No-parking sign: what Zeichen 286 means
Short answer
In everyday speech the sign with one red diagonal bar is often called a no-parking sign. The StVO names the same sign Zeichen 286, restricted no stopping. You must not stop on the carriageway for longer than three minutes. Getting in or out and loading or unloading remain allowed at this sign without delay.
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Sign 286 and sign 283
Sign 286 is the restricted no-stopping sign in Annex 2 to the StVO. You stop there for at most three minutes, except to get in or out. Loading or unloading remains allowed, and loading must run without delay. Sign 283, absolute no stopping, forbids stopping on the carriageway entirely.
At sign 283 every stop on the carriageway is prohibited. Both signs apply only on the side of the street where they stand. The stretch runs to the next junction or side road on the same side. Another sign for stationary traffic can end the stretch earlier.
Stopping and parking
The StVO separates stopping and parking in section 12 subsection 2. Anyone who leaves the vehicle or stops for longer than three minutes is parking. At sign 286 parking is therefore not allowed, but a short stop remains possible. For getting in or out or for loading or unloading you stop longer as well.
Arrows and supplementary signs
White arrows on the sign can mark the start and end of the prohibited stretch. An arrow towards the carriageway marks the start, an arrow away marks the end. Supplementary signs can extend the ban to the hard shoulder or apply it only there.
A mobile, temporary sign 283 or 286 overrides signs that allow parking. Read the sign that is currently in place where you stop.
Official sources
Open StVO section 12 on stopping and parking →
Open StVO Annex 2 regulatory signs →
Read next
Open parking ban vs no-stopping zone →