Public areas
Who is responsible for street lighting?
Street lighting is an important part of road safety. Who changes the light bulbs here? We will tell you the right contact person.
November 27th, 2024 – 2:52 p.m.|Reading time: 2 min.
You only think about street lights when they stop shining. Then you notice how dark the street suddenly seems. Is there a “caretaker” who looks after all the streetlights in your area? Who do you call when it suddenly gets dark and who owns the streetlight? We know the answers.
In some places on the road, lighting is required by law. (Source: Michael Reichel/dpa./dpa)
Street lighting is the responsibility of your municipality or the city’s public affairs department. There are exceptions that have been regulated by the city itself. The state capital Wiesbaden has handed over responsibility for the street lighting network in 2024.
The regional electricity supplier ESWE is now responsible here and also takes over customer service. In most large cities, the contact person can be found at the city itself or at the civil engineering department.
Tipp: Use online services to find jurisdiction by street in your hometown. By entering your city and postal code, you will be shown who you can report defective street lighting to.
If you report a broken street lamp, the city does not necessarily have to take action. This results from the legal obligation to ensure standard street lighting (for pedestrians). How many lamps are required for this depends on the traffic importance, the road situation and the community itself.
The legislation and German case law surrounding street lights is often criticized as inadequate. The reason for this is that the performance of a community or municipality plays a role in how high expenditure on lighting can be. In some cases, however, lamps are mandatory and must not fail. These include the following situations:
The length of time it takes to repair a defective street lamp is not stipulated by law. Exceptions apply when special precautionary measures are required to ensure traffic safety (see the examples above).
