Water use licences
Full applications for taking water, storing it, diverting a stream, discharging effluent or disposing of water that carries waste.
Dynamic Legal · Water Licence Division
Water use licences, done properly and priced upfront.
Water authorisation is what holds up farms, mines, bottling plants and property developments in South Africa. We prepare your application, lodge it with the Department of Water and Sanitation and stay on it until a decision comes out. One written fee, agreed before we start.
Nothing is payable to begin. The first step is a free check of what you actually need. If you have been served with a directive or a non-compliance notice, phone us today — those deadlines are short.
What we handle
Every kind of water authorisation, in one place.
Most applications stall because the file went in incomplete. We build it to the department's own checklist first, and on the all-in package we appoint and pay the specialists ourselves.
General authorisations
Confirming when your use falls under a general authorisation instead, and registering it correctly so you stay lawful.
Farming and irrigation
Irrigation allocations, borehole abstraction, existing lawful use verification and transfers of water between properties.
Mining and industry
Integrated water and waste management plans, dewatering, tailings facilities and discharge authorisations.
Directives and compliance
Responding to directives, non-compliance notices and audits of your licence conditions, inside the deadline.
Appeals and tribunal
Appeals against a refusal or against conditions you cannot work with, including representation at the Water Tribunal.
How it works
Four steps, in plain language.
01
Tell us what you do with water
A short conversation and a look at the property. We confirm which uses are in play and whether you need a licence at all. No charge for this.
02
You get one written price
A fixed fee in writing before any work begins. No hourly billing, and no invoices arriving later from consultants you never appointed.
03
We build and lodge the file
Application forms, specialist reports, public participation and advertising. The file goes in complete, which is where most delays are avoided.
04
We carry it to a decision
We answer the department's questions, chase the regional office and escalate where the file sits still. You get updates by email throughout.
Fixed fees
Four ways to work with us.
Every mandate is quoted in writing before we start, and complex mining and multi-site work is capped at R750 000 all-in. You will not get an open-ended bill from us.
Water use review
Before you spend anything else, we tell you which of your water uses actually need authorisation.
R15 000 fixed scope
- Each water use on the property checked against the National Water Act
- A clear answer on general authorisation versus a full licence
- A list of the documents and studies your file will need
- A short written opinion you can hand to a bank or funder
- The fee comes off your application price if you appoint us
Preparation and lodgement
You already hold your specialist reports. We assemble the file, lodge it and push it to a decision.
R45 000 fixed fee
- The full application drafted and lodged on the department's system
- Existing lawful water use registered where it applies
- Public participation run and recorded by us
- Departmental application fees carried by us
- Every departmental query answered until a decision lands
- Your own specialist studies are the only thing not included
Full licence application
One number for the whole thing — the studies most single-property applications need sit inside the fee.
R135 000 studies included
- A complete water use licence application pack
- Groundwater assessment included for a single property and single use
- Wetland and ecological input included
- Existing lawful water use registered
- Advertising, public participation and comment handling included
- Departmental application fees included
- We stay on the file with the department until it is decided
Mining and multi-site
Several uses, several properties or a mine. Priced after the review and capped in writing, never open-ended.
R180 000 – R750 000 capped, all-in
- Mining, industrial and multi-property applications
- All specialist work included — hydrocensus, geohydrology, wetlands, water balance
- Integrated water and waste management planning
- Full public participation across every affected community
- Departmental and regional office engagement handled end to end
- A written ceiling agreed before we start
Common questions
How long does a water use licence take in South Africa?
Preparing and lodging a straightforward single-property file takes about two to four weeks once your documents are with us. Where specialist studies and public participation are needed, allow six to twelve weeks before lodgement. The Department of Water and Sanitation's own decision usually takes eight to eighteen months, and we follow up and escalate for you until it is issued.
What does a water use licence application cost?
We quote one fixed fee in writing before we start. A water use review is R15 000, preparation and lodgement where you already have your reports is R45 000, and a full single-property application with the standard studies inside it is R135 000. Mining and multi-site work runs from R180 000 and is capped at R750 000 all-in.
Do I need a licence, or does a general authorisation cover me?
It depends on how much water you use, what you use it for and which catchment you are in. Some uses sit under a general authorisation that you simply register. Others need a full licence. Our first assessment gives you a straight answer before you spend money.
What is existing lawful water use?
If the water use was lawfully taking place in the two years before the National Water Act came into force in 1998, it can be recognised as an existing lawful use. It still has to be registered and verified with the department, and we handle that as part of the application.
Tell us what you do with water. We will tell you what you need.
The first assessment is free and there is nothing to pay to start the application.
Start your application