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Shop Closing Laws in Germany

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The following is a guest post by Laura Schmerkotte, a foreign law intern working with Foreign Law Specialist Jenny Gesley at the Global Legal Research Directorate of the Law Library of Congress. 

It is a scenario many know too well: it is Sunday evening, you are in the mood to cook something delicious, only to discover you are missing a key ingredient. The obvious solution? A quick trip to the grocery store. Easy enough if you live in the United States. But not in Germany—on Sundays, retail stores are generally closed.

Federal Shop Closing Act

Until 2025, the Federal Shop Closing Act (Ladenschlussgesetz) regulated retail store opening hours uniformly throughout the country. As a measure to protect retail workers, the law curbed “both long working hours and labor scheduled during socially undesirable times,” such as nighttime, Sundays, or holidays.

Originally enacted in 1956 and revised in 2003, section 3 of the Federal Shop Closing Act required that points of sale remain closed on Sundays and public holidays. In addition, the same provision stipulated that on weekdays (Monday through Saturday), shops must remain closed before 6 a.m. and after 8 p.m.

Shifting Legislative Power to the States

As part of Germany’s federalism reform, the authority to regulate shop opening hours was transferred to the federal states on June 30, 2006. In July 2025, the Bavarian state parliament, the last remaining state without its own Shop Closing Act, passed the Bavarian Shop Closing Act (Bayerisches Ladenschlussgesetz). All 16 German states have now enacted their own shop opening laws, which largely follow the regulatory model of the Federal Shop Closing Act.

In general, all state laws prohibit shops from opening on Sundays and public holidays. While some states—such as North Rhine-Westphalia, Schleswig-Holstein, and Baden-Württemberg—permit shops to stay open 24 hours from Monday to Saturday, others, such as Bavaria and Saarland, have stricter regulations, generally requiring shops to close by 8 p.m.

Cologne, Germany. View along the river pathway. Photo by Flickr user whistlepunch. Aug. 14, 2009. Used under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

Sunday as a Day of Rest

In Germany, Sundays and public holidays are constitutionally protected. Under article 139 of the Weimar Constitution—incorporated into the German Basic Law (Grundgesetz) through article 140—Sunday continues to be designated as a day of rest and spiritual elevation. As a result, many Germans dedicate their Sundays to spending time with family and friends, visiting museums, dining out, or relaxing in nature.

Exceptions to the Rule

There are, however, regulated exceptions that allow shops to open on Sundays under specific conditions. Exceptions to the rules are common for particular types of stores, such as gas stations, and in specific locations, such as airports and train stations.

Moreover, all federal states permit shops to open on at least three Sundays or public holidays per year. While Berlin allows up to eight exceptions per year, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Baden-Württemberg permit only three. However, the legislature may authorize Sunday shop openings only if there is a sufficiently strong, objective reason that justifies both the timing and the location of the opening. According to the Federal Constitutional Court, purely economic motives of retailers or the general shopping preferences of consumers do not constitute sufficient justification. The court also held that it must ensure that the public is made aware that such exceptions are deviations from the general rule that stores are closed on Sundays. When Sunday openings are tied to an event, it must be guaranteed that the event, rather than the shop opening, defines the character of the day.

Debate Regarding Sunday Shop Openings

As lifestyles and consumer habits evolve, so too does the debate over whether shop closing laws should follow suit. Following the recent passage of the Bavarian Shop Closing Act, the Catholic and Protestant churches in Bavaria expressed concern over what they described as a “significant weakening” of the constitutionally guaranteed protection of Sunday as a day of rest. Their criticism focused on article 2, paragraph 2 of the new Bavarian law, which allows unstaffed digital mini-markets to open on Sundays. The Catholic Workers’ Movement (Katholische Arbeitnehmerbewegung) stated that it anticipates an increase in Sunday and night labor. It argued that even digital mini-markets will not be able to operate without staff on Sundays since cleaning, maintenance, and security remain necessary, effectively compromising Sunday protections. Hubert Aiwanger, Bavaria’s Minister of Economic Affairs, on the other hand, supports the new law, characterizing it as a vital step towards modernizing outdated shop closing rules.

From another perspective, Alexander von Preen, president of the German Trade Association, has advocated for greater flexibility for businesses overall. According to him, the decision of whether and when shops open on Sundays should be left to the municipalities and retailers themselves.

For many Germans, Sunday remains a day reserved for rest, family, friends, and unwinding. Reflecting this sentiment, a recent German online survey found that about 74% of participants oppose Sunday shop openings.

Additional Resources

The Law Library of Congress has several resources on German law, including specific resources on labor law and shop closing laws:

If you have a question regarding German law, you can also submit it using the Ask a Librarian form on our website.

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