About our water licensing and approval resources
This page provides a library of resources to help with your water licencing and approval questions and applications.
Find out the answers to frequently asked questions, if an exemption applies to your activity, what rules you need to follow and what information you need to provide with your application.
All resources listed, including guidelines, fact sheets, e-tools, and application guides, are also available on the individual licence and approval web pages at: Licensing and approvals
It is important that you read the information on the water licence or approval of interest. This page only provides an at-a-glance view of all support resources.
Find application forms at: Forms, fees and assessment timeframes
- New water supply work and/ or water approval - application guide
- Amend a water supply work and/ or water approval - application guide
- Make a water supply work and/ or water approval inactive - application guide
- To surrender a water supply work and/ or water approval you may need the Minimum Construction Requirements for Water Bores in Australia
- New zero share licence - application guide
- New specific purpose access licence - application guide
- When can I take water with an access licence - exemptions fact sheet
- Water use approval - exemptions fact sheet
- For a full description of exemptions see the Water Management (General) Regulation 2025
- Find an explanation of excluded work relating to the construction and use of a dam in the interpreting excluded works dams fact sheet
- Find information about taking water for firefighting and related activities in the Water for fire preparedness fact sheet and Water for fire preparedness webpage, including frequently asked questions.
- Find information about coastal construction of infrastructure in the Water access licence exemption – coastal construction of buildings and infrastructure fact sheet, Frequently asked questions and a map of affected areas.
- Find information about the take 3ML or less exemption in the Water access licence exemption – 3 ML or less of groundwater and Aquifer interference activities taking 3ML or less of groundwater per year.
- Find answers to frequently asked question about the exemption for emergency works
Decommission a bore in accordance with the Minimum Construction Requirements for Water Bores in Australia.
- Use the waterfront land e-tool to determine if your activity is on waterfront land.
- For information about exemptions see the controlled activity approval exemptions fact sheet and the controlled activity exemptions e-tool
- Use the hydro line spatial data to determine the order of a stream
Guidelines for specific controlled activities
- In-stream works
- Laying pipes and cables in watercourses
- Outlet structures
- Riparian corridors
- Vegetation management plans
- Watercourse crossings
Using the NSW Planning Portal
- Boundaries of the harvestable rights areas - high resolution map
- Western Division harvestable rights area - frequently asked questions
- Maximum Harvestable Rights Dam Capacity Calculator
- Harvestable Rights (coastal-draining catchments) Order 2023
- Harvestable Rights (central-inland draining catchments) Order 2023
- Exemptions relating to construction and use of dams
- Find more information about coastal construction of infrastructure in the Water access licence exemption – coastal construction of buildings and infrastructure fact sheet, frequently asked questions and a map of affected areas
- Find more information about the take 3ML or less exemption in the Water access licence exemption – 3ML or less of groundwater FAQ and Aquifer interference activities taking 3ML or less of groundwater per year FAQ
- Find answers to frequently asked question about the exemption for emergency works
See the resources listed above for water supply work and/ or water approval and water access licences and controlled activity approvals.
- Consultation with the department on major projects guideline
- Guidelines for controlled activities
- Groundwater guidelines
- Aquifer Interference Policy
- Water Sharing Plans
- NSW Floodplain management plans
- Find information for prospective mining and petroleum exploration activities at: Groundwater monitoring and modelling plans
- Find answers to frequently asked questions about controlled allocations