Province of Noord-Holland: applying for an exemption for activities in an area containing a source of drinking water

The provincial authorities will review your application for a permit. The provincial authorities may have imposed conditions to protect the area against pollution.

Consult with the stakeholders first. This is, for example, the water company that draws the water from the area. Also consult with the provincial authorities and water board in advance. This increases the chances of the provincial authorities granting you a permit.

This is how you apply for a permit:

• Go to the online Omgevingsloket (in Dutch). This is the service counter for environmental and planning permits.

• Do the permit check.

• You will be told whether you need to apply for a permit or whether a notification alone suffices. You can do this right away.

• Log in.

You can submit the notification or apply for an environmental permit from the provincial authorities via the Omgevingsloket.

Costs may be associated with processing an application for an environmental permit. These fees are set annually by the provincial authorities.

If you have applied for a permit, in most cases the regular process applies. In this case you will receive the decision within 8 weeks from the date the Omgevingsdienst Noordzeekanaalgebied received your application. The Omgevingsdienst Noordzeekanaalgebied can extend this period once only by 6 weeks.

For certain situations an extended process applies. With the extended process, it will take an average of 6 months before the the Omgevingsdienst Noordzeekanaalgebied makes a final decision on your application.

If you have applied for a permit and you do not agree with our decision on your application, you can lodge an objection. You will need to do this within 6 weeks of the decision. If you disagree with the decision on your objection, you can lodge an appeal with the court within 6 weeks.