Report the absence of the winter road clearance service 
Have you noticed that the winter road clearance service is not being carried out? Please let us know so that we can grit or clear the roads accordingly.
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Basic information
Bremer Stadtreinigung (DBS) takes over the winter service from mid-October to the beginning of April. They clear and grit public areas in snow and ice. If you have noticed that the winter road clearance service has not cleared and gritted any of the roads that fall within the city's remit, you can report this.
The large gritting vehicles first clear snow and ice from the main roads, sections of road with bus routes and important squares. Within three to four hours, everything is normally gritted with pre-wetted salt. Damp salt is simple salt that is moistened with a brine solution shortly before spreading. The hand crews and small gritting vehicles also give priority to traffic lights, crossings, bridges, relevant bus stops, etc. The clearing and gritting of this 1st priority is carried out 24 hours a day as required, with a few time restrictions.
Cycle paths are generally treated as a 2nd priority. For all other roads, especially side roads, the following applies: clearing or gritting is only carried out on request, e.g. by the police, fire department, transport companies or citizens, and only after checking whether ongoing operations permit it.
Municipal services: The municipal roadways, cycle paths and important squares are usually gritted by the city.
However, as a private resident, it is also your responsibility to clear and grit snow:
You must keep the sidewalk and the area along the adjacent property, including the steps, free of ice and snow. You must do this on weekdays from 07:00 to 20:30 and on Sundays and public holidays from 9:00 to 20:00. You may not pile up snow on the cycle path, but only at the edge of the sidewalk. To protect trees and green areas, you must not use salt-based gritting agents. The thawing substances cause considerable damage to the roots. On footpaths, you may generally only use blunting grit, such as sand. The use of salt-based gritting agents is only permitted in the event of black ice and freezing rain.
Requirements
A winter service is required, e.g. due to snowfall, freezing wetness or slippery frost.
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Procedure
You can submit an informal notification that there is a need for winter services in various ways:
Online
Fill out the online form or use the app from Die Bremer Stadtreinigung.
By telephone
Contact customer service at Die Bremer Stadtreinigung by telephone.
In writing
Send an informal report by e-mail to Die Bremer Stadtreinigung.
More information
If you are a property owner, you can also transfer your cleaning obligation to tenants or commercial cleaning services. The Bremen Public Order Office will be happy to answer any questions you may have. In case of doubt, the Public Order Office will also determine the scope of the cleaning obligation.
The winter gritting service catalog lists all roads that we grit with salt. The lanes of all roads not listed are only cleared of snow or gritted on request and after inspection within the scope of operational possibilities
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Necessary Documents
- You do not need to submit any additional documents.
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Competent Department
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Die Bremer Stadtreinigung
- +49 421 361 3611
- An der Reeperbahn 4, 28217 Bremen
- Website
- info
@dbs. bremen. de
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Forms
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Registration form
Here you can report that the winter service has not been carried out.
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Fees / Costs
gebührenfrei
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Deadlines & processing time
What deadlines must be paid attention to?
As private residents, the sidewalks and areas along the adjacent property must be kept free of ice and snow from 7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. on weekdays and from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sundays and public holidays.
How long does it take to process
DBS is in operation from mid-October to the beginning of April and the incident commanders monitor the forecasts 24 hours a day. If an operation is necessary, DBS responds directly.
If a report is made to customer service about areas that have not been gritted or cleared, DBS usually checks and forwards it on the same day. -
More Information
This page has been automatically translated by DeepL. We cannot guarantee that the translation is correct.
The official information in German is complete and correct. 25.07.2025