Court ruling on fourth-floor apartment housing
The Berlin Administrative Court has ruled that keeping an individual pig inside a fourth-floor apartment without an elevator or outdoor access violates the German Animal Welfare Act. In a decision delivered by the 17th Chamber on 17 September 2026 under case reference VG 17 K 288/25, the court dismissed a lawsuit brought by the animal's owner against the Berlin-Mitte district administration. The court announced the ruling on Wednesday, 30 September 2026. The judges concluded that keeping a solitary pig in an older residential tenement fails to meet statutory welfare standards because the premises provide no direct access to outdoor exercise, wallowing mud, or rooting soil.
TikTok posts and police intervention
The administrative proceedings began after the owner published videos on her TikTok account displaying the pig walking on a leash through central Berlin. Following notifications from neighbours, the Berlin-Mitte district office initially requested that the owner arrange species-appropriate accommodations. In November 2023, the pig escaped from the apartment and was secured by police officers on a heavily trafficked urban street. Municipal officials conducted an on-site inspection of the residential unit shortly thereafter.
Indications of ongoing pig keeping were identified.
In March 2024, the district authority issued an official order requiring the owner to transfer the animal to suitable premises outside residential apartments. The mandate instructed her to provide accessible open-air runs, wallowing facilities, rooting areas, and companionship from other pigs if possible, while submitting proof of compliance to the municipal veterinary office.
- Police capture escaped pig on street; authorities inspect fourth-floor apartment.
- Berlin-Mitte district office orders owner to relocate pig to suitable outdoor housing.
- Berlin Administrative Court dismisses owner lawsuit against the relocation order.
- Court publicly announces the dismissal of the appeal.
Owner claims and biological requirements
The owner challenged the municipal order in court, arguing that the animal received proper care within her 70-square-meter apartment where it moved without restriction. She claimed that during winter months the animal preferred resting on the living room couch, while from spring onward it regularly visited a rural property in Brandenburg to wallow and root alongside dogs and ponies. She also pointed to access to a family garden in Berlin, stating that the animal had been acquired as a mini-pig and trained as a therapy animal. District officials had classified the animal as a pot-bellied pig based on social media footage, though the current location of the animal remains unconfirmed.
Welfare standards and anatomical limits
The court rejected the owner's distinctions, determining that mini-pigs are subject to the same regulatory requirements as domestic farm swine. Proper husbandry demands stable facilities connected with an outdoor run or regular exercise in open terrain. The judges observed that the fourth-floor flat lacked mandatory functional separation between resting, feeding, and excretion areas. Furthermore, the absence of an elevator forced the pig to navigate four flights of stairs for walks, which conflicts with its musculoskeletal anatomy. Pigs are social animals whose physical build cannot withstand climbing stairs. The judgment is not yet legally final and may be appealed to the Higher Administrative Court of Berlin-Brandenburg.