Denmark’s municipalities collected almost 1.4 billion kroner from parking in 2025, the highest total ever recorded, according to a new review by the motorists’ organization FDM.
The figures come from FDM’s examination of municipal gross parking revenue for 2025, reported by DR. The total covers paid parking, residents’ permits and parking fines across the country’s municipalities.
FDM director Stina Glavind told DR that the organization has seen these increases year after year. She said it is worth discussing whether it is reasonable that costs hitting motorists keep rising.
According to FDM’s review, the increase is due to a combination of factors. The main drivers are that more municipal areas are being placed under paid parking, and that prices are rising in several places.
Glavind noted that both of those decisions are made politically in the individual municipalities. She also stressed that municipalities are entitled to regulate traffic conditions through paid parking and parking charges.
At the same time, she urged local politicians to look critically at the area. Per Glavind, it becomes problematic if higher parking revenue is not about regulating traffic, movement and accessibility in towns. She said the money motorists pay should go toward better parking options, among other things.
Helsingør adjusted its scheme
Helsingør is one of the municipalities that has introduced paid parking in recent years. Local politicians from the different parties had to agree on whether and how the scheme should be designed.
The first and more restrictive payment scheme brought the municipality around 7.5 million kroner in 2025, DR reports. It has since been eased, and parking is now free for the first two hours in areas including central Helsingør, after which drivers pay.
Helsingør’s mayor, Benedikte Kjær of the Conservative People’s Party, said paid parking can be a useful and necessary political tool for regulating traffic. She added that the right balance has to be found.
According to Kjær, municipalities must be cautious and humble about introducing paid parking. She said it must not be seen as an earnings tool for the municipal treasury, but as a way to regulate traffic and parking behavior. She pointed to the need to keep room for people who want to drive into town to shop.
Asked about FDM’s criticism, Kjær said she understands the concern in principle. She noted, however, that there is a ceiling on how much municipalities are allowed to earn from parking. If that limit is exceeded, the state takes the money, she said.
