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LIVING IN FRANCE

Fast food, fast talking and city living: 6 essential articles for life in France

The US fast food franchises heading France’s way, TV and how to watch it, Paris’s 15-minute city ambitions, French citizenship, language and taxes: they’re all here in this round-up of must-reads from The Local

Published: 19 February 2023 08:57 CET
Fast food, fast talking and city living: 6 essential articles for life in France
Could Paris ever become a 15-Minute City? (Photo by FRED DUFOUR / AFP)

France may be the home of haute-cuisine and its gastronomy may be on Unesco’s world heritage list – but the French still go mad for a burger.

It is the world’s second largest market for McDonald’s, and you won’t go far without seeing one multinational franchise or another vying for your custom. Now, the US Krispy Kreme doughnut chain and fried chicken outlet Popeyes have both announced plans to break into l’hexagone.

Krispy Kreme, Popeyes, Five Guys: the American fast-food chains taking on France

Once upon a time, all you needed to watch TV in France was an aerial, an electrical socket, a TV, and a TV licence. Today, it’s all a little more complicated – but at least you can watch your favourite programme on a laptop or tablet.

Here, then, is our guide to watching TV in France. We make no promises about the quality of the schedules…

Reader question: What are the best French TV channels and how can I watch them?

Fifteen-Minute Cities. You may have heard a lot about them recently. Paris was an early adopter of the concept, which has been strongly championed by city mayor Anne Hidalgo – but what exactly are they and how is the idea working out in the French capital?

What is a ’15-minute city’ and how is it working in Paris?

Gaining French citizenship is now a (slightly) easier process, thanks to the launch of a new online portal for applications – although the process is still long, complicated and requires a thick (virtual) file of papers.

We take a look at how generous France is in its citizenship rules compared to its EU neighbours.

COMPARE: How generous is France in granting citizenship to foreigners?

France does a lot differently – and that includes the language, which has its own ‘police’ in the Academie française. They made international headlines with their pronouncement that Covid-19 is feminine and are frequently at the centre of language arguments – but just who are the ‘guardians’ of the French language?

Swords, immortality and wifi: Five things to know about the Academie française

And finally for this week, tax time is coming. Dealing with complicated tax paperwork is no-one’s favourite task, but doing it in a different tax system and another language is a whole new level of challenge. Here are some handy tips for dealing with the French tax office.

5 top tips for dealing with the French tax office

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LIVING IN FRANCE

Why washing your car in France can lead to a €450 fine

France has strict regulations about washing your car, and failure to abide by these can lead to hefty fines.

Published: 31 May 2024 14:59 CEST
Why washing your car in France can lead to a €450 fine

For many car owners, warm weather means time to finally give the vehicle a good wash.

But motorists in France should know that washing your car, motorcycle or other vehicle at home can actually be against the law in France – with some regulation even covering activities in your own driveway or garden.

Failing to respect the rules can lead to hefty fines. 

What does the law say?

There are two levels of regulation that affect car-washing – the Environmental Code and local regulations, but both of them are concerned about the same thing; the environmental impact of the runoff from your car washing.

During summer you also need to check if there are any drought restrictions in place, as some of these also ban any type of car-washing. 

In 1979, Paris became one of the first cities in France to pass legislation restricting where you can wash your car. The original Paris law states “Car washing is prohibited on the public highway, riverbanks, harbours and quays, as well as in public parks and gardens”. 

READ MORE: ‘Drive like a woman’: France targets male drivers in new road safety campaign

Since then, most départements across France have adopted similar decrees, which cover car-washing on public land – roads, pavements, parks or similar.

In order to find the rules in your area, contact your local préfecture (or ask the mayor), but most areas now have a ban on car-washing on the public highway, with a penalty of a third-class fine of €450. 

However there is also the Environmental Code, which operates on a national level, and that can cover even your own private property such as a driveway, garage or garden.

The Code states that “direct or indirect discharge of harmful substances into surface or groundwater is prohibited”.

This can affect wastewater from washing a vehicle as certain chemicals in car wash detergents, as well as any runoff motor oil, can have negative effects on local flora and fauna. Runoff can happen from both public and private land, which is why the Environmental Code has a wider scope.

Violating the rules on discharging harmful substances into water carries a maximum penalty of a two-year prison sentence or a fine of €75,000. Judges can also order defendants to carry out restoration of the environment that they contaminated.

The penalties are even harsher if you live in a coastal area where the runoff would go directly into the sea or ocean, or if you live next to a conservation zone. In this case, fines can go up to €100,000.

We should point out that these maximum penalties are more likely to be applied to companies which have been found to be polluting the local watercourse, rather than motorists washing their car, but the fines do have a large range.

So where can I wash my car?

First, you can go to a car wash (une station de lavage). Not only do car wash stations use less water than you would washing the vehicle at home (50 to 60 litres per vehicle instead of 200-300 litres at home), they also treat the wastewater. 

As a result, car washes do not risk polluting the waterways.

They are very common in France and include automatic car-washes, staffed car-washes where someone else does the hard work or the more common self-service type (usually coin operated) where you wash the car yourself use their pressure hoses and soap. These are often found in supermarket car-parks or at out-of-town shopping centre car parks.

Second, you can look for a designated car washing area. These would allow you to wash your own vehicle manually. They have special steps in place to treat the runoff water in compliance with environmental regulations. You can ask your mairie where these are located.

And finally, an alternative is to clean your car without using any water at all. To do this, you can purchase special wipes. There are also special dry-cleaning options, including sprays that you put onto your car, leave for a few seconds so that the dirt is absorbed, and then wipe off using a microfibre cloth.

Drought

During periods of drought, local authorities have the power to restrict non-essential water usage, including things like watering your garden or filling your swimming pool.

These regulations apply to any type of car-washing – on public or private space, or at a car-wash – and take precedence over any other local rules. 

You can check to see if your area is under water restrictions by going to the French government website vigieau.gouv.fr and typing in your home or rental address. The website will inform you of what (if any) restrictions are in place, the penalties of failing to respect them, as well as offering government advice for how to decrease your water usage.

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