Bike removed by the council?

A bike that is wrongly or too long parked is taken to a municipal bike depot. Search for it on verlorenofgevonden.nl and collect it within a few weeks, with your ID and your bike key.

Why do councils remove bikes?

it is outside a rack, or somewhere parking is not allowed
it is dangerous or in the way
it has stood in the same place too long, for example at a station
it is broken or neglected (an ‘orphan bike’)

The rules differ per municipality. In Groningen a wrongly parked bike can be gone within fifteen minutes; at stations a maximum of two to four weeks is common.

How to find your bike

Go to verlorenofgevonden.nl and search by brand, colour, place and the date it disappeared. Most depots add a photo within a day.
Found it? Note the registration number shown with it.
Check the council’s website for the depot’s opening hours.

FietsRadar searches the depots for you: free as often as you like, or automatically every day with a plan. Depots do not record frame numbers, so FietsRadar shows you candidates by brand, colour, place and date, and you judge whether it is yours.

What to bring

valid ID
the key to your bike or lock, or other proof it is yours, such as the receipt
a debit card: many depots do not take cash
the registration number from verlorenofgevonden.nl

What does it cost, and how long do you have?

Collecting a bike usually costs between €10 and €50, depending on the municipality and the reason it was removed. Most depots keep a bike for between two and thirteen weeks. After that it is sold, refurbished or scrapped, so do not wait.

The exact fees and periods per city are on the city pages below, each linking to the council’s own page.

Not there?

Check again after a few days: not every depot updates the register straight away. If it is still not there, assume it was stolen and report it.

By city

Let FietsRadar check the depots

Sources

Verloren of Gevonden: national lost-and-found register

Updated 1 October 2026