Part of the Costa del Sol security guide
The direct answer
You can mount the camera on the façade, but it cannot record the public road or your neighbour's property, apart from a minimal, unavoidable strip at your entrance. It has to point at your plot, your door or your garage, and you need a visible "video-surveilled area" sign at the entrances.
Where does the rule say so?
In the Spanish data protection agency's (AEPD) guide on the use of video cameras for security and other purposes, February 2025. That is the source we quote here, and the one to consult for any specific doubt.
The guide starts from a general rule: capturing images of the public road for security purposes is a matter for the State security forces. It then allows an exception for protecting private spaces: cameras installed for security purposes "may not obtain images of the public road unless it is indispensable for that purpose, or impossible to avoid because of where they are placed", and in that case they may capture "the minimum portion necessary".
What can a private camera record?
- Yes: your garden, your entrance, your garage, your terrace. And the inside of your home, which the guide places within the personal or household sphere.
- Yes, minimally: the strip of pavement right in front of your door, if there is no other way to cover the entrance.
- No: the street in general, the neighbour's door or window, adjoining land and homes, shared areas that are not yours alone, the communal pool.
In a residents' community, common areas are recorded with the owners' meeting's agreement and under the same obligations. Where orientable or zoom cameras are used, the guide calls for privacy masks so that other people's property is not captured.
What sign do I need?
A "video-surveilled area" notice, in a visible place and at least at the entrances to the recorded zone; if there are several entrances, one at each. It must state that video surveillance is in place, who the controller is and their address, that the rights in articles 15 to 22 of the GDPR can be exercised, and where to find more information. The AEPD publishes a model sign.
How long can I keep the recordings?
The guide puts the limit at a maximum of one month, after which the images are deleted — except those that have to be kept to evidence acts against people, property or installations: those are kept and handed to the police or the court. The images are personal data: who sees them, and for how long, is your responsibility.
What about video doorbells and intercoms?
The guide is gentler here: where a video intercom is limited to verifying who rang the bell and granting access to the home, data protection rules do not apply to it. If it also records continuously or does other things, they do. So for a door that opens onto the street, an intercom that only activates when someone rings is usually the calmest option.
What we do on every install
We aim each camera at your property, adjust the angle and, where needed, set privacy masks in the camera itself to black out any part of the street or the neighbour's that enters the frame. We put up the sign. And when we finish we delete the project's photos and plans and hand you the documentation protected with your key.
This is practical guidance, not legal advice. For a specific case, read the AEPD guide or ask a lawyer.
Frequently asked questions
Can I put a camera on the front of my house that records the street?
You can mount it on the façade, but it cannot record the public road or your neighbour’s property, apart from the minimum portion of the entrance strictly necessary when there is no other way to cover it, according to the AEPD video-surveillance guide. It has to point at your plot, your door or your garage, and you need a visible "video-surveilled area" sign at the entrances.
How long can I keep the recordings?
The AEPD guide puts the limit at a maximum of one month, after which the images are deleted — except those that have to be kept to evidence acts against people, property or installations, which are handed to the police or the court.
Can I record my parking space in a communal garage?
According to the AEPD guide, the images are limited to your own space and to a minimum strip of the common areas that cannot be avoided, with prior authorisation from the owners’ meeting recorded in the minutes. Other spaces and the public road are not captured.
Can I use a dummy camera?
The AEPD guide states that a simulated camera involves no data processing, so the GDPR does not apply to it. But it deters little and is no use to you if someone breaks in. Note: a real camera that is switched off, or that could be switched on without much effort, is covered by the rules.
Can I post the footage of a burglary on social media?
The AEPD guide excludes from the household exemption those cases where the information is made known to an indeterminate number of people, which is exactly what publishing it does. The footage goes to the police.
Want your camera to cover the entrance without recording the street?
We pick the spot, the angle and the lens so your property is in frame and the neighbour’s is not, set privacy masks where needed and put up the sign. Itemised quote, no commitment.
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