In the Andalusian village of Lanjarón, Spain, dying is technically illegal. Not in a spiritual, life-affirming kind of way. Literally illegal. Like, municipal-edict-level illegal.
Back in 1999, then-mayor José Rubio issued an official declaration banning death in the town. The cemetery was full, and local officials were demanding a fast solution. So Rubio came up with a workaround and outlawed dying altogether. “It is hereby forbidden to die in Lanjarón,” the edict read. He wasn’t entirely joking, but he wasn’t exactly serious either.
“I am just a mayor,” Rubio explained at the time. “Above me there is God, who is ultimately the one who runs things.” Still, he encouraged residents to “take utmost care of their health so they do not die until town hall takes the necessary steps to acquire land suitable for our deceased to rest in glory.” Strong words for a guy trying to buy himself a little time and a few plots of land.
Spain’s Most Passive-Aggressive Law Bans Death Until Further Notice
The graveyard problem wasn’t new. Lanjarón had been running out of burial space for years, but pressure from higher-ups forced Rubio into action. His response was a slightly morbid PR stunt, meant to highlight the issue and push regional authorities to find a real solution. The ban was largely symbolic—no one’s been arrested for dying—but it did get people’s attention. “Everyone has taken the edict with a sense of humor and a strong desire to comply with it,” he said
That was over two decades ago. It’s unclear if the town ever expanded the cemetery, but as of now, it’s still working with just the one.
Oddly enough, Lanjarón is mostly known for its healing mineral springs and spa culture. TikTok has recently discovered it as a wellness travel spot, which might explain why this long-forgotten death ban is making the rounds again on meme pages and travel blogs.
And Lanjarón isn’t alone in its attempt to regulate the unregulatable. Longyearbyen, Norway, also banned death, though for slightly more legitimate reasons. Bodies buried there don’t decompose because of the permafrost, which scientists once proved by extracting a live sample of the 1917 influenza virus from a corpse. So yeah, no dying allowed in Longyearbyen either. But at least that law came with a biohazard warning.
Death in Lanjarón isn’t managed so much as ignored with style. The town never really solved its cemetery problem, but it did put a law on the books asking people to hold off on dying until further notice. It’s been 26 years.
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