öffentlichrechtlicher

öffentlichrechtlicher is an adjective used in German law to describe matters, relations, or actions that fall under public law (öffentliches Recht) rather than private law. It signals that the governed rules, institutions, or duties are part of the legal framework that regulates the state, public authorities, and their relationship with citizens.

In legal writing the term can be written as öffentlichrechtlich or with a hyphen as öffentlich-rechtlich; the corresponding declined forms follow the standard grammar, for example: der öffentlichrechtliche Vertrag (masculine), das öffentlichrechtliche Verhältnis (neuter), die öffentlichrechtliche Verpflichtung (feminine). Both spellings are found in practice, with the hyphen common in official or doctrinal texts and the closed form frequent in modern legal language.

Typical contexts for öffentlichrechtlicher usage include administrative law (Verwaltungsrecht), constitutional law (Verfassungsrecht), and public finance. The adjective describes the nature of legal acts, bodies, or obligations that are rooted in statutes, regulations, or powers of public authorities. Examples include ein öffentlichrechtlicher Vertrag between a public body and a private party, öffentlichrechtliche Verpflichtungen arising from statutes, or öffentlichrechtliche Verhältnisse between citizens and the state, such as administrative acts and licensing processes.

The term is contrasted with privatrechtlich (private law), which governs relationships between private individuals or entities. In many legal questions both spheres interact, but öffentlichrechtlicher denotes the predominance of public-law norms and the involvement of state power, oversight, or public interests in the legal relationship at issue.