Applications and fees

Find applications, fee information and how to pay online.

Apply and pay online

Over the coming months, you will start to see our existing Water Applications Online (WAO) service replaced by our new Customer Portal. During this transition, you can still use WAO to apply, pay and track the status of some other applications below.

Use our Water Applications Online service to apply and pay online:

Apply, pay and track online

  • for a new water access licence or water dealing
  • for a new approval for a water supply work to take groundwater under a domestic and stock right
  • to extend a water supply work and/or water use approval.

The benefits of applying and paying online include:

  • it is quicker and easier as your online form will automatically include relevant information (such as fees)
  • online applications can be processed faster than hard copy applications
  • you can track the progress of your submitted online application using a unique application number
  • a free iPhone app, trackNOW, is available to track applications
  • you will be emailed a receipt after submitting your application
  • there is support available through online 'help' and links to relevant information.

Applications

Licences and dealings

Licensing and dealings under the Water Management Act 2000

Water access licence changes made through WaterNSW are linked below

Driller's licensing and Automatic Mutual Recognition

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

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

Application processing times

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.

APPLICATION TYPETARGET PROCESSING TIMECURRENT PERFORMANCE
Licence dealings assignment of shares (7IQ)90% within 20 days95%
New access licences80% within 40 days97%
Water supply work and use approval80% within 60 days80%
Extend an approval90% within 20 days97%
Approval for a bore for domestic and stock rights90% within 10 days64%


Figures are for the time period of 1 October 2023 – 31 December 2023.


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.

FAQS

Extend a water supply work and/or water use approval

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:

Application fees

Application fees for water access licences, dealings and approvals

WaterNSW charges fees to cover the assessment and processing costs of applications for access licences, water supply work approvals, water use approvals and access licence dealings lodged under the Water Management Act 2000.

These fees are determined by the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART). The fees applying from 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024 are listed in the following tables. These fees will increase annually on 1 July, and until 30 June 2025 those increases will be based on changes in the consumer price index (CPI). Fees are exempt from GST.

2023-24 Application fees

Fees

New water access licences

APPLICATION TYPEFEE
Zero share$805.92
Controlled allocation$784.07
Specific purpose – NO groundwater assessment required$817.75
Specific purpose – groundwater assessment required$3,681.77

Water access licence dealings

APPLICATION TYPEFEE
Regulated rivers $852.95
Unregulated rivers
(All surface water applications unless specified below as low risk or administrative)
$2,725.26
Groundwater - groundwater assessment required
(All applications unless specified below as low risk or administrative)
$5,589.27

Low risk, unregulated rivers and groundwater - groundwater assessment NOT required

This applies to:

  • Assign share components between Water Access Licences (s. 71Q) groundwater ONLY where a bore extraction limit is in place for receiving work (no hydro assessment)
  • Assign share components between Water Access Licences (s. 71Q) where the receiving Water Access Licence has no nominated works
  • Remove a nominated work on a Water Access Licence (s. 71W) ONLY
  • Subdivide a Water Access Licence (s. 71P (a)) ONLY with no change in the nominated work
  • Consolidate Water Access Licences (s. 71P (b)) ONLY with no change in the nominated works

$1,234.92

Dealings - administrative

This applies to:

  • Request a correction or amendment to the Water Access Licence Register (s. 71I)
$545.49

Water allocation assignments

APPLICATION TYPEFEE
Regulated rivers $56.16
Unregulated rivers and groundwater $56.87

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

Basic landholder right bore applications

APPLICATION TYPEFEE
New basic landholder right bore - groundwater assessment NOT required$1,004.93
New basic landholder right bore - groundwater assessment required$1,166.90

Groundwater applications

APPLICATION TYPEFEE
New or amended works approvals - groundwater assessment required $7,925.04
New or amended works and/or use approvals, low risk - groundwater assessment required $5,606.22
Amended works and/or use approvals - groundwater assessment NOT required $5,061.02
Amended approval, administrative - groundwater assessment required $3,467.52

Amended approval, administrative - groundwater assessment NOT required

This applies to:

  • Construct a replacement bore consistent with water sharing plan rules (no hydro assessment)
  • Remove lands/works.
  • Consolidate Approvals ONLY where there is no change to the existing works
  • Subdivide an Approval.
  • Make a work/s inactive or withdraw inactive status.
$603.50

Surface water applications

APPLICATION TYPEFEE
New or amended works and/or use approvals $5,061.02
New or amended works and/or use approvals - low risk $2,742.21

Amended approval - administrative

This applies to:

  • Remove lands/works.
  • Consolidate approvals ONLY where there is no change to the existing works.
  • Subdivide an approval.
  • Make a work/s inactive or withdraw inactive status.
  • An additional work that has been previously assessed and is awaiting a Crown Land Licence.
$603.50

Inactive/active works

APPLICATION TO AMEND AN APPROVAL FOR INACTIVE AND ACTIVE WORKSFEE
Amended approval - administrative $603.50

Construction dewatering applications

APPLICATION TYPEFEE
New or amended works approvals - groundwater assessment required $7,925.04
New or amended works and/or use approvals, low risk - groundwater assessment NOT required $2,742.21
Amended approval, administrative - groundwater assessment required $3,467.52

Approval extension applications

APPLICATION TYPEFEE
Extension lodged on or before expiry date$580.47
Extension lodged after expiry date$1,072.82

Applications not set by IPART

APPLICATION TYPEFEE
FLOOD WORK
Flood work - this fee is inclusive of advertising, if required. $2,784.00

Flood work amend approval – administrative (Flood Engineer review NOT required)

$603.50
DRILLERS LICENCE
Driller's licence $414.00
Amend a driller's licence – change a licence class $170.00
SOLICITOR'S ENQUIRIES
Normal pricing per 20 Lot/DP (up to 10 days) $180.00
Urgent per 20 Lot/DP (within 48 hrs) $361.00
WATER ACT
Application for a test bore $0
Application for a groundwater licence $151.00
Application to renew a groundwater licence $151.00

*Applications not set by IPART include flood work, drillers licence, solicitor enquiries and Water Act applications.

Notes on fees

Notes for application fees

'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

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.
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