New parking fee ordinance enters into force on 1 June 2025

On 1 June 2025, the revised version of the city ordinance on parking fees will enter into force in the Hanseatic City of Lübeck. The new version will replace the existing ordinance from 2008 and aims primarily to promote more efficient use of parking spaces and to do more to encourage the use of environmentally friendly means of transport.

The new fee structure was originally intended to be adopted at the start of the year. After it had been presented to the political committees, however, there were some issues that needed to be discussed and some questions regarding who has the authority to adopt an ordinance of this type. To allow time to further clarify the legal context of the situation and answer the questions posed by the political committees, the implementation of the new fee ordinance was postponed to June. The reviews have now been completed and the advisory decisions of the city assembly have been taken into account. Among other things, the city assembly asked the mayor to realise concept for different parking fees for different regions and implement appropriate fee increases.

According to Schleswig-Holstein’s State Administration Act, the adoption of ordinances such as the parking fee ordinance is the sole responsibility of the major, as this is a mandatory task under road traffic law. This has been confirmed by a further legal check performed by the Hanseatic City of Lübeck. The reason for this is that regulating parking fees is a measure aimed at steering traffic and relieving congestion on the roads in Lübeck – a task that the city must fulfil in line with clear statutory requirements. The mayor must observe the principle of proportionality and involve the city assembly pursuant to section 55(3) of the State Administration Act (LVwG). The assembly does not, however, have the right to veto the mayor’s decision.

The adjustment of parking fees serves to relieve traffic and is proportionate, so any rejection of this measure on the part of the assembly would be incompatible with the objectives of road traffic law.

Furthermore, the parking tariff drafts for Travemünde have been revised and the distinction between main season and off season has not been further pursued. This is because of the high number of tourists, even in winter, which make a year-round intervention necessary to control all the cars searching for parking spaces. Travemünde has developed into a tourist destination that now attracts visitors all year round.

The revised parking fee ordinance will now be presented to the political committees for reference once again.

This means that implementation of the new ordinance will commence on Monday, 2 June 2025. Accordingly, the ticket machines will all need to be gradually converted. This means that there will be a transition period after the new fees have been introduced, during which the previous fees will continue to apply at the car parks until the technical conversion is complete. The ticket machines display the specific applicable parking fees, so overpayment will be impossible in practice.

The new parking fee ordinance

The idea behind the new fee structure is to implement a coordinated and modern fee model that will better distribute the use of car parks and make a lasting improvement to traffic congestion. Instead of increasing all the fees equally, the new ordinance distinguishes between different regions, taking into account the value and demand for individual car parks and dividing them up into separate zones.

The fees will be increased in high-traffic zones such as the Old Town island and Travemünde, and parking will remain cheaper for car parks in peripheral locations. The differences in zone pricing will make people less likely to park in especially popular areas and more likely to choose alternative parking areas and means of transport. The car parks are split into five zones, with the parking fees in the individual zones adjusted according to location and attractiveness.

This will make the fee pricing transparent and fair, in a way that accurately reflects the demand for car parks and takes regional differences into account.

To make the pricing easier and more user-friendly, fees will be charged on the basis of 30-minute blocks rather than by the minute. The free short-term parking button for brief pick-ups and deliveries will be extended from 10 to 15 minutes. Free parking for electric vehicles will also be extended at least until the end of 2026.

Another element of the new ordinance is that the city will be able to quickly adjust parking fees when major events are being held, to improve traffic flow during these times.

Zone distribution under the new fee ordinance

Zone I covers the car parks on the Old Town island and at Lübeck central station, where the demand for parking spaces is high. Fees will be higher here to reduce congestion. This zone will also include the car parks along the Lower Trave (Untertrave) in future.

Zone II forms a ring around the Old Town and also covers the adjoining areas, including Kanalstraße. This zone is also a high-traffic area, but the fees are slightly lower than for the Old Town. 

Zone III covers the rest of the city and serves as a cheaper alternative for people who want to avoid the centre. 

Zone IV is in the centre of Travemünde. Zone V covers the outskirts of Travemünde and is slightly cheaper than Zone IV as it is more peripheral. The zone-based pricing will help to improve the distribution of car park use and also give people an incentive to use more environmentally friendly alternatives.

Camper van sites and car parks for coaches

The parking fee for public camper van sites will be increased to 20 euros for 24h, and coaches will pay a day rate of 30 euros. This will cover the increases in infrastructure costs and further strengthen the infrastructure for tourism in Lübeck.

With the new city ordinance on parking fees, the Hanseatic City of Lübeck is taking a further step towards sustainable and future-oriented mobility.

Overview of the new tariffs

The draft resolution can be accessed at www.luebeck.de/politik under VO/2024/13678-03.