Application procedure: frequently asked questions

Until December 31, 2023, the Keur was "the law of the water board." The Keur contained the rules we used to protect our waterways, flood defenses, and roads. Together with the Water Act, national and European legislation, and our policy rules, the Keur formed the basis for the water permit.

The Water Board Regulation contains the rules we apply to protect our waterways, flood defenses, and roads. Various zones have been defined around these ditches, dikes, and roads, and different rules apply to each zone. The Water Board Regulation came into force on January 1, 2024, and together with the Omgevingswet, national and European legislation, and our policy rules, forms the basis for the environmental permit.

TheMaintenance Regulationcontains provisions on the maintenance obligations that apply in our management area. These rules were previously included in the Keur, but as a result of the Omgevingswet , they could Omgevingswet be included in the Water Authority Regulation. Their content has not changed. The Water Authority Regulation came into force on January 1, 2024.

The register determines where the rules from the Keur apply. It contains the location, shape, and dimensions of dikes, waterways, and engineering structures, as well as who is responsible for their maintenance. The register consists of a document with a description and explanation, and an interactive map. We have two different registers: the Waterways Register and the Flood Defenses Register.

An environmental permit for a water activity (hereinafter: licence) is only granted by the water board. Before the Omgevingswet came into force Omgevingswet on January 1, 2024), this was called a water permit.

In this assessment, we evaluate your activity based on hydraulic engineering interests. For example, are you building in the neighbourhood a dike, a ditch, or a road that we manage? If so, we will assess whether the structure will have any negative effects on the maintenance and functioning of the dike, the water system, or the road. The municipality will assess the structure against spatial planning legislation and determine whether it fits within the existing environment.

You can licence the licence via the Omgevingsloket(Environment Desk) . You will need a DigiD to do this. Please note that you must include a drawing of the work with your notification.

Activities may be subject to licensing, information, or reporting requirements under the Water Board Regulation or the Activities Decree (BAL, in short, discharges into surface water or into a water treatment facility of the water board). The Water Board Regulation itself mainly deals with licence and information requirements, while the Act mainly dealt with licence and reporting requirements. Under the BAL, there may also be activities that require reporting. Therefore, the legal difference between a report and an information requirement is briefly explained here.

Licensing requirement

In the case of a licensing requirement, licence objection period applies after a licence has been granted, during which interested parties may lodge an objection.

Duty to provide information

Certain activities do not require a permit, but do require the provision of certain information. In some cases, the initiator must wait for a response from the competent authority before the activity can be carried out. In other cases, you can start the activity immediately after providing the necessary information. This is called an information obligation. Information obligations are important to us in order to update our maps and to supervision able supervision maintain supervision .

Obligation to report

We have drawn up general rules for a number of common activities. Do you meet the general conditions for an activity? Then you do not licence and a notification is sufficient. You can then get started right away and interested parties cannot object. 

Still unsure whether you licence a licence ? Use thepermit check at. Answer a few questions and you will immediately know whether you can submit a notification or licence apply for a licence . Still unsure? Send us a description and a drawing of the work via the contact form. 

You can do this via the Omgevingsloket(Environment Desk) . You will need a DigiD to do this. Please note that you must include a drawing of the work when submitting your notification.

Yes, that is possible. You can licence a licence , submit a notification, or provide information by letter. Please send this to Hoogheemraadschap Hollands Noorderkwartier, Postbus , 1700 AG Heerhugowaard, or hand it in at the reception desk at the water board's head office.

• More information

You can do this via the Omgevingsloket(Environment Desk) or via our contact form. Always state the registration number of your application.

• More information

We will respond to any notification pursuant to the duty to provide information within five working days, provided it is complete. If any information is missing, we will contact you.   

We usually process permit applications within eight weeks. In some cases, the procedure takes longer, for example if we need additional information. We may extend the eight-week period once by a maximum of six weeks. In that case, we will notify you. 

Does your work involve a duty to provide information? If so, you may start work immediately, but we advise you to wait for our confirmation by letter. Do we need additional information? If so, we will contact you within five working days.

In the case of an information obligation and notification, we assume that you will carry out the work in the short term. Will you be carrying out the work later than previously indicated? If so, please contact the Permits cluster. You can do this via the contact form or by telephone: 072 582 8282.

A licence usually valid indefinitely. However, you must licence carried out the work within at least three years of the licence being issued. If you have not done so, we have the option of licence the licence .

You licence a fee for processing a licence . The amount of the fee depends on the activities you wish to carry out. The rates are set out in the HHNK 2023 Fees Regulation (for applications submitted on or after January 1, 2023).

You do not pay any fees for a notification pursuant to the obligation to provide information.