the venue's maximum capacity, an excess indicator and an out-of-service indicator.
- Display autonomy: in the event of a power failure, the display must show the last valid occupancy figure for at least 60 minutes and indicate the fault.
- Username and password access, where the venue operator has read and monitoring functions only, not configuration access.
- Data download by the inspector via a cable connection, without the system stopping its count during the download.
On top of this comes the Spanish state's metrological control. Orden ICT/155/2020 repealed Orden ITC/3708/2006 — still cited in the Catalan annex — and keeps systems for counting and controlling the flow of people in venues open to the public among the instruments subject to periodic verification, with a two-year interval. A counter without up-to-date verification is a counter that cannot legally remain in service, however well it works.
What do automated counting systems offer?
Digital occupancy control systems provide accurate, real-time data on occupancy in each zone.
- Two-way counting: validation at both entry and exit
- Centralised dashboard: a single view of every zone on one screen. Find out which key metrics to monitor on your dashboard
- Automatic alerts: notifications when thresholds are reached (80%, 90%, 100%)
- History: a full record for analysis and legal compliance
The difference between a ticket-validation system and an occupancy system lies in the exit side. A reader that only validates codes at the door knows how many people have entered, not how many are currently inside: at a festival with re-entries, that gap widens throughout the day. That's why the regulations talk about counting "en ambdós sentits" (in both directions), and why the figure authorities ask for — how many people are inside right now — isn't obtained simply by adding up validations.
How do you set occupancy thresholds and alerts?
Define different alert levels that trigger specific actions. These are operational recommendations: no Spanish regulation sets these percentages.
- 80% capacity: informational alert, prepare the closure protocol
- 90% capacity: caution alert, slow the entry rate
- 95% capacity: critical alert, close access points temporarily
- 100% capacity: close entirely until occupancy drops
The threshold that is legally binding is 100%. Article 52.1.a) of Decret 112/2010 requires owners and organisers to prevent access to "les persones que vulguin accedir-hi un cop superat l'aforament màxim autoritzat establert a la llicència" (people wishing to enter once the maximum authorised capacity set out in the licence has been exceeded). The earlier alert exists so that closure can be ordered without improvising, not because any regulation demands it. In its operational guidance, Futura Tickets recommends setting occupancy alerts at 80% and 95% of each zone's capacity.
What response protocols need to be defined?
Having real-time data is useless without clear response protocols. Each alert level must have specific actions and designated people responsible attached to it.
- Who receives each type of alert (coordinator, security, management)
- What actions are taken at each level (inform, slow down, close)
- How it's communicated to access points (radio, app, visual signage)
- When access reopens and who authorises it
In Catalonia, this allocation of responsibility has a name and a document. Article 42 requires a *memòria de seguretat* (safety report) for recreational music activities with authorised capacity above 150 people and for special-regime venues; its contents must include a risk assessment, response protocols and "els sistemes de comunicació ràpida i eficient amb la policia de Catalunya" (fast and efficient communication systems with Catalan police). The occupancy control officer set out in article 67 is not an informal role: it's the person the officer entering through the door will ask.
What happens if you exceed authorised capacity?
It stops being an operational problem and becomes a penalty matter. The Catalan regulation is the only one that attaches percentages to severity: article 146.d) considers that an occupancy excess poses a risk to people's safety "quan és superior en un 50% a l'autoritzat per als establiments d'aforament mitjà, alt i molt alt, i en un 100% per als establiments de baix aforament autoritzat" (when it exceeds the authorised capacity by 50% for medium, high and very high-capacity venues, and by 100% for low-capacity venues). That risk is what allows the conduct to be classified as a very serious offence.
You don't have to actually exceed capacity to fall foul of the rules. Article 147.1.f) classifies as a serious offence venues that "no disposin dels sistemes de control d'accés i d'aforament que s'estableixen en aquest Reglament" (do not have the access and occupancy control systems required under this Regulation) and, in point 8, that these systems "funcionin defectuosament o no funcionin" (malfunction or fail to work). A counter that breaks down on the night of the event is, under the regulation, the same as not having one at all.
And the consequence can be immediate. Article 165.c).1) includes an occupancy excess among the cases where provisional measures can be adopted before any formal proceedings, on grounds of imminent danger to people's safety — that is, before the penalty procedure even opens. For promoters, the implication is simple: the cost of getting the count wrong isn't the fine, it's the event itself.
How is occupancy data shared with the authorities?
At many events, authorities (police, fire services, civil protection) require access to occupancy data. Modern systems allow read-only access to be created so that authorities can monitor in real time without interfering with the operation. Bear in mind that sharing occupancy data with third parties has implications for data protection and GDPR.
The Catalan regulation describes two distinct channels. One is verbal and immediate: the officer referred to in article 67 must be able to report the number of people present "en qualsevol moment" (at any time). The other is technical and leaves a record: Annex III requires that the inspector be able to download occupancy files via cable, ensuring "l'autenticitat i integritat del fitxer de dades descarregat" (the authenticity and integrity of the downloaded data file), while the system continues counting throughout. At that point, the occupancy data becomes evidence.
It's worth noting that aggregated people-counting doesn't identify anyone, while validating a named ticket does. Keeping these two data flows separate — how many people are inside, on one hand, and who has entered, on the other — is what allows authorities to be given access to the occupancy dashboard without handing over personal data they haven't asked for.
Conclusion
Real-time occupancy control is an investment in security and peace of mind, and in several regions it's also a legal requirement with its own article and threshold. Automated systems remove human error, provide auditable data and allow informed decisions to be made on the spot. For events with multiple access zones, combining occupancy control with a robust access control system is essential. Three checks to run before your next event: find out which threshold applies in your region, ask your supplier for current metrological verification, and put in writing who is responsible for occupancy control. Don't wait for an incident before implementing it.
Sources
- Decret 112/2010, Reglament d'espectacles públics i activitats recreatives de Catalunya: articles 42, 52, 67, 68, 69, 146, 147 and 165, and Annex III (Portal Jurídic de Catalunya)
- Canal Empresa (Generalitat de Catalunya): requirements and obligations for public events and recreational activities
- Decreto 143/2015, Reglamento de la Ley 14/2010 de Espectáculos Públicos de la Comunitat Valenciana: article 185 (DOGV no. 7615, 15-09-2015, PDF)
- Decreto 17/2019, Reglamento de desarrollo de la Ley 10/2015 de espectáculos públicos del País Vasco: articles 101 and 105 (BOPV no. 37, 21-02-2019, PDF)
- Decreto 167/2018, extraordinary recreational activities and events of the Community of Madrid: article 7 (BOCM no. 297, 13-12-2018, PDF)
- Decreto 195/2007 of Andalusia: authorised capacity is stated in the authorisation, articles 7 and 12 (BOJA no. 137)
- Orden ICT/155/2020, Spanish state metrological control of certain measuring instruments, which repeals Orden ITC/3708/2006 (consolidated text, BOE)
- Real Decreto 2816/1982, General Regulation on Policing of Public Events and Recreational Activities (consolidated text, BOE)
- Real Decreto 393/2007, Basic Self-Protection Standard: occupancy thresholds requiring a plan, Annex I (consolidated text, BOE)
- Community of Madrid: regulations on public events and recreational activities
A note on sourcing: an earlier version of this article linked the General Regulation on Policing of Public Events to this BOE record, which corresponds to a different 1982 provision rather than this regulation. The reference is kept here for traceability, and the correct consolidated text is linked above.