New statutes for fire brigade operations: costs due from 2026!

New statutes for fire brigade operations: costs due from 2026!

On November 21, 2025, a new statute on reimbursement of expenses and costs for operations and services provided by volunteer fire departments was announced. These statutes come into force on January 1, 2026. The announcement provides a legal framework for collecting costs arising from fire service operations and is intended to create a transparent regulation for contribution obligations. The link to the announcement of the statutes is available at this document.

The new regulation draws on provisions of the Bavarian Fire Brigade Act, in particular Article 28, which allows municipalities to demand reimbursement of expenses for operations by their fire departments. The statutes make it clear that compensation is charged for mandatory services such as operations, security guards or response after false alarms, but there are exceptions for rescues of people or animals, provided there is no gross negligence.

Cost structure and flat rates

The statutes specify in detail that the amount of compensation is determined according to flat rates in the list of reimbursement of expenses. This is happening in a similar way as in the city of Munich, where a corresponding statute was passed on January 4, 2023. Equity played a central role here, allowing the municipality to forego charging costs if they are considered unreasonable. The amount of costs for fire brigade operations is regulated transparently by appropriate flat rates that have been set for various services.

• Streckenkosten für Erkundungswagen: 0,34 Euro/km
• Drehleiter: 5,17 Euro/km
• Ausrückestundenkosten für Erkundungswagen: 40,51 Euro/Stunde
• Drehleiter: 73,64 Euro/Stunde
• Hauptamtliches Personal (Qualifizierungsebene 2): 46,80 Euro/Stunde
• Hauptamtliches Personal (Qualifizierungsebene 3): 58,20 Euro/Stunde

These flat rates support regulated cost collection and are intended to help communities cover the fire department's financial expenses.

Obligations and Liability

Various groups are obliged to reimburse costs. These include, among other things, those who caused dangers that led to an operation, as well as people who alerted the fire department intentionally or through gross negligence. Several obligors are jointly and severally liable, which means that if there are several debtors, each can be held responsible for the entire costs. This is clearly regulated in Article 28 of the Bavarian Fire Brigade Act and ensures that the financial burden is distributed appropriately.

In summary, the new statutes show that municipalities are legally positioned to be able to regulate the financial aspects of fire service operations. The regulations regarding cost regulation and the ideas behind them are well anchored in the existing legal basis and offer municipalities clear options for action.

For detailed information about the legal basis, readers can take a look at the complete provisions in the Bavarian Fire Brigade Act, which can be found below this link are available.