Applications and fees 2023-24

Basic landholder rights

• BLR - Apply and pay online for a new approval for a water supply work
• BLR - Apply to amend an existing BLR approval for a water supply work
• BLR - Application for a new or amended approval for a water supply work (PDF form)

Water supply work and water use approvals

• Apply and pay online to extend a water supply work and/or water use approval
• Application for a new or amended water supply work and/or water use approval (PDF form) (Guide)
• Application to  surrender your  water supply work approval

Flood work

• Application for a new approval for a flood work (PDF form) (Guide)
• Application to amend an approval for a flood work (PDF form) (Guide)
• Notify WaterNSW of completion of flood work form
• Request for a flood work pre-application meeting form

Other

• Amend approval to reduce pump size
• Application for a test bore or monitoring bore (PDF form)
• Application for interstate tagging a NSW approval to an interstate entitlement (PDF form and Guide)
• Application to amend an approval for inactive and active works (PDF form) (Guide)
• Application to amend an approval for inactive and active works - Floodplain harvesting (PDF form) (Guide)
• Amend bore extraction limit (BEL) conditions on a water supply works and/or water use approval
• Application to amend approval to remove a work or land from a water supply works and/or water use approval
• Application to amend approval to subdivide water supply works and/or water use approval
• Application to amend approval to consolidate water supply works and/or water use approval

Licensing and dealings under the Water Management Act 2000

• Apply and pay online for a new specific purpose water access licence
  (PDF form) (Guide)
• Apply and pay online for a new water access licence with a zero share component
  (PDF form) (Guide)
• Application for water access licence Title/Certificate release (PDF form)
• Notice to surrender a water access licence (PDF form)
• Application for a search for water-related interests form

Water access licence changes made through WaterNSW are linked below

• Sub-divide or consolidate access licences (71P) – Cancel original licence/s and sub-divide or consolidate in the same water management area or source. (71P 1a Form) (71P 1a Guide) (71P 1b Form) (71P 1b Guide)
• Convert an access licence to a new category (71O) – Convert to a different category or sub- category in the same water management area or source. (Form) (Guide)
• Assign rights in an access licence to another licence/s (71Q) – Permanently assign rights in the same water management area or source to an access licence/s of the same category. (Form) (Guide)
• Assignment of individual daily extraction component (IDEC) to another licence (71QA) – Permanently assign to another access licence. (Form) (Guide)
• Change a water source (71R) – Change a share component in a different water management area or source. (Form) (Guide)
• Amend an extraction component (71S) – Amend access licence extraction component for taking water – times, rates, areas, or locations. (Form) (Guide)
• Application to change a water access licence (71W) – To nominate or withdraw a nomination for a water supply work. (Form) (Guide)
• Assign water allocations between access licences (71T, 71V) – Temporarily assign water allocated to a water allocation account to another access licence in NSW (71T) or interstate (71V). (Forms)
• Propose or withdraw nomination for an interstate water supply work (71W) – Nominate (or change) a water supply work or extraction point against an access licence, for those in a NSW or interstate water tagging zone. (Form) (Guide)
• Exit a Co-held access licence (S74) – One or more co-holders of an access licence extinguish their holding and a new access licence is granted. (Form) (Guide)

• Request to register a security interest in a replacement water access licence or notification that no security interest exists (initiated by interest holder) (PDF form)
• Mortgagee notice of registration of security interest issue to water access licence holders (Template letter)
• Secured interest registration by holders of replacement water access licences (PDF form) (Guide)

Please use the Drillers Portal to submit a Bore construction report (BCR) directly online.

• Bore construction report - Form A (hard copy)
• Guide - Bore construction report - Form A

To register for Automatic Mutual Recognition (AMR) in NSW, please visit the AMR website.

• Application for a water supply works approval for construction dewatering (PDF form) (Guide)
• Application for a water use approval for construction dewatering (PDF form) (Guide)
• Application for a water access licence with zero share component (PDF form)
• Apply and pay online to assign share components between water access licences
  (Fact sheet) (PDF form) (Guide)
• Record of groundwater take form (PDF form)
• Emergency works exemptions form (PDF form)
• Completion Report for Dewatering work (PDF form)

WaterNSW aims to process all applications in a timely manner. Please see the table below for our target standard processing times for approvals and assessments.

Figures are for the time period of 1 January 2024 – 31 March 2024.

Depending on the application type and complexity, with other agencies involved in the approval, it may take up to 6 months for your application to be determined. You can track the progress of your application and we thank you for your patience and understanding. View our Customer Service Charter.

• Apply online for a water access licence or dealing – frequently asked questions

• Sole Applicants – frequently asked questions
• Multiple Applicants – frequently asked questions

Note: If you want to amend an existing approval for a water supply work to take groundwater under a domestic and stock right you need to complete a hard copy application form (PDF).

More information:

• Water supply work approvals
• Domestic and stock rights

Letters to approval holders notifying them about applying to extend an approval are posted by WaterNSW before the expiry date of the approval.

The letter notifying you to apply to extend a water supply work and/or water use approval includes a personal application number for you to use our Water Applications Online service to apply and pay online.

If your notification letter does not include this number you will need to fill in the hard copy application form posted to you with your notification letter

For more information, go to:

• FAQs - Extend your approval
• Water supply work and water use approvals.

Please note: application fee(s) for water trade will NOT be refunded if an allocation assignment application is unsuccessful, withdrawn or incomplete.

'New' work approval means any work proposed which is not currently listed on a water approval or is replacing an existing work which is listed on a water approval. *Note that forms are sent directly to these holders.

These fees are determined by the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART).

WaterNSW collects the groundwater assessment fee on behalf of the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (NSW DCCEEW). NSW DCCEEW hydrogeologists are responsible for undertaking the groundwater assessment, when required.

Consent Transactions in relation to Monopoly Services provided by Water Administration Ministerial Corporation (WAMC).

Consent transaction in relation to drillers licences, solicitor enquiries and special meter reads are not stated, as they have not been regulated by IPART and are deemed to be unregulated services.

Impact and rules-based assessments:
Applications generally require a detailed impact assessment. This includes case by case investigation to consider potential local impacts and determine whether those impacts require refusal or consent, or consent subject to conditions.

Depending on the type of transaction, impact assessment can include identifying and addressing impacts on adjoining pumps or bores, Aboriginal heritage sites, native vegetation, threatened species, wetlands, land degradation, salinity, soil compaction, geomorphic instability, hydrology, water logging, acidity, contamination and water quality, in addition to consideration and resolution of any lodged objections. In some cases where significant risks are identified, WaterNSW may require the applicant to commission third-party experts to determine the extent of those risks and how they might be mitigated.

Applications determined by IPART which are identified as ‘low risk’ are processed with a rules-based assessment which does not require the above detailed impact assessment.

Lower fees are charged for transactions which are identified as ‘low risk’.

WAMC charges are determined by IPART under the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal Act 1992 (IPART Act) and the WAMC determination. The reasons are:

1. Section 11 of the IPART Act gives IPART a standing reference to conduct investigations and make reports to the Minister administering the IPART Act on the determination of the pricing for a government monopoly service supplied by a government agency specified in Schedule 1 of the IPART Act.
2. The Water Administration Ministerial Corporation (Corporation) is listed in Schedule 1 of the IPART Act.
3. The services which are declared as government monopoly services under clause 3 of the Independent Pricing and  Regulatory Tribunal (Water Services) Order 2004 are services supplied by the Corporation which involve:
   (1) the making available of water;
   (2) the making available of the Corporation’s water supply facilities; or
   (3) the supplying of water, whether by means of the Corporation’s water supply facilities or otherwise, (together, the  Monopoly Services).
4. Under section 4(6) of the IPART Act, the Corporation is taken to be the supplier of the services for which fees and  charges are payable under Chapter 3 of the Water Management Act.
5. In practice, charges for such water resource management activities are made as charges under licences, permits,  approvals or authorities granted by:
   (1) the Minister under Chapter 3 of the Water Management Act (in areas of NSW in which proclamations under  sections 55A and 88A of the Water Management Act are in force); and
   (2) the Corporation under the Water Act (in other areas of NSW).
6. Accordingly, in determining maximum prices for the Monopoly Services, IPART has determined maximum prices payable for these services under various licences, permits, approvals or authorities granted under the Water Management Act and the Water Act.

Other fees or charges

Include:

• Charges applied by WaterNSW to all water licences and approvals for water management services, such as water resource management and metering. These charges are set by IPART.
• Fees applied by NSW Land Registry Services to cover the cost of Water Access Licence Register transactions and for issuing new water access licence certificates.
• Charges applied by WaterNSW for water delivery services for water taken from regulated rivers.