Environmental Permit

You may need an environmental permit for the following:

• Building or renovating a building (such as a house)
• Demolishing a building that is part of the protected townscape
• The fire-resistant use of a building, premises, or temporary structure
• Changing a municipal or provincial monument, or the renovation or demolition of a monument
• The construction of a road
• Building an exit on a municipal or provincial road
• Installing an alarm system
• Creating and Placing Advertisements
• Cutting down trees
• Using a building or premises in a manner not consistent with the zoning plan (bestemmingsplan)
• Pollution in an area
• An occupancy permit, in accordance with regulations such as fire safety regulations (other regulations also apply)

You can find more information about environmental regulations for businesses at the following link:

Environmental Regulations for Businesses - Dutch Government

Discuss your plans with the municipality before putting them into action. That way, you won't run into any surprises.

Through “Omgevingsloket,” you can check whether you need a permit. As an individual, you can apply for the permit directly if you have a DigiD. You can also download the form and print it out. If you are applying for a permit on behalf of a company, you can only do so online. To do this, you need eIdentity (eHerkenning in Dutch).

Regular request

You will be notified within 8 weeks whether you will receive the environmental permit. The municipality may extend this period by 6 weeks. If the municipality does not make a decision within this period, you will receive the permit automatically (by operation of law). If you disagree with the municipality’s decision, you may file an objection within 6 weeks of the decision being made.

Complicated request

For complex applications, the decision period is 26 weeks. This period may also be extended by 6 weeks. If the request is complicated, you will not receive the permit by operation of law.

The municipality will issue a draft decision on your request. Anyone may submit comments on this decision within 6 weeks. If you disagree with the draft decision, you may notify the municipality within that 6-week period. You will automatically receive a notification if your permit is granted.

If you disagree with the municipality’s decision, you can file an appeal with the court within 6 weeks. However, this is only possible if you have informed the municipality of your opinion on the draft decision.