Unpaid parking fine
What happens if you do not pay? The rules differ for a control sanction and a parking fee — and the late reaction on the fee changed in 2026.
The consequence of an unpaid fine depends on which type it is.
Unpaid control sanction (contract parking)
A control sanction that is not paid within the deadline is collected as an ordinary monetary claim (Parking Regulations § 37). It is not increased, but it can go to debt collection and enforcement, and ordinary collection costs accrue under the usual legislation. If you have appealed in time, a disputed claim cannot be sent to debt collection before its validity is finally decided. Liability is joint between driver and owner: the driver is pursued first, and after 30 days the claim can be directed at the registered owner.
Unpaid parking fee (public road) — changed in 2026
Here it is important to have the fresh rule: until 31 December 2025, an unpaid fee was increased by 50% after three weeks. From 1 January 2026, this 50% increase is abolished. Instead, late-payment interest under the Late Payment Interest Act now runs from the due date (Fee Regulations § 5, amended by FOR-2025-12-18-2727). The interest rate is set every six months by the Financial Supervisory Authority — check the current rate. The obligation to pay applies even if you appeal; if you are upheld, the amount is refunded.
Further enforcement of a fee
If the fee is not paid within three weeks, it can be enforced under the Road Traffic Act § 38 — at the earliest 14 days after a notice of enforcement has been sent to the owner. An overdue fee is secured by a lien on the vehicle (Road Traffic Act § 38), and the municipality can seize assets or, in the last resort, sell the vehicle to cover the claim. The lien takes priority over other rights in the vehicle, but lapses if the car is sold to a new owner who acted in good faith.
In short: an unpaid fine does not disappear — it grows and can end in enforcement. If you think the fine is wrong, appeal instead of leaving it.