Regensburg 2026: Green Sticker Inside the Alleengürtel
Regensburg, Germany · Umweltzone
Regensburg's Umweltzone covers the old town inside the Alleengürtel. A green sticker has been needed since 15 January 2018; E-plate cars are exempt from 1 October 2026. Fine EUR 100.
Locally the zone is called Umweltzone Regensburg (Germany) — that is the wording on the boundary signs, on the official portal and on any penalty notice, so it is the phrase to search for once you are there.
Next
- Check your own car against Regensburg — enter your fuel and Euro class, get a yes or no in one step.
- Munich has a zone too — the nearest one to Regensburg, and the rules are not identical.
- If a fine arrives after you get home — who pays on a hire car, and what is actually enforceable across borders.
Can your car enter Regensburg?
Regensburg’s Umweltzone is younger than most in Germany: the federal register dates it to 15 January 2018, and it opened straight at green-sticker level. It covers the old town between the Alleengürtel ring and the Danube, and inside it every car needs a green Plakette, visitors from abroad included. Electric cars are the rule that just changed: the city used to require a sticker on E-plate cars as well, but from 1 October 2026 a German E-plate, or the blue E badge for foreign EVs, exempts the car under federal law. Entering without one costs EUR 100 plus fees.
This page covers driving around Regensburg. For the emission classes behind the green sticker, see the Regensburg emission zone details.
The green sticker
The zone is closed to cars, vans and lorries that do not meet the green-sticker standard or have no sticker at all, and that includes residents, commuters and foreign-registered vehicles. Motorcycles and mopeds are exempt. Checks inside the zone are made by the police and the city’s traffic enforcement service. Outside the zone, Germany’s 50 km/h urban limit and 0.5 per mille alcohol limit apply, zero for novices and under-21s.
Park outside, walk in
The city names car parks near the old town but outside the zone: Unterer Wöhrd (old ice rink), Wöhrdstraße north of the Eiserne Brücke, the Regensburg Arcaden and St. Hedwig multi-storeys, the Hauptbahnhof / Castra Regina Center garage, the Dultplatz when no event is on, and Protzenweiher. From there the old town is on foot.
What you walk to
The ensemble “Old Town of Regensburg with Stadtamhof” has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2006, and the Danube Limes was added in 2021. Inside the walls of the Roman legionary fortress Castra Regina lies the core of the medieval city; the Porta Praetoria survives in the bishop’s court beside St. Peter’s Cathedral, a short walk from the Stone Bridge.
When the car helps
For trips along the Danube or into the countryside of eastern Bavaria, collect the car from one of the outer car parks and leave without entering the zone.
Sources
- Verordnung zur Kennzeichnung der Kraftfahrzeuge (35. BImSchV), Annex 3 no. 11 (cars with an E-plate under FZV section 11 exempt, in force 1 October 2026, BGBl. 2026 I Nr. 278) and Annex 2 para. 3 (cars without a combustion engine are group 4, green): gesetze-im-internet.de
- Fahrzeug-Zulassungsverordnung section 11 (E-plate; blue E badge for foreign-registered EVs, para. 4): gesetze-im-internet.de
- City of Regensburg, Umweltzone (old town between Alleengürtel and Danube; green sticker for all visitors; E-plate vehicles needed it until 30 September 2026; motorcycles not affected; EUR 100 plus fees; car parks outside the zone): regensburg.de
- Umweltbundesamt, register of German Umweltzonen (Regensburg: active, 15 January 2018 for all stages): gis.uba.de
- Bussgeldkatalog-Verordnung, annex No. 153 (EUR 100 for driving in a closed Umweltzone): gesetze-im-internet.de
- City of Regensburg, World Heritage (inscribed 2006; Danube Limes 2021; Castra Regina, Porta Praetoria): regensburg.de
- Strassenverkehrs-Ordnung section 3 (50 km/h in built-up areas): gesetze-im-internet.de
- Strassenverkehrsgesetz sections 24a and 24c (0.5 per mille; zero for novices and under-21s): gesetze-im-internet.de
Speed limits, fines, equipment & license requirements
Full requirements, sticker info & exemptions
Renting a Car in Regensburg?
Compare prices from all major rental companies. Free cancellation on most bookings.
See Regensburg Rental PricesSome links on this page are affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. How our affiliate links work.
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.
Checked against national legislation, 1 Oct 2026 · Full Germany tyre law · Compare all countries
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, inside the Umweltzone, which covers the old town between the Alleengürtel ring and the Danube. The city states that only vehicles with a green Plakette may drive or park there, and that this applies to visitors from Germany and abroad. Motorcycles and mopeds are not affected, and since 1 October 2026 neither are cars with an E-plate.
Not if it carries a German E-plate, or the blue E badge that foreign-registered EVs can get: since 1 October 2026 the federal sticker ordinance exempts these cars (BGBl. 2026 I Nr. 278). Until 30 September 2026 the city required E-plate cars to show the green Plakette. An electric car without that marking qualifies for green and must still display it.
EUR 100 plus administrative fees, under the federal fine catalogue. The police and the city's traffic enforcement service carry out the checks inside the zone.
The city lists public car parks close to the old town but outside the zone, among them Unterer Wöhrd (old ice rink), the Wöhrdstraße car park north of the Eiserne Brücke, the Regensburg Arcaden and St. Hedwig multi-storeys, the Hauptbahnhof / Castra Regina Center garage, the Dultplatz (unless an event is on) and Protzenweiher.
The UNESCO-listed old town with Stadtamhof, inscribed in 2006, and since 2021 the Danube Limes as well. Remains of the north gate of the Roman fortress Castra Regina, the Porta Praetoria, are built into the bishop's court beside St. Peter's Cathedral.
More Cities in Germany
Most-checked zones right now
The zone pages drivers are looking up most this month — each with an interactive map, sticker rules and fines.