Regenrechner

Rainwater fee (Niederschlagswassergebühr) in Bremen: check the hanseWasser survey form (Erhebungsbogen) and fee notice (Bescheid)

Since 1 April 2024, Bremen has had a separate fee for rainwater, the rainwater fee (Niederschlagswassergebühr). hanseWasser is determining the areas of more than 100,000 properties for it, partly with a survey form. From 2027, hanseWasser will bill the fee from 1 April 2024.

Regenrechner is an independent service. We are not part of hanseWasser or the city of Bremen.

What you pay

€0.83 per m² of connected area per year. A house with a 120 m² roof and 60 m² of paving therefore pays €149.40 a year. For April 2024 to December 2026, the total is about €411.

Where the figures on your form come from

The roof areas come from the land registry map (Liegenschaftskarte). hanseWasser estimated the paved areas, such as paths, terraces and driveways, using a statistical factor rather than measuring them on your property. That is why it is worth checking them.

What counts and what does not

  • Only areas from which rain flows into the public sewer count, including via the street and a drain.
  • A terrace whose water runs onto the lawn does not count.
  • Green roofs with at least 5 cm of substrate, grass pavers, permeable paving, joint paving, gravel and crushed stone only count at 30 per cent.
  • A cistern with overflow to the sewer deducts 20 m² for each cubic metre of storage. A cistern or soakaway without overflow: the area does not count at all.
  • A rain barrel does not count.

Deadlines

Return the survey form within one month. If you do not reply, hanseWasser uses the estimated areas. Report later changes, such as a new cistern, within one month too. They apply from the next billing period. For questions on deadlines and objections to a notice, please contact a lawyer or Haus & Grund (the German homeowners’ association).

Work it out yourself

Paths, terrace, driveway, yard. If the letter gives no figure for this, enter 0.

Where does the rainwater from the roof go?
Do you have a green roof?

For example, a terrace whose water runs onto the lawn.

In the area comparison report, we measure the areas of your property on official aerial photos and compare them with the figures on your survey form or notice. These measurements can help you compare against the survey form. You decide yourself what you report to hanseWasser.

Request a free area comparison

Sources: Entwässerungsgebührenortsgesetz der Stadtgemeinde Bremen (§ 6 and § 12), hanseWasser (questions and answers on fees and costs), Serviceportal Bremen. As of October 2026.