Water Use Licences.
Water authorisation is the single biggest hold-up on mining, farming, bottling and property projects in South Africa. Our full application fee is all-in: the standard specialist studies, the public participation and the departmental fees are inside the price, so you get one number to budget against instead of a legal fee plus a stack of consultant invoices.
You get a water use licence by applying to the Department of Water and Sanitation through the e-WULAAS system once you have confirmed your activity falls under section 21 of the National Water Act 36 of 1998 and exceeds General Authorisation limits. The process needs specialist studies and public participation, and realistically takes twelve to twenty-four months.
Governing legislation: Sections 21, 39 and 41 of the National Water Act 36 of 1998, and the General Authorisations published under section 39.
Last reviewed: 2026-09-17
This is the first step of your water use licence application. No payment is needed to begin, and the eligibility check is step one inside the application.
Received a directive, non-compliance notice or a deadline you cannot miss? Call or WhatsApp us now and we will act the same day.
Get your water approval unstuck.
Most delays come from incomplete files and missing specialist reports. We build the file to the department's own checklist before it's lodged — and we appoint and pay the specialists ourselves on the all-in package.
Water use licences
Full licence applications for abstraction, storage, stream diversion, discharge and disposal.
General authorisations
Confirming when your use falls under a general authorisation, and registering it correctly.
Agriculture & irrigation
Irrigation allocations, existing lawful use verification and transfers between properties.
Mining & industry
Integrated water and waste management plans, dewatering, tailings and discharge authorisations.
Compliance & directives
Responding to directives, non-compliance notices and licence condition audits.
Appeals & tribunals
Appeals against refusals or unreasonable conditions, including tribunal representation.
Free assessment
Tell us the water uses and the property. We confirm what's needed.
Fixed quote
One written fee before any work starts. No hourly billing.
We prepare & lodge
Application, specialist reports and public participation handled by us.
Through to decision
We follow up, answer queries and escalate where the file stalls.
Four ways to engage us.
Every mandate is quoted upfront in writing, and complex mining and multi-site work is capped at R750,000 all-in. You'll never get an open-ended bill from us.
We tell you exactly which water uses need authorisation and what the file must contain.
- Assessment of your water uses against the Act
- Confirmation of general authorisation vs full licence
- Gap list and document checklist
- Written opinion you can give your funders
- Credited against your application fee if you appoint us
You already have your specialist reports. We build the file, lodge it and drive it to a decision.
- Full application drafted and lodged
- Registration of existing lawful water use
- Public participation managed by us
- Departmental application fees included
- We handle all departmental queries to decision
- Only your own existing specialist studies are excluded
A complete water use licence application with the standard specialist studies inside the fee.
- Full water use licence application pack
- Hydrogeological assessment included (single property, single use)
- Ecological / wetland specialist input included
- Registration of existing lawful water use
- Public participation, advertising and comment included
- Departmental application fees included
- We deal with the department until a decision is made
Multi-use, multi-property and mining applications — quoted inside a fixed cap after the readiness review, never open-ended.
- Mining, industrial and multi-property applications
- All specialist studies included (hydrocensus, geohydrology, wetland, water balance)
- Integrated water and waste management planning
- Amendments, transfers, renewals and appeals
- All departmental fees and public participation included
- Hard price cap — you never pay above the quoted number
- A named lead advisor and project manager
All-in fixed fees, with no hidden fees. Every package includes the departmental application fees. The all-in package also covers one hydrogeological assessment, one ecological/wetland input and public participation advertising for a single-property, single-use application. Mining, multi-use and multi-property applications are quoted after the R15,000 readiness review, inside a hard cap of R750,000 that includes every specialist study, departmental fee and public participation cost. The readiness review fee is credited against your application fee if you appoint us.
How long it actually takes.
We separate our preparation time, which we control, from the authority's decision time, which we do not. Ranges are based on comparable files.
Readiness review
Legal filing & process only
Full licence — all-in
We cannot guarantee a government decision date. What we do guarantee is a complete file, lodged on time, with every query answered until a decision is issued.
Water & environmental licensing team
Led by a named advisor on every file
Dynamic Legal Services (Pty) Ltd
Offices in Pretoria (Faerie Glen) and Sandton (Sandown) — serving all nine provinces
087 153 6207 · support@dlegal.co.za
Why clients hand us the file.
- We build the file to the department's own checklist before it is lodged, which is where most applications fail.
- We appoint and pay the specialists ourselves on the all-in package, so you get one invoice and one accountable party.
- Mining, industrial and multi-property files are capped in writing — you never receive an open-ended bill.
- Directives, refusals and appeals are handled in-house, including tribunal representation.
Your application starts here.
One application. Answer a few questions, see exactly which route applies to you and what it costs, then send it through. Documents can follow later, and nothing is payable to open the file.
Start your water licence application.
Six quick questions. We tell you whether you need a full water use licence or a general authorisation, and how close your file is to being lodged. Nothing to pay to start.
Step 1 of your application
What are you doing with the water?
Questions
Straight answers before you apply.
How long does a water use licence take in South Africa?
We prepare and lodge a single-property application in 2 to 4 weeks once your documents are in, or 6 to 12 weeks where specialist studies and public participation are required. The departmental decision itself typically takes 8 to 18 months, and we follow up and escalate for you until it is issued.
What does a water use licence application cost?
Every mandate is quoted upfront in writing as an all-in fixed fee that includes the departmental application fees. Mining, multi-use and multi-property applications are quoted after a R15,000 readiness review and capped at R750,000 all-in, including specialist studies and public participation costs.
Do I need a licence or does a general authorisation cover me?
It depends on the volume, the water use type and the catchment. Our free assessment confirms whether your use falls under a general authorisation you simply register, or whether a full water use licence application is required.
Which areas do you serve?
Our offices are in Pretoria (Faerie Glen) and Sandton (Sandown) and we act for clients in all nine provinces, with applications lodged with the national department and its regional offices.
Water licence stuck in the system?
Book a confidential consultation. We respond within one business day.
Last reviewed: 2026-09-17
Written and reviewed by Dynamic Legal Services (Pty) Ltd, registration 2016/074955/07. Registered with the Department of Water and Sanitation, EAPASA applicant. Offices in Faerie Glen, Pretoria and Sandown, Sandton. Telephone 087 153 6207, support@dlegal.co.za. General information on South African regulatory practice, not advice on a specific matter — the first consultation is free.