A slip under the wiper, a letter to the registered keeper or an empty space: the ticket is often small, but towing can quickly cost several hundred euros.
What matters is who wants money: the authority for the offence, the authority for the towing, or a private operator. Each has its own deadlines. For the procedure, see traffic fines in Germany. Aleksander Sigal, Fachanwalt für Verkehrsrecht, advises in English.
Stopping, parking and what it costs
If you leave the vehicle or stop for more than three minutes, you are parking (section 12(2) StVO).
| Offence | Amount | Point |
|---|---|---|
| Driveway, junction, lowered kerb | €10–30, by obstruction and duration | – |
| Parking meter, ticket or disc | €20–40, by duration | – |
| Stopping where prohibited | €20, with obstruction €35 | – |
| Parking where stopping is prohibited | €25–50, by obstruction and duration | – |
| Fire service access; disabled, EV or car-sharing space | €55 | – |
| Fire service access, narrow spot: emergency vehicle obstructed | €100 | 1 |
| Pavement or cycle path | €55 | – |
| Same, with obstruction or over 1 hour | €70, both €80 | 1 |
| Same, with danger / damage | €80 / €100 | 1 |
| Double-parked | €55 | – |
| Same, with obstruction / danger / damage | €80 / €90 / €110 | 1 |
| Same, over 15 minutes | €85, with obstruction €90 | 1 |
Up to €55 this is a warning fee (Verwarnungsgeld); from €60 a fine (Geldbuße). Points arise only in the cases listed in Annex 13 FeV; see penalty points in Flensburg. The catalogue has no driving ban for parking offences.
From ticket to fine notice
Warning (Verwarnung): the offer of up to €55 is voluntary. Pay on time and the matter ends at no further cost.
Hearing: if nobody pays, the authority usually writes to the keeper (Halter). See Anhörungsbogen – what to do.
Fine notice (Bußgeldbescheid): adds at least €25 in fees and usually €3.50 for service. You have two weeks from service to object (Einspruch; section 67 OWiG).
Since 1 July 2026, parking offences become time-barred after six months (section 26(3) StVG). For offences carrying a point, deceiving the authority about the driver can cost up to €30,000 (section 4c StVG). Staying silent is not deception.
Cost notice to the keeper (section 25a StVG)
If the driver cannot be identified before the limitation period ends, or doing so would be disproportionate, the keeper pays the procedural costs: a €20 fee plus expenses such as €3.50 for service. It is not a fine and carries no points. The rule covers only stopping and parking, not speeding.
You can apply for a court decision (Antrag auf gerichtliche Entscheidung) within two weeks of service. The Amtsgericht decides, in Berlin the Amtsgericht Tiergarten, and its decision is final. Check whether:
- the offence is actually established;
- you were heard beforehand and asked in good time;
- charging you would be unfair, for example because the car had been stolen.
Towing from public land
In Berlin, towing is called Umsetzung. The police, the district public order service and, on public transport areas, the BVG can order it. The car is moved to another permitted space. The cost notice (Kostenbescheid) usually follows later, on top of the ticket.
The offence alone is not enough: towing must be proportionate. It usually is where others are obstructed, such as at bus stops, taxi ranks, entrances, on pavements and cycle paths or in disabled spaces. Two Federal Administrative Court rulings:
- Phone number in the car: being unreachable is your risk, and there is no fixed waiting time. Waiting may be required where there is clearly no impairment or concrete signs point to an imminent return (Federal Administrative Court, judgment of 9 April 2014 – 3 C 5.13, concerning a car on a taxi rank).
- Temporary no-stopping signs: if the car was first parked lawfully, you pay only if the signs had been up for three full days, so from the fourth day; hours are not counted (judgment of 24 May 2018 – 3 C 25.16).
The Berlin fee depends on who ordered the towing and how far it got. Started and avoided towing and empty runs are charged too, so returning in time may not spare you. A completed towing costs in the low to middle three-figure range.
Typical disputes concern the signs, documented obstruction and the correct stage. The remedy and deadline are stated at the end of the notice (Rechtsbehelfsbelehrung): usually one month, generally one year without correct instructions. Clarify early whether to pay meanwhile.
Private car parks: towing and contractual penalties
At supermarket, clinic or customer car parks, civil law applies. A court payment order (Mahnbescheid) has its own two-week deadline.
Interference with possession: unauthorised parking on someone else's land is unlawful interference (verbotene Eigenmacht, section 858 BGB), and the possessor may have the car towed. That also applies once paid time runs out, and the Federal Court of Justice (BGH) usually sees no duty to wait (judgment of 19 December 2025 – V ZR 44/25).
Amount: only customary local costs of towing and its direct preparation are recoverable, not general monitoring or administration, and the claimant must prove the amount (BGH, judgment of 4 July 2014 – V ZR 229/13). Storage fees generally run only until you demand the car back: in one case €75 remained instead of €4,935 (judgment of 17 November 2023 – V ZR 192/22).
Retention: the company may hold the car until the amount owed is paid or deposited. If the bill looks too high, pay under reservation or deposit it at the Amtsgericht and reclaim the excess.
Penalty and keeper: breaching posted terms can trigger an increased parking charge (erhöhtes Parkentgelt); for a free car park the BGH accepted at least €30 (judgment of 18 December 2019 – XII ZR 13/19). The driver owes it. The keeper must state who could have used the car, or is treated as the driver. Towing costs, however, can fall on a keeper who was not driving.
Hire cars and foreign plates
Hire car (Mietwagen): the hire company is the keeper, so letters reach it first. It will usually pass on your details and any costs; your agreement may add an admin charge.
Foreign plates: a late or missing letter does not mean the case is closed. Berlin police state that towing fees may be collected immediately from non-local payers, in euros only. Within the EU, a final fine can be sent for enforcement in your home state, which may refuse if it is under €70.
The car is gone: next steps
- Ask first. The Berlin police information office (Auskunfts- und Fahndungsstelle, 030 4664-709800) can say whether the car was moved or impounded and where it is.
- Secure evidence. Photograph the space, signs and markings. Note the time and witnesses.
- Check private land. Look for the operator's sign, ask for an itemised bill and demand the car back in writing.
- Note the deadline. Keep the notice and envelope; the date of service counts.
When legal advice makes sense
For a small warning fee, the effort is often out of proportion. A review makes sense if a point is at stake or high towing or storage costs are claimed. Some legal expenses policies exclude parking offences; we handle the coverage request. See fees and legal insurance or contact us: 030 86 20 12 40.
This article gives a general overview of German law (as of October 2026) and does not replace advice on your individual case.