The Administrative Court in Haskovo has struck down part of a bylaw on parking fees in the town's "blue zone", the towing of cars and the use of wheel clamps, which the town council passed in September 2025. The court announced the ruling on its website.

The case was brought after three Haskovo residents filed complaints.

The scrapped rules set the fees for half an hour and a full hour of parking in the "blue zone", the cost of towing a car away, and the price for fitting and removing a wheel clamp. All these fees included 20% VAT.

The judges ruled that when the town sets up, zones and marks out parking spaces in the "blue zone" and sets the rules and prices for them, this counts as traffic management, not a business activity. Parking spaces serve the public and exist in the public interest, the court said in its ruling, adding that charging for the service does not, on its own, turn it into a commercial activity.

The same reasoning applies to towing cars away and to fitting and removing wheel clamps, the court said. It ruled that the fees for these must only cover the actual material and administrative costs, with no profit built in.

During the case, the court turned down a request from the complainants to suspend the disputed rules while the case was being heard.

The ruling from the Administrative Court in Haskovo is not final — it can be appealed at the Supreme Administrative Court.