Zurich loses Federal Court Tempo 30 case and its new parking permit rules stall

Federal Court rejects Zurich's Tempo 30 appeal

On Friday, 13 November 2026, the Swiss Federal Supreme Court in Lausanne dismissed the appeal the city of Zurich had filed against the cantonal council's counter-proposal to the ÖV-Initiative. The cantonal council approved the counter-proposal on 14 April 2025, after the FDP, SVP and Mitte withdrew their initiative, which let the counter-proposal take effect automatically. It has been in force since January 2026, and the city's appeal did not suspend it. The city took the case to Lausanne in September 2025, arguing that it had not been properly heard and that the rule undermined federal noise protection law. The court rejected both arguments.

Who pays when buses slow down

The counter-proposal requires that construction work and traffic arrangements on cantonal and municipal roads must not slow public transport. If a municipality still introduces 30 km/h zones or structural measures that slow buses and trams, it must offset the delay, for example with bus lanes or priority at traffic lights. Where that is impossible, the municipality must pay the Zurich transport association (Zürcher Verkehrsverbund) the extra costs, such as additional vehicles and staff. The court found that the city had been heard in August 2024, when a cantonal council committee invited representatives of Zurich, Winterthur and the municipal presidents' association to a meeting. The court said in its communiqué that the city's submissions had been weighed by the committee.

“Its submissions were taken into account in the commission's assessment.”

The court also held that the cost rule neither breaches nor hollows out federal environmental and noise protection legislation, and that there was no evidence of arbitrariness. The city may still introduce 30 km/h zones, but if trams and buses lose time as a result, the costs could be considerable.

Parking permit overhaul blocked by a second appeal

On the same Friday, the city announced that its new parking permit ordinance, planned to take effect on 1 January 2027, cannot be implemented for now because of a further appeal. The ordinance would have adopted the Bieler Modell, limiting residents' permits to people without private parking such as a garage or an outdoor space, and it would have excluded residents of officially car-free or low-car estates. Residents would have declared their eligibility themselves, with random checks and revocation for false statements, and would have had to reapply every year.

The price would have depended on vehicle weight instead of a flat 300 francs: 35 Rappen per kilogram of unladen weight for electric cars and 40 Rappen for combustion and hybrid vehicles. That would have put the cheapest permits above 500 francs and heavy petrol SUVs at almost 1000 francs. A separate question, whether tradespeople may park on the pavement, is pending before the administrative court.

City response and what comes next

The city council said it took the Federal Court ruling with regret, while welcoming the court's finding that federal noise protection is binding without restriction. The judgment covers one of the two challenges the city filed against Tempo 30 initiatives, and the second is not addressed here. Holders of 2026 annual permits remain covered until 15 January 2027, and they will receive renewal invoices in the coming days on the usual terms. The city did not say when the new ordinance could take effect, so the current permit rules stay in place for now.