Parking fees in NRW: Bonn residents pay 360 euros - an overview!

In North Rhine-Westphalia, the costs for residents parking cards vary significantly depending on the city. While Bonn has requested 360 euros for an annual card since March 2024, the city pays 75 % of these costs for financially weak households. Münster increased the fees in February 2024 to 260 euros, whereby the city is based on the economic value of parking. The income from residents' parking certificates in Münster has increased to over 830,000 euros since 2023, which is 18 times the earlier income.

The increase in fees has its basis in a change in the regulations for resident parking in North Rhine -Westphalia. Cities have been able to determine their own fees themselves since 2022. For example, Cologne has raised the fees from 30 to 100 euros; From March 2025, the fee will also be staggered after vehicle length. In Bochum, the fees have increased from 22 to 90 euros, which is not sufficient to cover the costs for the parking spaces. Essen also plans an increase from 30 to 70 euros from 2025. In Düsseldorf, the planned fees of 240 to 360 euros are currently being put on hold due to a lack of social tariff regulation.

fee structure and future developments

Dortmund currently raises around 30 euros for residents' parking cards, but plans to adjust. In Bielefeld, Wuppertal and Duisburg, the fees remain around 30 euros, whereby future increases are not excluded. The ADAC North Rhine criticizes that parking in the city center should not become a social question, which intensifies the discussion about the new fees and their effects on the residents.

The legal foundations for the fee festival were created in February 2022 when the state government of North Rhine-Westphalia authorized the local authorities to independently determine the fees. This regulation was implemented by the “second regulation to change the regulation on responsibilities in the area of ​​road traffic and goods transport”. According to Section 6a Paragraph 5a S. 3 Road Traffic Act, the administrative effort, the importance of parking as well as their economic value and the benefits for the residents can be taken into account.

The Future Network Mobility NRW has created a signing for suitable fee heights in cooperation with AGFS NRW, the City Day North Rhine-Westphalia and the city and municipal association of North Rhine-Westphalia. This paper contains calculation approaches and arranges the residents' parking and the fee festival in the traffic and urban planning context. The brochure is available as a PDF.