Fines are automatically associated with road traffic, but some actions in the garden can also mean that you have to pay a high fine. You can find out here, for example, what these are.
If you think of the catalog of fines, then you immediately think of high pen alties for driving too fast, parking wrongly or using a mobile phone while driving. After all, that's what happens quite often. But what many do not know is that there is also a catalog of environmental fines. Special environmental offenses are punished here.
Each federal state has its own catalog of environmental fines. The amount of the fine depends on where you live.
You can find a list of all offenses and the corresponding fines staggered by federal state at bussgeld-info.de.
At this point, many people are wondering what can go wrong in their garden, which can result in a fine. I would like to give you a brief overview of the most important offences.
4 offenses that can be expensive in the garden
The garden is yours and you can do whatever you want with it? Unfortunately it's not quite like that. Everyone has to follow certain rules. In allotment gardens, there are often significantly more regulations than someone with their own plot of land. I would like to introduce you to basic things that are punishable for everyone and can lead to high fines.
❖ make fire
A crackling fire in the garden brings cosiness and creates a strange atmosphere. In the evening after work or at the weekend with the children you can spend many cozy hours by the fire. But is fire of any kind actually allowed? The fact is that an open fire always involves danger.
All fireplaces that do not have a fireproof closed container are considered open fire.
It is important to know that starting a fire is subject to certain rules. These not only differ depending on the federal state, often even depending on the municipality or city.
In general, however, it can be said that the burning of garden and household waste is prohibited. This often creates a lot of smoke and odors, which can quickly become a dispute with the neighbor. To be on the safe side and to avoid a high fine, you should find out locally which regulations apply. The following places can give you information about this:
- Police Departments
- Ordnungsamt
- Environment Agency
- Fire Brigade
The violation in Hamburg and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania can be very expensive. This can result in fines of up to 5,000 euros.
❍ Rules for a Fire
In addition to the local regulations, there are also basic rules for setting up and heating up a fireplace.
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- A minimum distance of 10 meters to surrounding buildings should be maintained. Places that can catch fire quickly, such as a wooden shelter, should also be far enough away from the actual fire.
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- Only burn dry and natural wood. Garden waste such as brushwood, hedge clippings and leaves go on the compost.
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- Lights with a size of 1×1 meter do not require a permit. In addition, you must always obtain permission.
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- You should erect a protective wall around the fireplace to prevent the fire from spreading. This can be built from sand or stones.
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- Always have the appropriate extinguishing agent ready so that you can intervene immediately in an emergency. Possible are water, sand, fire extinguisher, and fire blanket.
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- In strong winds or prolonged drought, avoid lighting a fire.
- Be sure to watch the fire until the embers die out.
❖ Dispose of garden waste
We have just mentioned that garden waste must not be burned. But can they simply be disposed of freely? Of course not. If you dump your garden waste in the forest, you have to expect high pen alties. In Saarland, for example, a bucket of garden costs. and household waste around 200 euros, a trunk in Lower Saxony, for example, 400 euros and anyone who dumps a full truck can expect a fine of around 500 euros in some federal states such as Bremen, Hamburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Lower Saxony and Saarland.
To theTo avoid unnecessary pen alties, you should dispose of the waste that accumulates in the garden properly. Here is a small list of where special waste can be taken.
| Waste | Disposal location / use |
|---|---|
| Excavation | • Use in your own garden • Advertise and sell • Delivery to the city or municipality • Take to the landfill |
| Green waste | • Lawn clippings on compost • Organic bin for branches, hedge clippings, flower bed debris, weeds, etc. |
| Leaves | • Dispose of at the city or municipality using special bags • Household waste or organic waste bin • Make mulch and mix with chopped twigs and lawn clippings to provide winter protection for the plants |
| animal manure | • Compost • Inquire at farms • Ask biogas plants for acceptance |
❖ Cut hedge
Hedge trimming is part of the regular gardening work year after year. There is a lot of waste that, as mentioned above, must not be burned. But that is not the only ban in this context. In addition, there is the fact that according to the Federal Nature Conservation Act, paragraph 39, paragraph 5, sentence 2 at gesetze-im-internet.de it is even forbidden to cut the hedge within a certain period of time.
The law says:
"It is forbidden to cut, erect or remove hedges, living fences, bushes and other woody plants in the period from March 1st to September 30th; gentle shaping and care cuts are permitted to eliminate growth of the plants or to keep trees he althy."
The reason behind the ban is that the animals and bushes should be protected. But here, too, different regulations apply depending on the federal state.
The highest fine for illegally removing or damaging hedges can be expected in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Here, this offense can cost up to 100,000 euros.
Maintenance cuts, for example to remove dead wood, are permitted all year round.
Another point that can lead to a fine is the height of the hedge. However, this is a state matter. In most cases, the hedge must not be higher than two meters - if the distance to the neighboring house is 50 centimetres.
❖ Clearing snow
Pushing snow can also result in high finesor if you don't do it. In principle, every homeowner is obliged to clear the paths in front of their own property of snow. In the case of tenants, it is stipulated in the rental agreement whether they are responsible for this or not.
If the snow isn't cleared or if it's icy, it can be doubly expensive.
- If someone falls and injures themselves, they can demand compensation.
- The municipality can impose a fine.
Here, too, it is different depending on the federal state. In most parts of Germany it costs up to 500 euros, it can be most expensive in Hamburg. A walkway that is not exempt can cost up to 50,000 euros here.
Important to know:
❍ Snow clearing time:
- weekdays from 07:00 a.m. - 08:00 p.m.
- Sundays and public holidays: 08:00/09:00 a.m. to 08:00 p.m.
The sidewalks must be clear by 7:00 a.m. or 8:00 a.m. on weekends.
» To be on the safe side, also take a look at your municipal statutes. Sometimes there are small deviations.
❍ Frequency of snow clearing:
In heavy and prolonged snowfall, clearing the trail once a day is not enough. It is recommended to do this at reasonable intervals.
If it is slippery, you are obliged to sprinkle regularly. This was even recorded in a judgment at the Federal Court of Justice at gratis- judgements.de.
❍ Use of the grit:
Be careful what you use with the grit. Many statutes prohibit the use of s alt. Sand or grit are more suitable.
» Attention: Do not push snow onto the road.