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Apply for gravel extraction

If you want to extract gravel, a licence may be required.

Whether you need a licence depends on the type and method of raw material extraction and the size of the project.

Prerequisite

Whether the gravel extraction can be authorised depends on the planned design, the specific location and other aspects of the individual case.

The project must not conflict with any public law regulations to be examined by the authorising authority.

Responsible department

The lower administrative authorities are responsible.

The lower administrative authority is

  • if you live in an urban district: the city administration
  • if you live in a rural district: the district administration

Procedure

If you are planning gravel extraction, you should contact the responsible authority in advance and apply for a licence if necessary:

  • A preliminary discussion before submitting an application is advisable due to the complexity of environmental law issues.
  • The information required for this is automatically forwarded to the relevant authorities once it has been entered in the service portal. Once the application has been received, the documents are checked for completeness by the authorisation authority.
  • Once completeness has been established, the participation procedure begins.
  • The authority may request additional information or expert opinions to clarify various issues.
  • The procedure concludes with the issuing of a decision.

Deadlines

It is advisable to contact the responsible authority as early as possible. It is conceivable that there will be further questions or additional requirements regarding your application that will take additional time.

Required documents

The required documents and information are requested in the service portal and vary depending on the type of application and the design of the project. Which documents and information are required varies from case to case. Documents may be required:

  • Information on the type of project
  • Information on the location of the project
  • Specialist reports and inspections

Costs

The costs depend on the application (What are you applying for? What is the cost to the authority?) and can vary from authority to authority.

Processing time

depending on the application

Miscellaneous

none

Appeal

Whether you can lodge an objection against the decision or take legal action can be seen from the information on legal remedies in the decision (administrative act).

Appeal:

As a rule, you must lodge the objection in writing with the authority that issued the administrative act. You also meet the deadline if you lodge the objection with the authority that issued the notice of objection. You must lodge the objection within one month of notification of the administrative act. Neither a specific application nor a statement of reasons is required for the objection.

Legal action:

The necessary content of the statement of claim is the name of the claimant, the defendant and the subject of the claim. In principle, the action should be directed against the state or the body whose authority issued the contested administrative act. The name of the authority is sufficient to designate the defendant. In the case of parties who are incapacitated, you must state their legal representation if this is necessary for service. The incorrect designation of legal representation is harmless if the identity of the person involved is not in doubt. You must lodge the complaint with the administrative court in writing. You can also file it on the record of the clerk of the court registry. The competent administrative court is named in the information on legal remedies in the administrative act.

 

Legal basis

Bundesbodenschutzgesetz (BBodSchG)

Naturschutzgesetz (NatSchG):

  • § 19 Absatz 1 (Genehmigung)

in Verbindung mit

Landesbauordnung (LBO):

  • § 49Genehmigungspflichtige Vorhaben

Wasserhaushaltsgesetz (WHG):

  • § 68 Absatz 1 und 2 Planfeststellung, Plangenehmigung

Release note

Machine generated, based on the German release by: Umweltministerium Baden-Württemberg, 13.03.2025