Administrative structure in Germany

The administrative-political structure in Germany is hierarchical (https://www.haushaltssteuerung.de/lexikon.html). A distinction is made between up to 6 administrative levels (ADM): State, Länder, administrative districts, districts, administrative communities and municipalities. (Figure on the left)

The administrative levels in Germany - with the exception of the administrative district level - are set up across the board. For this purpose, the cities that are independent of the district are additionally included in the municipal and administrative community level and the municipalities that are independent of the district are included in the administrative community level (shaded elements).

© GeoBasis-DE / BKG 2018 (Produkt VG250)

Political administrative structure of Germany

Federal states (ADM 1)

Germany has 16 federal states, the three city states of Berlin, Bremen and Hamburg and the 13 territorial states of Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Brandenburg, Hesse, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein and Thuringia.

Districts (ADM 2)

Administrative districts (ADM 2) are now only established in a few larger territorial countries. Administrative district (Reg.-Bez. for short) is the district of a general state funding authority in which various tasks are bundled. This authority is headed by a district president.

Counties (ADM 3)

The county (in North Rhine-Westphalia the district) is the next level in the structure in which several individual municipalities are combined and which assumes the tasks which are too large for the municipalities of a district, such as the construction of district hospitals.

Cities independent of district (ADM 4)

Cities without counties (ADM 4) are on the same level as counties. At the same time, they perform the tasks of district municipalities as well as the tasks of rural districts. Cities that are independent of districts do not belong to any administrative district. As a rule, they are the cities of a federal state that have the most inhabitants. Which cities are categorized as independent and which as cities belonging to a district depends on the state law of the respective territorial state. With the exception of Saarland, there are cities in all federal states that are free of districts. The three city states of Berlin, Bremen and Hamburg can also be classified as independent cities, which perform not only state tasks but also the entire portfolio of municipal tasks. In the case of the State of Bremen, there are two cities that are specifically independent of a district: Bremen and Bremerhaven.

Municipal and municipal associations (ADM 5)

Associations of municipalities and local authority associations are associations of municipalities which perform certain municipal tasks for the municipalities belonging to the association. These include the administrative districts (in North Rhine-Westphalia the districts), the offices, joint municipalities, association municipalities and district associations. A distinction is therefore made between associations of municipalities at district level (ADM 4) and below district level (ADM 5). Above the district level, there are also so-called higher-order municipal associations, consisting of municipal associations and cities that are independent of the district. These include the landscape associations in North Rhine-Westphalia, the state welfare associations in Baden-Württemberg and Hesse and the Bavarian districts.

Municipalities (ADM 6)

In the political system of Germany, the municipalities represent the lowest administrative and territorial level in the state. They are responsible for local self-government. Cities are (mostly populous) municipalities with municipal law. (see also https://www.haushaltssteuerung.de/lexikon-gemeinde.html)

As of 31.12.2018 (4th quarter), according to Destatis, Germany had 16 federal states, 19 administrative districts, 294 districts, 107 independent towns (including city states), 1245 municipal associations and 11014 municipalities (excluding uninhabited municipal areas). The reference date is important, since changes in this classification scheme occur again and again in the course of territorial reforms. Thus, it is not allowed to link data with different reference years. (see https://www.destatis.de/DE/ZahlenFakten/LaenderRegionen/Regionales/Gemeindeverzeichnis/Verwaltungsgliederung.html)

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Der Amtliche Gemeindeschlüssel (AGS) (früher Amtliche Gemeindekennkennziffer (GKZ) genannt) ist ein von den Statistischen Ämtern der Bundesländer vergebener 8-stelliger Schlüssel zur eindeutigen Identifizierung einer Gemeinde. Alle Statistiken mit regionalem Bezug verwenden in Deutschland diesen Schlüssel, aber auch die Verwaltung nutzt den AGS, z. B. bei der Suche nach der zuständigen Meldebehörde. Der AGS ist systematisch aufgebaut und setzt sich wie folgt zusammen:

Bundesland (2 Stellen), Regierungsbezirk (1 Stelle), Kreis (2 Stellen) und Gemeinde (3 Stellen)

Die ersten beiden Schlüssel bezeichnen das Bundesland (13=Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, 07=Rheinland-Pfalz). Der dritte bis fünfte Schlüssel identifiziert den Landkreis bzw. die kreisfreie Stadt, dem die Gemeinde angehört. Die ersten fünf Stellen werden daher auch als Kreisschlüssel bezeichnet. Dabei zeigt die dritte Schlüsselstelle bei Ländern, in denen Regierungsbezirke bestehen oder in der Vergangenheit bestanden haben, in der Regel den Bezirk an, während sie in anderen Ländern 0 ist. In Baden-Württemberg zeigt die vierte Schlüsselstelle außerdem an, zu welchem Regionalverband die Gemeinde gehört. Bei den echten Stadtstaaten Hamburg und Berlin stehen an dieser Stelle drei Nullen. Die letzten drei Schlüssel schließlich unterscheiden die Gemeinden innerhalb eines Landkreises. Bei kreisfreien Städten stehen an dieser Stelle drei Nullen.

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Außerdem gibt es den zwölfstelligen Amtlichen Regionalschlüssel (ARS), der ähnlich aufgebaut ist, in den aber im Vergleich zum AGS vor den letzten drei Ziffern vier Stellen zur Verschlüsselung der Gemeindeverbände eingefügt sind. Der AGS ist also in den ARS integriert. Angaben auf der Gemeindeverbandsebene (in der EU: LAU 1-Ebene) werden zunehmend für den innereuropäischen und internationalen Vergleich von Eurostat benötigt und von den Statistischen Ämtern des Bundes und der Länder eingefordert. Die Amtliche Statistik in Deutschland strebt langfristig die Ablösung des achtstelligen AGS durch den zwölfstelligen Regionalschlüssel an.

Der Amtliche Regionalschlüssel gliedert sich wie folgt:

1.–2. Stelle    = Kennzahl des Bundeslandes
1. Stelle       = Kennzahl des Regierungsbezirks; wenn nicht vorhanden: 0
4.–5. Stelle    = Kennzahl des Landkreises oder der kreisfreien Stadt
6.–9. Stelle    = Verbandsschlüssel
10.–12. Stelle  = Gemeindekennzahl

Die Schlüsselstelle 6 im Verbandsschlüssel (das sogenannte t-Kennzeichen) weist durch die führende Ziffer auf die Art der Gemeinde hin:

0 - verbandsfreie Gemeinde
5 - verbandsangehörige Gemeinde
9 - gemeindefreies Gebiet.

Bei verbandsfreien Gemeinden wird im Verbandsschlüssel nach der 0 der 3-stellige Gemeindeschlüssel angegeben.

Literature

Federal Agency for Cartography and Geodesy: Information on the administrative structure. Appendix to the specification of VG products valid from 31.12.2012 (online at: http://www.geodatenzentrum.de/docpdf/verwaltungsgliederung_vg.pdf)

Gnädiger, Andreas & Gnädinger, Marc: Haushaltssteuerung.de - Portal for public household and financial management (online at: https://www.haushaltssteuerung.de/lexikon.html)