The scene is chilling for any driver. You pay your parking ticket at a private parking lot. You head off to your meeting. When you return, your spot is empty: the car has been towed. That is exactly what happened to a German driver. She was presented with a tow charge of €587.50 to recover her vehicle. A steep bill that has just been validated in black and white by the country’s highest court.
For many, a paid ticket should be enough to shield you from a tow. And yet, German judges have just reminded everyone that the right ends at the minute indicated on the ticket. In this highly publicized case in Germany, the driver had indeed paid for parking at a private Dresden lot according to tagesschau.de. She had simply exceeded the maximum permitted duration. The Bundesgerichtshof (BGH), Germany’s Federal Court, has resolved the dispute. For the judges, the operator of the lot was within their rights to have the vehicle removed immediately. A ruling that should worry anyone who parks, sometimes in a hurry, in a supermarket or hospital lot.
A Car Towed Despite a Paid Parking Ticket: The €587.50 Case
The facts date back to July 8, 2022, at a paid private parking lot in Dresden, Saxony. The driver parked at 8:11 a.m. and paid a €4 ticket. The receipt granted permission to park until 10:51 a.m., the maximum duration set for this lot. When she returned later, the car was no longer there. The lot operator had called a tow truck. The vehicle was towed to a private impound lot.
To retrieve her car, the driver first had to pay the towing charges demanded by the company responsible for the removal. The bill was steep for a single tow, and she decided not to stop there. She paid to recover her vehicle, but then challenged the amount in court, seeking a refund. She initially failed before Dresden’s courts, then brought the case to the BGH in Karlsruhe. The Federal Court ultimately rejected her request. The judges held that the operator was entitled to tow a vehicle left after the paid duration had expired.
What the BGH Decision Means for Private Parking
For the BGH, a parking ticket at a private parking lot is a time-limited rental contract. Once the paid hour has elapsed, the landowner’s consent ceases to exist and the car occupies the space without a right to stay. The judges speak of an illicit encroachment on possession, what German law describes as a “verbotene Eigenmacht.” In such a case, the owner is allowed to defend themselves by having the vehicle removed. This mechanism is called “Selbsthilfe” in the German Civil Code. The BGH clarifies that the parking operator has no obligation to grant a grace period or to wait a few minutes. The reason for the delay—an overrunning medical appointment, a late meeting, or simple forgetfulness—does not factor into this legal analysis.
Directly, the driver remains fully liable for the €587.50 charged for the tow. The judges did not scrutinize in detail whether this amount was excessive, as that point had not been challenged specifically. Yet other decisions on private parking have cited tow charges ranging from €100 to €175. A gap that shows just how quickly a car towed despite a paid parking ticket can become very expensive. For motorists, including French travelers in Germany, the takeaway is clear: on a private lot, even a minute beyond the limit can trigger a tow and a hefty bill. Another reason to watch the clock as closely as the ticket tucked behind the windshield.
