Junger Gastwirt an der Theke

Translated from German with AI assistance

Hospitality Industry

In most federal states, operating a restaurant requires special permission or is subject to specific monitoring regulations. Here you will find an overview of the hospitality laws and regulations for all federal states.

In general, the Federal Hospitality Act of May 5, 1970, applies in Germany. As part of the federalism reform in 2006, the federal states were granted legislative competence for hospitality law. Several federal states such as Hesse or Brandenburg have made use of this opportunity and enacted their own hospitality laws as state law. In the remaining states, ordinances govern the execution of federal law (available in German only):

Baden-Wüttemberg

The Regulation of the Federal State Government for the Execution of the German Restaurant Act (Gaststättenverordnung - GastVO), as amended on February 18th, 1991

Bavaria

Bavarian regulation for the implementation of the Hospitality Act (Bavarian Hospitality Regulation – BayGastV) from 23 February 2016 (GVBl. S. 39) BayRS 7130-1-W

Berlin

Regulation for the Execution of the Hospitality Act (Hospitality Regulation - GastV -) of 10 September 1971

Brandenburg

Brandenburg Restaurant Act (BbgGastG) of 2 October 2008 - amended by Article 5 of the Act of 7 July 2009

Bremen

Ordinance on the Implementation of the Bremen Hospitality Act (Bremen Hospitality Ordinance - BremGastV)

Hamburg

Regulation on the operation of restaurants (Gaststättenverordnung - GastVO) of 27 April 1971

Hesse

Hessian Catering Act (HGastG) of 28 March 2012

Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania

Regulations for the Implementation of the Restaurant Act (Gast-VO) from 17 June 1994

Lower Saxony

Lower Saxony Hospitality Act (NGastG)*) from 10 November 2011

North Rhine-Westphalia

The regulation for amending the ordinance for the implementation of the German Hospitality Act (Gaststättenverordnung - GastV)

Rhineland-Palatinate

State regulation for the implementation of the hospitality law (GastVO) of 2nd December 1971

Saarland

Law No. 1745 Saarland Hospitality Industry Act (SGastG) of April 13, 2011 - amended by the Act of June 20, 2012 (Official Gazette I p. 156).

Saxony

Regulation on hospitality dated June 16, 1992 (SächsGVBl. p. 295), most recently amended by the regulation of June 27, 2008 (SächsGVBl. p. 413).

Saxony-Anhalt

Hospitality Act of the Federal State of Saxony-Anhalt (GastG LSA) * of 7 August 2014

Schleswig-Holstein

Regulation of the state implementing the Hospitality Act (Gaststättenverordnung) of April 1, 2003 * As of June 4, 2019 the most recent edition of the complete version.

Thuringia

Thuringian Innkeeper Law (ThürGastG) from 9 October 2008

Relevant in topic:: Service Portal

This English version is provided for convenience only.
It has been translated with the assistance of AI.
No guarantee is made as to the accuracy or completeness of the translation.

Contact

Seibert, Julia_quad

Julia Seibert

Director Tourism Economy and Tourism Policy