Do you need a permit for mushrooms in Cataluña

Short answer: there is no general permit (a licence to pick mushrooms) in Cataluña. Many people have heard that one is needed in Aragón, Castilla y León or Navarra, but here it is different. There is no general limit in kilograms either. Mushroom picking is not regulated across the region, apart from some protected natural areas. However, municipalities and landowners are entitled to restrict picking on their own land ¹. Below we go through what this means in practice and what to check before you set off, so you don't run into a ban or a fee.

"Not regulated" doesn't mean "allowed everywhere"

There is no single rule, so the rules appear locally. A restriction can be introduced by a municipality's town council or by the owner of a plot, and it applies on their land ¹. For this reason, conditions in neighbouring valleys can differ, and you won't find a single document for the whole of Cataluña that gathers everything together.

In practice this means two things. Before your trip, look at the notices from the town council of the place you are going to. When you enter a forest, look at the signs. If there is a sign restricting picking, the general statement "no permit is needed in Cataluña" doesn't override it: the sign applies to that particular land.

Picking is not allowed in Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park

Besides local restrictions, there are protected areas with their own rules. The clearest example is Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park. Mushroom picking is not allowed inside the park itself. It is allowed only in the peripheral protection zone, that is, the protected area around the park, not inside it ².

This often trips up people who plan a route from a map: the park boundary and the protection zone boundary are different lines. If you are heading to this part of the Pyrenees, find out in advance where the park ends.

Is there a fee for picking? Sometimes, and every municipality has its own scheme

Paid picking is rare. To show what it looks like, here is an example from 2022. That year the municipality of Alins, in the Pallars Sobirà district in the Pyrenees, introduced a fee for picking mushrooms ³.

Whether these conditions apply now, and in what form, you should ask at the Alins town hall. The same goes for any other place: the most reliable way to find out about a local fee or limit is to ask at the town hall of the municipality you are going to.

Why there are no uniform rules for the whole of Cataluña

The region has the power to set a uniform regime, but it hasn't used it. The Forest Law of Cataluña makes it possible to regulate mushroom picking. It also makes it possible to introduce a licence if picking could upset the balance of the forest ecosystem or exceeds set quantities ⁵. But no such rules have been adopted for the whole of Cataluña ⁷.

A single "mushroom picker's card" has been debated for more than ten years. As early as 2015, a draft was prepared with three types of card: for occasional picking, for commercial picking and for scientific work ⁶. It was never adopted, and there is still no single regulation in Cataluña ⁷.

How to pick so that no questions are asked

There are almost no general rules, so a lot depends on how you behave in the forest. In Cataluña, people are advised to pick carefully and follow the recommendations of the authorities ¹. Everything below is a recommendation, not a legal requirement ⁴.

• Cut the mushroom with a knife right at ground level.
• Put mushrooms in a basket, not a plastic bag.
• Don't rake through the fallen leaves with any tool: this harms both the forest and the mushrooms.
• Pick only mushrooms that you identify without any doubt.
• Don't pick very small ones.

If you are unsure about a mushroom or feel ill

The advice to take only what you have no doubts about is not a formality. This guide does not say which mushrooms are edible and does not give identification features. For dangerous species, read the section on poisonous mushrooms. If you feel ill after eating wild mushrooms, call 112.

Does the MicoRadar forecast permit picking? No

The MicoRadar forecast is a model calculation, not an observation in the forest. It does not permit picking and does not override local restrictions: if the town council or the landowner has restricted picking, the forecast changes nothing. You can see the calculation for Cataluña on the map, as well as on the general forecast map and in the weekend forecast.

What to check before you set off

• Find out from the town hall of the municipality you are going to whether there are any restrictions or fees for picking.
• If your route passes near Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park, check where the park ends and the peripheral protection zone begins.
• Look at the signs at the forest entrance.
• Take a knife and a basket instead of a bag.

Text checked against the sources on 10/10/2026.