Can I pick mushrooms in the forest in Germany?
Yes, in small amounts for your personal use. The Federal Nature Conservation Act lets anyone pick wild mushrooms with care in places that are not closed to the public (§ 39(3) BNatSchG). Many mushroom species are specially protected, though. Of these you may only take cep (penny bun), chanterelles, pig’s ear, weeping milk cap, birch boletes and orange boletes, and morels in small amounts for your own use (§ 2 BArtSchV); other protected species such as Caesar’s mushroom or the sheep polypores stay where they are. Picking commercially needs a permit from the nature conservation authority, and nature reserves can have their own bans. Breaking the species protection rules can cost up to €50,000.
📋 The rules
- Allowed: small amounts, for personal use only, with care, and only where access is not banned
- Specially protected mushrooms: only cep, chanterelles, pig’s ear, weeping milk cap, birch boletes, orange boletes and morels – and these too only in small amounts for your own use
- All other specially protected species may not be taken, not even in small amounts
- Commercial picking needs a permit from the nature conservation authority
- Under nature conservation law mushrooms count as plants: their stands must not be destroyed without good reason
- You may enter forests for recreation; the federal states set the details
🔓 Exceptions
- Nature reserves: acts that could change or damage the area are banned under each reserve’s regulation – picking may be prohibited there
- The state authority can allow wider exceptions for the permitted edible mushrooms in individual cases
- States may restrict forest access for important reasons, for example forest protection
⚠️ Penalties & fines
Taking specially protected mushrooms in breach of § 44 BNatSchG, or damaging where they grow, can cost a fine of up to €50,000. Taking wild plants – mushrooms included – without good reason or destroying their stands can cost up to €10,000 (§ 69 BNatSchG). The states can add further fines.
📎 Official sources
- § 39 BNatSchG · general protection of wild plants (in German) →
- § 44 BNatSchG · specially protected species (in German) →
- § 2 BArtSchV · exceptions for edible mushrooms (in German) →
- Annex 1 BArtSchV · protected species, mushrooms (in German) →
- § 69 BNatSchG · fines (in German) →
- § 14 BWaldG · entering forests (in German) →
❓ Frequently asked
How many mushrooms can I pick in Germany?
Federal law sets no fixed weight limit; it says “small amounts for personal use”. That means your own use, not selling them. Picking commercially needs a permit.
Can I pick ceps and chanterelles in Germany?
Yes. They are specially protected species, but the Federal Species Protection Ordinance expressly exempts them: cep, chanterelles, pig’s ear, weeping milk cap, birch boletes, orange boletes and morels may be picked in small amounts for your own use.
Can I sell mushrooms I have picked?
Anyone who takes wild plants and mushrooms commercially needs a permit from the nature conservation authority. The exception for protected edible mushrooms applies only to your own use.
Can I pick mushrooms in a nature reserve?
That depends on the reserve’s regulation. In nature reserves, acts that could destroy, damage or change the area or its parts are banned, as set out in each regulation. The right to pick under § 39 also applies only where access is not banned.
Can I pick mushrooms in a private forest?
Entering forests for recreation is allowed in private forests too, and the right to pick small amounts applies wherever access is not banned. The states set the details and can restrict access for important reasons.
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