Overview
- North Rhine-Westphalia’s government amended the administrative fees regulation, allowing cities to bill drivers for towing again, a spokesperson for the interior ministry said after cabinet approval.
- The change follows a Cologne court ruling that found 2024 towing charges unlawful because the state put a new fee schedule into effect without timely approval from the state parliament.
- In that case, two Cologne invoices for roughly €200 and €300 were declared void, which opened the door to refund claims for people who paid towing costs this year.
- The court said the state could cure the defect by issuing the fee items again with proper authority, and officials now say the error is healed and past bills could gain a legal basis.
- Drivers who seek refunds and municipalities that issued bills face a wait, since an appeal is expected in Münster and any retroactive rules will determine what happens to 2024 charges.