Purpose
The skill clarifies the formal threshold question of every trade-law mandate: whether a trade within the meaning of the GewO exists at all, whether it is a standing trade or a travelling trade, which notification or permit is required and what follows from its absence. It also deals with the prohibition of operation without authorisation under § 15 (2) GewO, which in practice is regularly confused with the prohibition under § 35 GewO.
Inputs
- Description of activity: what, where, for whom, with what kind of solicitation
- Whether a commercial establishment within the meaning of § 4 (3) GewO exists
- How customer contact comes about: on order or without prior order
- Legal form, start of activity, branches and dependent branch offices
- Existing trade notification, receipt confirmation, permits
- In administrative proceedings: prohibition or fine notice
- For market events: type of event and assessment notice
Sub-agent architecture
The Researcher obtains the provisions of the GewO, the relevant state regulations (competence, restaurant law) and the case law on the concept of trade and on the delimitation of the travelling trade. The Drafter classifies the activity and drafts the notification, application or legal remedy. The Reviewer checks the delimitation under § 6 GewO, the classification as standing trade / travelling trade and whether § 15 (2) GewO and § 35 GewO are kept distinct.
Procedure
1. Check applicability of the GewO (§ 6 GewO)
This step comes before everything else. Under § 6 (1) GewO, the GewO is not applicable among other things to:
- fishing, the establishment and relocation of pharmacies, paid education of children and the education system;
- the activity of lawyers and their professional practice companies, patent attorneys, notaries, the persons named in § 10 (1) RDG and § 1 (2), (3) RDGEG, auditors, sworn accountants, tax advisors and tax agents;
- the trade of emigration advisers, the sea pilotage system and the activity of prostitutes.
The GewO applies to mining, the medical and other healing professions, the sale of medicines, the distribution of lottery tickets and animal breeding only if expressly provided; it does not apply at all to insurance undertakings, with the exception of Title XI.
In addition, there is the unwritten delimitation from the liberal professions and from primary production as well as from the mere administration of one's own assets, which is not a trade. The classification must be reasoned, not asserted.
2. Distinguish standing commercial trade from travelling trade (Section 55(1) GewO)
A travelling trade is operated by anyone who on a commercial basis without prior order outside his commercial establishment (Section 4(3) GewO) or without having such an establishment
- offers goods for sale, solicits (canvasses) or purchases orders, offers services or solicits orders for services, or
- carries out entertainment activities as a showman or in the manner of a showman.
The two elements must be examined cumulatively:
| Element | Test point |
|---|---|
| Without prior order | Does the initiative come from the trader? An appointment arranged by the customer himself/herself is a prior order — then it is not a travelling trade |
| Outside the commercial establishment | Section 4(3) GewO: an establishment requires a space permanently used for the commercial business and recognisable from the outside |
Anyone who has an establishment and visits customers at their request operates a standing commercial trade. Anyone who offers goods at the front door or on the street without an order operates a travelling trade — even if an establishment exists.
3. Standing commercial trade: notification obligation (§ 14, Section 15 GewO)
Subject to notification under Section 14(1) GewO is anyone who commences the independent operation of a standing commercial trade, a branch establishment or an dependent branch office — at the same time as the commencement. The same applies to
- relocation of the business,
- change or expansion of the subject matter to goods or services that are not customary in commercial businesses of the notified type, 2a. change of name of the trader,
- discontinuation of the business.
In the case of relocation to another registration district, the discontinuation must be notified exclusively to the authority responsible for the registration; that authority transmits the data. If the discontinuation of the business is clearly established and the deregistration is omitted, the authority may deregister ex officio.
Section 14(2) GewO extends the notification obligation to trade in medicinal products, tickets of lotteries and raffles, and the operation of betting offices. For operators of vending machines , Section 14(3) GewO applies with notification at the place of the main establishment and the obligation to affix the name, serviceable address and address of the main establishment visibly on the machine.
Under Section 15(1) GewO, the authority certifies receipt of the notification within three days. The trade notification is a notification, not a permit — the certificate of receipt permits nothing that is not already permitted.
4. Operation without authorisation (§ 15(2) GewO)
If a trade that requires an permission, authorisation, concession or licence is operated without this authorisation , may the competent authority prevent the continuation of the operation prevent. The same applies if a foreign legal person whose legal capacity is not recognised domestically commences a trade.
A sharp distinction must be drawn:
| Provision | Connection | Type of decision |
|---|---|---|
| § 15(2) GewO | formal illegality — the required authorisation is lacking | Discretion ("may") |
| § 35 GewO | substantive unreliability | bound ("is to be prohibited"), but blocked for trades requiring a licence (subsection 8) |
| §§ 48, 49 VwVfG | Revocation of a granted licence | Discretion with a time limit |
An order based on § 35 GewO that in truth only complains of the absence of a licence is based on the wrong legal ground. Conversely, § 15(2) GewO may not serve as a substitute for substantive prohibition. Within the discretion under § 15(2) GewO, it must be considered whether the licence could be granted — in that case, setting a time limit for obtaining it is the milder means.
5. Traveling trade: card, exemptions, prohibitions (§§ 55 et seq. GewO)
- Traveling trade card (§ 55(2) GewO): Anyone wishing to operate a traveling trade requires a licence. Under subsection 3, it may be limited in content, limited in time and subject to conditions.
- Exemptions (§ 55a GewO): Exceptions include, among others, the distribution of products of agriculture and forestry obtained by oneself, activities in the context of trade fairs and markets, and other constellations named by law — the catalogue must be fully examined in each individual case.
- Refusal (§ 57 GewO): The traveling trade card is to be refused in case of unreliability; the system corresponds to that of the standing trade.
- Prohibited activities (§ 56 GewO): In the traveling trade, certain goods and services are excluded from distribution — such as the distribution of certain financial products, precious metals and medicinal products as well as the running and offering of games of chance. The catalogue must be checked in its wording before any advice.
- Carrying obligation (§ 60c GewO): The traveling trade card must be carried during the exercise of the trade and shown upon request.
6. Market privilege (§§ 64 to 71a GewO)
For fixed trade fairs, exhibitions, wholesale, weekly, specialised and annual markets, the special provisions of Title IV apply. Central is the designation by the competent authority (§ 69 GewO) and their effect (§ 69a GewO) — the so-called market privilege: At a designated event, no travelling trade card is required for the sale of the approved goods, and the provisions on shop opening hours do not apply. The right to participate is governed by § 70 GewO; exclusions under § 70(3) GewO require justification and are subject to judicial review.
7. Adjacent regimes
- Restaurant law: Since the federalism reform, the operation of a restaurant has been almost entirely state law; the federal GastG applies only insofar as the states have not made their own regulations. The specific state norm must be named
[unverifiziert – prüfen]for each state. - Skilled crafts: Crafts subject to licensing under Annex A to the HwO additionally require entry in the crafts register (
/gewerberecht:handwerksrolle-hwo); § 16(1) HwO requires the submission of the crafts card simultaneously with the notification under § 14 GewO. - Trades subject to a licence:
/gewerberecht:gewerbeerlaubnis-34-gewo. - Prohibition due to unreliability:
/gewerberecht:gewerbeuntersagung-35-gewo.
8. Sanctions
Violations of the notification obligation under § 14 GewO and of the travelling trade provisions are punishable by a fine under § 145 and § 146 GewO ; the continuation of a trade despite an enforceable prohibition is punishable under § 148 GewO . The activity without the required licence is punishable by a fine under § 144 GewO . The specific number of the respective administrative offence must be checked and cited verbatim.
Deterministic calculation
The calculator in ../../../scripts/legal_calc/ performs only the arithmetic:
# Empfangsbescheinigung § 15 Abs. 1 GewO: 3 Tage ab Eingang der Anzeige am 04.05.2026
python -m scripts.legal_calc.cli frist --ereignis 04.05.2026 --menge 3 --einheit tage --land BY
# Widerspruchsfrist § 70 VwGO gegen die Verfügung nach § 15 Abs. 2 GewO
python -m scripts.legal_calc.cli frist --ereignis 04.05.2026 --menge 1 --einheit monate --land BY
# Verfolgungsverjährung der Ordnungswidrigkeit (§ 31 OWiG) — Rahmen gesondert prüfen
python -m scripts.legal_calc.cli frist --ereignis 04.05.2026 --menge 6 --einheit monate --land BY
Sources
Statutes
- § 4 GewO, § 6 GewO, § 14 GewO, § 15 GewO, § 35 GewO, § 55 GewO, § 55a GewO, § 56 GewO, § 57 GewO, § 60c GewO, § 64 GewO, § 69 GewO, § 69a GewO, § 70 GewO, § 144 GewO, § 145 GewO, § 146 GewO, § 148 GewO
- § 34a GewO, § 34c GewO, § 34d GewO, § 34f GewO, § 34i GewO (licensing requirement, delimitation)
- § 16 HwO; GastG and state restaurant law
[unverifiziert – prüfen] - § 28 VwVfG, § 39 VwVfG, § 40 VwVfG
- § 70 VwGO, § 74 VwGO, § 80 VwGO, § 114 VwGO; § 31 OWiG
Commentaries
- Landmann/Rohmer, GewO, §§ 14, 15, 55 ff., 69a.
- Pielow, GewO, § 14, § 55.
- Ennuschat/Wank/Winkler, GewO, § 15, § 70.
- Kopp/Ramsauer, VwVfG, § 40 (discretion).
Case law
On the concept of trade, on the delimitation of itinerant trade and on the market privilege there is settled case law of the Federal Administrative Court and the Higher Administrative Courts. Every specific decision must be verified before use in juris, Beck-Online or on bverwg.de; without substantiation it is deemed [unverifiziert – prüfen].
Output format
GEWERBEANZEIGE / REISEGEWERBE — <Mandat> — <Datum>
I. Anwendbarkeit
Tätigkeit: <…>
Gewerbe iSd GewO: [ja / nein — freier Beruf / Urproduktion / Vermögensverwaltung]
Ausnahme § 6 GewO: [einschlägig — Norm / nicht einschlägig]
II. Zuordnung
Gewerbliche Niederlassung § 4 Abs. 3: [vorhanden / nicht vorhanden]
Vorhergehende Bestellung: [ja / nein]
Ergebnis: [stehendes Gewerbe / Reisegewerbe / gemischt]
III. Stehendes Gewerbe
Anzeige § 14 Abs. 1: [erstattet am <Datum> / offen]
Anzeigeanlass: <Beginn / Verlegung / Gegenstandswechsel / Namensänderung / Aufgabe>
Zweigniederlassung / unselbständige Zweigstelle: <…>
Empfangsbescheinigung § 15 Abs. 1: bis <Datum>
Zusätzliche Erlaubnis erforderlich: [§ 34a / 34c / 34d / 34f / 34i GewO / keine]
Handwerksrolle § 16 HwO: [erforderlich / nein]
IV. Reisegewerbe
Reisegewerbekarte § 55 Abs. 2: [vorhanden / erforderlich / entbehrlich nach § 55a]
Verbotene Tätigkeiten § 56: [betroffen / nicht betroffen]
Versagungsgründe § 57: <…>
Mitführpflicht § 60c: <…>
Marktprivileg §§ 69, 69a: [festgesetzte Veranstaltung — Karte entbehrlich / nein]
V. Behördliche Maßnahme
Rechtsgrundlage der Verfügung: <§ 15 Abs. 2 GewO / § 35 GewO / §§ 48, 49 VwVfG>
Zutreffend gewählt: [ja / nein — Begründung]
Ermessen § 15 Abs. 2 / § 40 VwVfG: [ausgeübt und begründet / Ausfall]
Milderes Mittel: <Fristsetzung zur Nachholung der Erlaubnis>
Anhörung § 28 VwVfG: [erfolgt / unterblieben]
VI. Rechtsschutz und Sanktionen
Widerspruch / Klage: Frist bis <Datum>
Sofortvollzug: [angeordnet — § 80 Abs. 3 VwGO tragfähig? / nein]
Bußgeld: <§ 144 / § 145 / § 146 GewO — konkrete Nummer>
Strafbarkeit § 148 GewO: [bei Fortsetzung trotz vollziehbarer Untersagung]
VII. Risiko: 🟢 / 🟡 / 🔴 <Begründung>
VIII.Quellenverzeichnis
Risks / typical mistakes
- § 15(2) GewO and § 35 GewO confused. § 15(2) GewO attaches to the absence of the permit and is subject to discretion; § 35 GewO attaches to material unreliability and is bound, but in the case of trades subject to a permit it is blocked under subsection 8.
- Trade notification mistaken for a permit. The receipt confirmation under § 15(1) GewO permits nothing.
- Delimitation under § 6 GewO skipped. Liberal professions, healthcare professions, lawyers, tax advisers and auditors are not subject to the GewO.
- Itinerant trade determined solely by location. § 55(1) GewO cumulatively requires the absence of a prior order; an appointment arranged at the customer's initiative excludes itinerant trade.
- Forgot the notification obligation in the event of a change of object or relocation. § 14(1) sentence 2 GewO also covers these cases as well as a change of name and discontinuation of the business.
- Dependent branch offices not registered. § 14(1) sentence 1 GewO expressly mentions them.
- Prohibited activities under § 56 GewO not checked against the wording.
- Market privilege assumed without substantiating the designation under § 69 GewO.
- Restaurant law treated as federal law. It is overwhelmingly state law; the specific state provision must be named.
- Failure to exercise discretion under § 15(2) GewO not raised. The provision is a may-provision; the authority must recognise and give reasons for its discretion.
- Case law invented. Every decision must be substantiated or marked as
[unverifiziert – prüfen].