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Court abolishes Göttingen garbage fees – citizens celebrate victory!
The Göttingen Administrative Court annuls fee notices for residual waste fees; Property owners’ lawsuits successful.
Court abolishes Göttingen garbage fees – citizens celebrate victory!
There is good news for property owners in Göttingen: the administrative court has upheld a whole series of lawsuits against the city's residual waste fees. This decision was made on September 22, 2025 by the 3rd Chamber of the Court and concerns several notices that primarily levied fees for residual waste.
The fees that have now been eliminated included, among other things, 128.80 euros for an 80 liter container and an impressive 3,844.98 euros for a 1,100 liter container. These lawsuits were filed by owners of various properties in early 2023 and 2024 to challenge the determination of disposal fees. The judges found that the fees set were not legal because the city had failed to properly determine and take into account the excesses and shortfalls from previous years. Even through further calculations, the court was unable to determine whether these had been legally compensated. It remained unclear how the necessary amounts for compensation were determined, which led to the fee decisions being repealed. This significant decision is of great relevance to both the plaintiffs and other affected citizens.
Significant fee adjustments
The initial situation is not new for many people in Göttingen. Changed waste disposal fees have been in effect in the city since January 1, 2017, which at that time raised the basic fee from 5.06 euros to 5.70 euros. Some citizens have also resisted these regulations and their calculation - such as an applicant who successfully challenged a similar fee statute from 2010 in an earlier procedure. His comments, which pointed to deficiencies in the fee structure, have already been taken into account in the past.
According to the reports, the respondent, a special purpose association, has always defended the legality of the statutes. However, the current decision could have far-reaching consequences for the further calculation of waste fees in the Göttingen city area. According to the court, it will be necessary to re-examine the calculated amounts in order to avoid future errors.
Appeal options
However, the court did not restrict the freedom of action of the affected citizens: an appeal against the judgments can be lodged with the Lower Saxony Higher Administrative Court in Lüneburg within one month. This gives city officials the opportunity to legally review the fee issue and possibly adjust it. The rulings also raise questions about how future fees can be collected.
regionalheute.de reported that the lawsuits under numbers 3 A 75/23 and 3 A 49/24 pointed not only to legal deficiencies, but also to competence difficulties in calculating fees. This may also encourage other cities and municipalities to think about their own fee models, because where there is a review, there is usually room for improvement.
Overall, this process shows how important transparency and traceability are in the area of fees and charges - an issue that not only affects Göttingen, but many municipalities across the country. Further developments in this matter remain to be awaited with excitement.