Editing Prostitution in Germany (section)

=== Municipal regulation ===
The first city in Germany to introduce an explicit prostitution tax was [[Cologne]]. The tax was initiated early in 2004 by the city council led by a coalition of the conservative [[Christian Democratic Union (Germany)|CDU]] and the leftist [[German Green Party|Greens]]. This tax applies to [[striptease]], [[peep show]]s, [[pornography|porn]] cinemas, sex fairs, [[massage parlor]]s, and prostitution. In the case of prostitution, the tax amounts to €150 per month and working prostitute, to be paid by brothel owners or by privately working prostitutes. (The area ''Geestemünder Straße'' mentioned above is exempt.) Containment of prostitution was one explicitly stated goal of the tax. In 2006 the city took in €828,000 through this tax.<ref>[http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,454749,00.html Sex Tax Filling Cologne's Coffers.] ''Spiegel Online'', 15 December 2006</ref> The neighboring city of Bonn collects a nightly sex work tax of six euro from street prostitutes in the Immenburgstrasse by vending machines identical to German parking meters. All other areas of the city are Sperrbezirk (off-limits for street prostitution).

Every city has the right to zone off certain areas where prostitution is not allowed (''Sperrbezirk''). Prostitutes found working in these areas can be fined or, when persistent, jailed. The various cities handle this very differently. In Berlin prostitution is allowed everywhere, and [[Hamburg]] allows street prostitution near the [[Reeperbahn]] during certain times of the day. Almost the entire center of [[Munich]] is ''Sperrbezirk'', and under-cover police have posed as clients to arrest prostitutes.<ref>{{cite news|title=Polizei überführt über 800 illegale Prostituierte|newspaper=Abendzeitung|date=23 December 2008|url=http://www.abendzeitung.de/muenchen/75632|language=de|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110903034107/http://www.abendzeitung.de/muenchen/75632|archive-date=3 September 2011}}</ref> In [[Leipzig]], street prostitution is forbidden almost everywhere, and the city even has a local law allowing police to fine customers who solicit prostitution in public.<ref name=ab/> In most smaller cities, the ''Sperrbezirk'' includes the immediate city center as well as residential areas. Several states prohibit brothels in small towns (such as towns with fewer than 35,000 inhabitants).

This concept has been the subject of a number of legal challenges. In [[North Rhine-Westphalia]] a [[Minden]] court has ruled against 'Sperrbezirk',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nw-news.de/owl/11222929_Prostitution_in_neuem_Licht.html|title=Prostitution in neuem Licht|first=Neue|last=Westfälische}}</ref> as have courts in [[Hesse]] and [[Bavaria]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.anwalt24.de/fachartikel/staat-und-verwaltung/23686|title=Skandal im Sperrbezirk: Wohnungsprostitution in Frankfurt am Main grundsätzlich zulässig. Frankfurter Sperrgebietsverordnung in Teilen unwirksam.|date=5 February 2013|language=de|trans-title=Sperrbezirk Scandal: Home-based prostitution permitted in principle in Frankfurt am Main. Frankfurt's restricted area regulation partially ineffective.|website=anwalt24.de}}</ref><ref>[http://www.br.de/nachrichten/oberbayern/inhalt/bordell-ausweitung-dachau-prozess-100.html Kampf um Sex-Clubs: Stadt Dachau unterliegt im Bordell-Prozess. BR.de 01.08.2014] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140917154529/http://www.br.de/nachrichten/oberbayern/inhalt/bordell-ausweitung-dachau-prozess-100.html |date=17 September 2014 }}</ref> The court ruled that a general prohibition of prostitution infringed a basic right to choose one's occupation, as laid down in the 2002 Prostitution Act.