Environment and planning permit: laying and managing cables and pipelines

Rules for laying cables and pipelines

Do you want to lay cables and pipelines (and the equipment that goes with it) in public land? Then you should file a notification (KLIC-melding, in Dutch) with the Land Registry Office (Kadaster). You must also check with your municipality which rules apply. Rules may differ from one municipality to another. You can find the rules in:

• the environment plan
• the General Municipal By-law (APV)
• the General By-law for Underground Infrastructures (Algemene Verordening Ondergrondse Infrastructuren, AVOI)
• the Physical Living Environment By-law (Verordening Fysieke Leefomgeving, VFL)
• other municipal by-laws

For some locations, you only need to file a notification before you start the work. For other locations you need an environment and planning permit (omgevingsvergunning).

Check if you need an environment and planning permit and apply

Go to the online service counter Omgevingsloket (in Dutch) and do the permit check. In the Omgevingsloket you can see which rules apply in your municipality, province, or regional water authority. You can then use the Omgevingsloket to apply online for an environment and planning permit or submit a notification.

Pipelines for hazardous substances

You always need an environment and planning permit to lay pipelines for the transport of hazardous substances. Are you changing the location or use of the pipelines? Then you must report this to the Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ILT) at least 4 weeks before you perform the work. You report this in the Omgevingsloket.

Does your work result in changes in or to a pipeline, such as leakage or damage? Then you must notify ILT immediately. Call +31 88 489 00 00 during office hours. Outside office hours, use the form Melding overige onderwerpen (Other topics notification form, in Dutch).

Digging for laying or servicing cables and pipelines

When you lay, service, or remove cables or pipelines, you usually need to dig in the soil. Which rules apply depends on the amount of displaced soil and how contaminated the soil is:

• For 25 m3 of soil or less, the municipality sets the rules. You can look these up in the environment plan or you can contact your municipality (in Dutch).
• For more than 25 m3, the rules from the Environmental Activities Decree (Besluit activiteiten leefomgeving, Bal, in Dutch) apply.

Are you excavating more than 25 m3 of soil in total? In general you will need to have a soil survey (in Dutch) carried out before you start the work. This soil survey determines the soil quality intervention value (interventiewaarde bodemkwaliteit, in Dutch). This value indicates how contaminated the soil is and whether that contamination poses a potential risk to humans, plants, or animals.

Working near national roads, railways, or water management structures

Do you want to lay cables or pipelines near national roads (in Dutch) or water management structures (in Dutch)? Or do you want to dig near railways (in Dutch)? In some cases, you need an environment and planning permit. Often, a notification is enough. Special rules are in place. For example, rules to avoid causing a nuisance.

Laying cables and pipelines in provincial roads, water defences, or waterways

Do you want to lay cables and pipelines in, around, or under provincial roads? Or dig near water defences or waterways? In most instances you need an environment and planning permit. Special rules from the environmental regulation or the water board regulation also apply. You can find these rules by using the Regels op de kaart (rules on the map, in Dutch) in the Omgevingsloket.

Laying or changing telecommunications cables

Are you planning to lay telecommunications cables, or make changes to existing cables? Then you must comply with the rules from the Telecommunications Act (in Dutch). You have a notification duty and you need a consent decision from the municipality. Contact the municipality for more information (in Dutch).

Online application procedure via Message Box

Message Box has not yet been linked to the Omgevingsloket. This means that you cannot apply for an environment and planning permit or make a notification Message Box. Message Box still has to be connected to the Omgevingsloket. Message Box is a secure email system that enables you as an entrepreneur to exchange digital messages with Dutch government agencies.