So-called environmental zones were established in some German cities as early as 2008, and numerous cities have been added since then. With the 35th Ordinance on the Implementation of the Federal Immission Control Act, better known as the “Fine Dust Ordinance”, the authorities have the option of designating environmental zones and imposing a limited or comprehensive driving ban in these zones in the event of high levels of air pollution. In these areas, only vehicles with low pollutant emissions and a fine dust sticker on the windshield will be allowed to drive.

Which environmental badge for your vehicle?

The fine dust sticker is available in three different colors. Depending on which level of the driving ban is imposed, only green and yellow stickers are allowed to enter an environmental zone, for example.

No sticker requirement … but!

Very important: there is no obligation to display a sticker! However, if you want to be mobile, if you want to or have to drive in the environmental zones that may be created, you will have to affix a fine dust sticker to your windshield. You can of course also obtain one from the TÜFA-TEAM.

The fine particle sticker can become a pitfall during the main inspection, especially if the color of the sticker is incorrect. This is because an incorrect fine dust sticker is assessed as a defect! Frequent sources of error stem from the purchase of a used car. The sticker with the previous owner’s registration number is often simply reused. It is not permitted to drive with a sticker that has a different license plate number than the corresponding vehicle. The simplest solution is to remove the sticker, as it is not compulsory. Risk of defects eliminated! Tip: Stickers can be easily removed with a simple ceramic scraper.

Existing and planned environmental zones

On its own website, the Federal Environment Agency compiles the information submitted by the federal states on environmental zones that have been legally adopted and publishes them in a map overview.