Water licensing fees
New fees for water licence and permit applications are being introduced to the mining and public water supply sectors from the 13 November 2018, post gazettal of legislation on the 30 October 2018.
Fees apply to the assessment of:
- new licences to take water
- renewals for existing licences to take water
- amendments of licences to take water
- licences to construct or alter wells
- permits for beds and banks.
Fees will fall into three price categories from $172 to $8,929.
Please refer to the Water licensing fees: Frequently asked questions for more information.
You can register with Water Online to access all your water licensing details. This is the most efficient way to apply for and manage your licences.
Fee structure
The table below details the fee structure for the mining and public water supply sectors.
Fees are based on an assessment level which is determined by the type of application, the volume of water being applied for and the allocation status of the water resource.
For applications that are for a volume of 1,500kL or less per annum, an exemption exists within the Regulations and the fee payable will be $200. DWER-initiated amendments will not incur an application fee.
For all other applications the table below is applicable.
Application type | Risk assessment level | Old fee ($) | New fee ($) |
New 5C licence (take water) | Low risk Medium risk High risk | 0 0 0 | 5,357 7,143 8,929 |
Renew existing 5C licence | Low risk Medium risk High risk | 0 0 0 | 4,001 5,335 6,668 |
| Trades, transfers or agreements application fee (non-refundable) | Not applicable | 200 | 200 |
Amend 5C licence | Low risk Medium risk High risk | 0 0 0 | 4,407 5,876 7,345 |
Construct and alter well licence | Low risk Medium risk High risk | 0 0 0 | 172 215 269 |
Permit for bed and banks | Low risk Medium risk High risk | 0 0 0 | 2,477 3,302 4,128 |
Part 1 — Fees relating to licences and permits
Item | Fee ($) |
Application for approval of transfer of a licence, water entitlement or agreement referred to in clause 30 of Schedule 1 to the Act (cl. 32(1)(c) of that Schedule) | 200 |
Fee for certified duplicate of a licence | 50 |
Maximum amount for meter test (reg. 44(4)) | 500 |
Part 2 — Registration of instruments in the register and access to the register
Registration | Fee ($) |
Application for notation of security interest | 70 |
Removal of notation of security interest | 70 |
Variation of notation of security interest | 70 |
Access to register | Fee |
Copy of an entry in, or an extract from, the register (s. 26GZI(4)) | $25 for the first page, $1 for each additional page |
In addition to the new fee schedule above, the current Rights in Water and Irrigation Regulations 2000 pertaining to fees continue to apply to all business sectors.
Determining the applicable fee
Once your application is submitted, an initial review will be undertaken to determine the applicable fee. The department will then notify you of the amount and the payment process through BPOINT payment system.
You can estimate the fee you will be required to pay with the following steps:
1. Search the Water Register for the location of your application. The Water Register will identify the water resources at your location.
2. Check the applicable Water Resource allocation status of your water resource for the determination of fees. Note: This report is updated as at the end of the previous day. The report outlines the allocation status of the entire water resource and may not represent water available for your specific application.
3. Use the allocation status percentage of the water resource to determine your assessment level, referring to tables 1 to 3.
4. Use the assessment level to determine your fee with the information above based upon the type of application you are submitting.
5. If the report or the register are unclear on your assessment level, you may be within an unproclaimed area or in a resource where no allocation limit is set. You can check if you are in an unproclaimed area on these maps:
6. You may still require a licence in an unproclaimed area in certain instances. You can confirm your requirements with the department by contacting us on 1800 508 885.
Table 1 - Assessment levels associated with applications for licences to take water (5C applications Form 3G or 3S)
Applicable allocation status of water resource | |||||
Volume | ≤30% | >30% but ≤70% | >70% but ≤100% | Water resource is >100% | No allocation limit |
>1,500 - 50,000 kL pa | low | low | medium | high | low |
50,000 - 500,000 kL pa | low | medium | high | high | low |
>500,000 kL pa | high | high | high | high | low |
Table 2 - Assessment levels associated with applications to construct or alter a well (s26D) – Form 1
Applicable allocation status of water resource | ||||
≤30% | >30% but ≤70% | >70% but ≤100% | >100% | No allocation limit |
low | low | medium | high | low |
Table 3 - Assessment levels associated with applications to interfere with beds and banks – Form 3P
Applicable allocation status of water resource | ||||
≤30% | >30% but ≤70% | >70% but ≤100% | >100% | No allocation limit |
low | low | medium | high | low |