The obligation is national
Decreto-Lei n.º 314/2003 is the national basis: animal keepers must clean up and immediately remove waste produced in public spaces.
It is not a civility guideline and it does not depend on there being a sign. It applies in any public space, with or without a bag dispenser nearby.
The fine is municipal, and that is where it varies
This is the part that causes confusion. The amount is not in the national decree: it sits in each council's urban waste and public-space cleaning regulation, and each sets its own.
In Porto, for example, failing to remove animal waste in public space is punishable by a fine between €75 and €350, under Regulamento n.º 26/2019, with the obligation in article 66 and the penalty in article 74.
Other councils differ substantially: some have minimums of a few tens of euros, others have ceilings well above Porto's. We deliberately do not publish a national table. It would need confirming regulation by regulation and would go stale without warning. Search "regulamento resíduos" plus your council's name, or ask at the câmara.
What the duty means in practice
- Pick up immediately, with a bag
- Seal it: bag tied, not left open in a bin
- Put it in the dedicated equipment or, failing that, the general waste container
- Not in an ecoponto. It is not packaging and it contaminates the stream
- Do not leave the tied bag on the ground beside a bin, which is the worst of both
Why it is always the same places
Problem spots are rarely random. They repeat where infrastructure is missing or where the geometry makes it useless.
- No bag dispenser or bin along a habitual walking route
- A permanently full bin: whoever brought a bag has nowhere to put it
- Unlit grass or planting, where nobody is seen
- Building exits with many animals and no green space nearby
Report the place, not the incident
A report about one specific mess goes nowhere: by the time anyone reads it, it has been stepped in or washed away. It is not enforceable and it produces no decision.
What produces a decision is the location. A spot that is consistently fouled, documented with dates over weeks, is a concrete argument for what actually fixes it: a bag dispenser, a bin, more frequent emptying, or lighting.
That is the difference between a complaint and an infrastructure request, and the second is far likelier to change something than waiting for enforcement, which in these cases is rare for obvious reasons of catching someone in the act.
Where CleanSpot fits
Logging the location with a photo, date and coordinates, and reopening it when the problem returns, builds the series that supports a request for a dispenser or a bin from the junta de freguesia or the council.
It is also visible to neighbours, who in most cases have already noticed the same spot and simply had nowhere to say so.
Sources
What is the fine in Portugal?
There is no single national figure. The duty to pick up is national (Decreto-Lei n.º 314/2003) but the fine is set by each municipality's regulation and varies widely. In Porto, for instance, it runs from €75 to €350. Check your own council's regulation.
What if there is no bin nearby?
The duty to pick up still applies. A tied bag can travel with you until you find a container. Missing infrastructure is itself worth reporting to the council.
Can I put it in a recycling bin?
No. It is not packaging and it contaminates the recycling stream. It goes in general waste.
Is it worth reporting if I did not see who did it?
Yes, if you report the PLACE rather than the incident. A consistently fouled spot documented over time justifies a dispenser or a bin. A single instance with no identified party is not actionable.