Administrative services A-Z

If you want to discharge wastewater into a private wastewater system, you need a permit. Under certain conditions, the permit requirement does not apply. You apply for the permit at the responsible office.

Public wastewater plants are available to the general public, private ones to a restricted group of users, for example plants in a chemical park.

For certain industries and activities (such as chemical industry, paper production, metal processing, cooling water use), pollutants are to be expected in the wastewater that are not sufficiently purified in a municipal wastewater treatment plant.Requirements are specified for this in the industry-specific annexes to the Wastewater Ordinance.

To comply with these requirements, special measures and wastewater pretreatment facilities are needed to reduce the pollutant load so that the wastewater can then be treated without harm in a public or private wastewater treatment plant.

The permit may only be issued if:

• the requirements of the Wastewater Ordinance applicable to the wastewater are met,
• the private wastewater treatment plant can adequately treat the wastewater, and
• if necessary, the wastewater is pretreated at the discharging company in such a way that the preceding requirements are met.

• Application
• other required documents depend on the wastewater (industrial wastewater, commercial wastewater) to be discharged into the private wastewater system

Are charged according to the scale of fees of the Ministry responsible for the environment

• Fee schedule of the Ministry of the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Protection (GebOMUGV)

• You can apply for a permit to discharge wastewater into private wastewater systems at the responsible office.
• You fill in the application forms and submit them with all the required documents.
• The competent body will review your application.
• If all the necessary requirements are met, your application can be approved.
• You will receive a permit to discharge wastewater into private wastewater systems.

Approval must be obtained prior to commencement.

Local competent lower water authorities

• Lower environmental authorities

• § Section 59 (1) of the Federal Water Act (WHG)
• § Section 68 of the German Code of Administrative Court Procedure (VwGO)

State-specific requirements for approval are set out in § 72 BbgWG, self-monitoring of indirect discharges is regulated in § 74 BbgWG.

• Further information is available at:

• Information from the Federal Environment Agency on the subject of wastewater law

Ministry for Climate Protection, Environment, Energy and Mobility of the State of Rhineland-Palatinate

State of Brandenburg:

Ministry of Agriculture, Environment and Climate Protection (MLUK) of the State of Brandenburg