Public order and safety (General Municipal By-law)
All businesses in the Netherlands have to comply with the rules laid down in the General Municipal By-Law.
The General Municipal By-Law (Algemene Plaatselijke Verordening, APV) lays down the municipal regulations on public order and safety. Each Dutch municipality has its own APV, which applies to everyone in the municipality. The rules in the APV tell you if you need a permit for certain activities.
What is the General Municipal By-Law (APV)?
The APV describes various rules that apply in your municipality. The APV includes rules on, for example:
- nuisance and rowdiness
Rules for the retail sector
For the retail sector the APV contains rules on:
- waste bins for food and drink waste
- supervision of events
- shopping carts
Rules for the hospitality industry
For the hospitality industry the APV contains rules on:
- general regulations on permits and dispensations
- performances on the road, for example parties, music, competitions, or street performers
- supervision of events
- supervision of catering establishments
- supervision of overnight accommodation
- supervision of gambling venues
- location of a terrace
- nuisance and antisocial behaviour
- organising sales demonstrations or running a shop in a catering establishment
- noise and light nuisance, for instance parties
- waste bins for food and drink waste
The APV and the environment plan
Municipalities lay down rules about the physical environment in the APV and other regulations. Under the Environment and Planning Act (Omgevingswet), all rules on the physical environment have to be transferred to 1 environment plan (omgevingsplan). Municipalities have to do this by 2032. It therefore varies per municipality whether these rules are already included in the environment plan. You can find the environment plan and other rules in the Environment and Planning Portal (Omgevingsloket, in Dutch). The rules about public order and safety remain in the APV.
For instance, do you want to open a café? Then consult the environment plan to find out at which location you are allowed to open a café. The APV will tell you what the rules are on, for example, noise and the size of your terrace. You may have to report an activity or apply for a permit at the municipality as well as the Environment and Planning Portal.
Permit check and APV check
Do you want to know which rules apply to you? And whether you need to apply for a permit? To find out, you:
- do the permit check in the Environment and Planning Portal (in Dutch)
- check your municipality’s APV. You will find it on your municipality’s website. Or go to Lokaleregelgeving.nl and type in ‘Algemene Plaatselijke Verordening’ plus your postal code