Water licensing and approvals exemptions

You don’t need to apply for a water access licence, water supply work, water use or controlled activity approval if an exemption applies.

Water licensing exemptions

The Water Management (General) Regulation 2018 specifies a number of water access licence exemptions. A summary of these exemptions is provided below. You should refer to the regulation for a full description of these exemptions, including the circumstances when the exemption applies, and any restrictions or limitations.

Exemptions for landholders

Collection of water from roofs in rainwater tanks by landholder
Dams for specific purposes
Dams or excavations located on a river or lake
Works in lakes which are mainly dry
Works which impound water
Domestic electricity generation by landholder

Exemptions for public authorities

Road construction and maintenance by road authorities
Construction and maintenance of rail infrastructure by transport authorities
Dust suppression by public authorities
Operation of hydro-electric power station
Basic human water needs
Environmental work construction

General exemptions that can apply to any person

Drought relief water carting for domestic consumption and stock watering
Hydrostatic testing of gas pipelines
Prospecting or fossicking for minerals or petroleum
Water bore testing
Exempt monitoring bores
Emergency safety measures
Establishment of sugar cane plantings.

Work approval exemptions

The Water Management (General) Regulation 2018 also specifies a number of water supply work approval exemptions. A summary of these exemptions is provided below. You should refer to the regulation for a full description of these exemptions, including the circumstances when the exemption applies, and any restrictions or limitations.

There are 3 main categories of works approval exemptions for water supply works:

Construction and use of a water supply work
Construction only
Use only.

Exemptions for construction and use of a water supply work

Landholders with rainwater tanks
Landholders with dams for specific purposes
Landholders with dams or excavations located on a river or lake
Landholders with works that impound water
Landholders with works in lakes that are mainly dry
Exempt monitoring bores
Urgent basic human water needs
Emergency safety measures
Control or prevention of soil erosion.

Exemptions for water supply works – construction only

Prospecting or fossicking for minerals or petroleum
Water pipe to convey water from one place to another
Water reticulation work constructed on land that has a water use approval.

Exemptions for water supply works – use only

Prospecting or fossicking for minerals or petroleum
Works to convey or impound water that were in use before 1 July 2004
Water reticulation work to convey water to land that has a water use approval
Works used in connection with a hydro-electric power station
Water tankers used to convey water for dust suppression by a public authority.

Controlled activity exemptions

The Water Management (General) Regulation 2018 specifies a number of controlled activity exemptions. A summary of these exemptions is provided below. You should refer to the regulation for a full description of these exemptions, including the circumstances when the exemption applies, and any restrictions or limitations.

Controlled activity exemptions relate to:

exemptions that can apply to any person and relate to:
- taking water from a water source
- approved development
- maintenance and repairs
- directions
- other matters
exemptions that apply to specific entities—public authorities, state-owned bodies, and network operators.

Controlled activity exemptions in clause 36 of Schedule 4 of the regulation only apply within certain waterfront land shown in maps which are published on the department’s website.

Use the controlled activity exemption e-tool to see if an exemption applies to your proposed activity.

Fact sheets

Download these fact sheets for more information about exemptions for water access licences, water supply works and water use.