19 Expropriation proceedings for trunk roads in Saxony

There are currently 19 expropriation procedures underway in Saxony for the construction of federal highways. Last year, one procedure was completed, according to information from the state directorate. In 2025, 20 procedures were underway. This includes ongoing cases from previous years that have not yet been completed.

In 2024, 22 proceedings were ongoing and two were completed. According to the state directorate, the properties are usually farmland or green spaces.

Saxony among the frontrunners

In a nationwide comparison, Saxony was among the frontrunners in 2025, together with Saxony-Anhalt (21), North Rhine-Westphalia (21) and Brandenburg (20). There were the fewest procedures in the north: Two areas were to be expropriated in Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg each, and three in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. This is according to figures obtained from the Federal Ministry of Transport by Caren Lay (Left Party), a member of the Bundestag.

The state directorate in Dresden corrected the figures for Saxony significantly downwards, as they reflect the total number of expropriations for road construction, while the figures for the other federal states only apply to trunk roads. Accordingly, there were a total of 71 ongoing expropriation procedures in Saxony in 2025. Five were completed, 66 remained open.

Expropriation procedures

Road construction, like flood protection, energy supply and waste disposal, is one of the public tasks for which private owners can be expropriated for the public good. The expropriation of the required land serves as a last resort if other means such as a purchase or exchange have failed. Third-party rights such as tenancy rights may also be affected. The owners receive compensation.

For freeways and federal highways, the regulations in the Federal Trunk Roads Act apply, for the remaining roads the respective state laws, in Saxony the Saxon Expropriation and Compensation Act.