Overview

• Mainz has introduced a nighttime ban on robotic lawn mowers, prohibiting their use from 30 minutes before sunset to 30 minutes after sunrise.
• Violations without harm to wildlife result in fines ranging from €50 to €75, while injuring or killing animals like hedgehogs can incur penalties up to €50,000.
• Cologne previously enacted a similar ban, while Ludwigshafen advises limiting mower use to daytime hours between 9 AM and 5 PM.
• Other cities in Rheinland-Pfalz, including Trier, Koblenz, and Kaiserslautern, focus on voluntary guidelines and public awareness rather than enforceable bans.
• Research from the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research has documented hundreds of hedgehogs injured by robotic mowers since 2022, highlighting the urgency of protective measures.