ZDM fines for adverts in the road reserve: ten times the fee, for example 4,650 zł for 30 days

The Warsaw Municipal Roads Authority (ZDM, Zarząd Dróg Miejskich) inspects advertising in the road reserve (pas drogowy) and imposes fines where there is no permit. The rules cover not only free-standing billboards but also signs on buildings and fences if the structure extends into the road reserve, which includes not just the carriageway and pavement but also the space above and below them. If a board lies entirely outside it, merely being visible from the pavement is no grounds for a fine.

The fine equals ten times the fee for occupying the road reserve and depends on the advert’s area, the rate for the road category and the number of days. ZDM’s example: a 5-square-metre board, 30 days by a county road, at a rate of 3.10 zł per metre per day, comes to 4,650 zł; the longer the violation, the higher the sum.

The scale of the checks is visible in one of the monthly reports published by ZDM: 902 adverts on 137 streets were inspected, 45 illegal carriers were removed, 36 administrative proceedings were opened and 52 fine decisions were issued. These are historical figures, not the results for October 2026.