A compulsory service, not a favour
Article 26 of Spain’s Local Government Act lists the services every municipality must provide, whatever its size: street lighting, cemetery, waste collection, street cleaning, drinking water, sewerage, access to settlements and road paving.
In practice maintenance is done by a council service or a contractor, but the council is the one answerable to residents.
One lamp, or the whole street
Look before you report, because it changes who gets sent. One dark lamp is usually that lamp or its gear. A whole row, or half a street, points to a fault in the control box or the supply line.
Say so: «one lamp» and «the whole even-numbered side» are different jobs.
What to note
- The exact location, ideally coordinates or a pin on a map
- If the post carries a plate or ID number, that number: it is what maintenance uses
- How many lights are out and whether they are in a row
- Whether it flickers, cycles on and off, or stays on in daylight: those are faults too
- Roughly since when
When it is urgent
Exposed cables, a lamp hanging loose, a post leaning or hit by a car, or an open access hatch at the base are a hazard, not a nuisance. Those go to the local police or 112, not a form.
Why the report should be public
A dead street light tends to get reported ten times or not at all: each neighbour assumes someone else called. On CleanSpot the report sits on a public map with date and photo, neighbours confirm it instead of duplicating it, and if the street is still dark a month later the history is there to chase.
A badly lit street is also a safety and accessibility problem. A dated record of how long it has been like that is the strongest argument for priority.
Sources
Whose job is it to fix a street light?
The council’s: street lighting is compulsory in every municipality under the Local Government Act, even when a contractor does the work.
How long should it take?
There is no national deadline. It depends on each council’s maintenance contract. If weeks pass, chase in writing quoting your earlier report.
A street light is on during the day. Should I report it?
Yes. It is a fault in the switching system and wastes energy the municipality pays for.
There is a loose cable on a lamp post. What do I do?
Do not touch it; call the local police or 112. It is an electrical hazard, not an ordinary fault.