Frequently asked questions about street cleaning fees

The regular recalculation of fees is a legal requirement. Every local authority must charge its fees to cover its costs. If the fees are not sufficient to provide a service, they must be increased. If, on the other hand, surpluses are generated, the fees must be reduced. As a matter of principle, fees may not be used to generate profits.

According to the Hessian Road Act, the city has a duty to clean the streets. Under certain conditions, it can delegate this obligation to residents. In this case, the street must be cleaned by the residents. No charges are then levied.

In other cases, the city takes over the cleaning itself. This may be the case, for example, if the need for cleaning or the risk posed by traffic is very high and cleaning is unreasonable for the citizen. The city can then charge a fee for its service.

The fee for street cleaning is based on the scope and frequency of cleaning, which are defined in so-called cleaning classes.

It is also calculated according to the frontage meters of the property along the cleaned street through which it is accessed. As properties that are not directly adjacent to the street to be cleaned (rear-lying properties) also benefit from the cleaning service, they are also subject to street cleaning if they are accessed via this street. The basis for calculation is then the so-called notional front meters.

If the property is accessed from several streets to be cleaned, the fee is charged for all sides of the property concerned.

A rear property is not directly adjacent to a road, but is accessed through it, e.g. via an access road, an entrance or via the front property. Only part of a rear property is adjacent to the street to be cleaned.

In the case of rear-lying properties, the length of the property that is not directly adjacent to the road but lies at a certain angle to it (notional front meters) is also taken into account when calculating the charges.

The classification of a street in a cleaning class is based on the cleaning requirements. The degree of soiling, the type of street (e.g. main road or residential street), facilities with a lot of public traffic (e.g. schools, authorities, public transport stops) or trees and green spaces are taken into account.

The streets that are cleaned by ESO Stadtservice employees can be found in the street directory. In this appendix, each street is assigned a cleaning class.

Streets or street sections that are not listed in this appendix must be cleaned by the residents themselves (residents' cleaning).

The city bears approx. 20% of the total costs. 80% is apportioned to the property owners liable to pay charges. All chargeable costs are divided by the sum of all street frontage meters (frontage meters of front, rear and partial rear residents). This avoids multiple charges being levied.

The recipient of the notification is the property owner or an authorized representative.

If you do not agree with a fee notice, you can lodge an appeal against the notice. Please note the information on legal remedies on the notice. The appeal should be justified as far as possible, as this will enable faster processing.