Kempten 2026: Roman Roots, Zero Emission-Zone Rules
Kempten, Germany · LEZ
Kempten has no low-emission zone — no emission sticker, permit or low-emission penalty applies today. Kempten — the main city of the Allgäu region in the far south of Bavaria, and one of the oldest cities in Germany (it was the Roman town of Cambodunum), with a fine baroque Residence and Basilica from its time as a prince-abbey, an old town, and a setting amid
Can your car enter Kempten?
Kempten’s driving rules are simple because there aren’t any beyond the national ones: the city never installed an Umweltzone and doesn’t appear on Germany’s federal register of low-emission zones. Its real claim to fame predates any modern traffic rule anyway — Cambodunum, the Roman town founded here, makes Kempten one of Germany’s oldest settlements, visible today at the Archaeological Park on the edge of town. Park centrally for the baroque Residence and Basilica, and keep the car for the Allgäu’s lakes and mountains beyond.
This page covers driving around Kempten. For the zone specifics, see the Kempten LEZ details.
Is There a Low Emission Zone in Kempten?
No. Kempten has never had an Umweltzone. It does not appear in the Umweltbundesamt federal register of German low-emission zones, which lists all 58 zones ever created (35 active, 23 withdrawn). No Umweltplakette is required and no low-emission penalty applies.
Green sticker, then park and walk
Kempten has never had a low-emission zone, so no emission sticker or permit applies. Germany’s limits: 50 km/h urban, 0.05% alcohol.
When the car helps
Keep it for the Allgäu — the green hills, the lakes (Alpsee, Forggensee), the mountain resorts and Neuschwanstein not far off — driven from a central garage.
Speed limits, fines, equipment & license requirements
Full requirements, sticker info & exemptions
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Winter tyres in Germany — 2026–27 season
Winter tyres are required in Germany whenever conditions are wintry — Situational (when conditions require: ice, snow, slush, black ice).
- Tread minimum: 1.6 mm — Germany sets no separate winter figure.
- Accepted marking: 3PMSF only — the M+S transitional rule no longer applies to cars (StVZO §36(4))
- Studded tyres: banned
- Penalty: EUR 60 + 1 point; EUR 80 if you obstruct traffic; EUR 75 for the vehicle owner
In German the rule is Winterreifenpflicht, and snow chains are Schneeketten — that is the wording on signs, in hire-car paperwork and on any penalty notice.
Verified against national legislation, August 2026 · Full Germany tyre law · Compare all countries
Frequently Asked Questions
There is no low-emission zone in Kempten. Kempten has never had an Umweltzone. It does not appear in the Umweltbundesamt federal register of German low-emission zones, which lists all 58 zones ever created (35 active, 23 withdrawn). No Umweltplakette is required and no low-emission penalty applies. You do not need a sticker or permit for emissions here.
Kempten traces its origins to Cambodunum, a Roman town on the river Iller mentioned by the geographer Strabo around 2,000 years ago, making it one of the oldest cities in Germany with a documented history. You can explore the Roman heritage at the Archaeological Park Cambodunum (APC), with reconstructed Roman buildings, on the edge of the city. Later, Kempten was a prince-abbey, leaving the grand baroque Residence and Basilica of St Lorenz in the centre.
Kempten's highlights are its baroque Prince-Abbots' Residence (Residenz) with its opulent state rooms and the adjoining Basilica of St Lorenz, the old town with its market square and the contrast between the former 'monastic town' and the once-Protestant 'imperial town', and the Roman archaeological park. Its setting in the Allgäu, gateway to the green hills, lakes and the Allgäu Alps, adds to the appeal. The compact centre is best explored on foot.
No. Kempten has never had an Umweltzone. It does not appear in the Umweltbundesamt federal register of German low-emission zones, which lists all 58 zones ever created (35 active, 23 withdrawn). No Umweltplakette is required and no low-emission penalty applies. You do not need a sticker or permit for emissions in Kempten.
Not for the compact centre, which is walkable, and Kempten is on the rail line. A car is genuinely useful for exploring the Allgäu around it — the green pre-Alpine hills, the lakes (the Alpsee, the Forggensee), the mountain resorts and the Allgäu Alps with their famous castles like Neuschwanstein not far off — driven from a central garage rather than used in the low emission zone centre.
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