Water extraction licences
Licence responsibilities
As a licence holder, you must do all of the following:
- install and maintain a water meter
- report your monthly pumpage
- use no more than your monthly water limit
- apply for an increase in your water limit if needed
- seek approval before using inline chemigation or fertigation systems
- apply to renew your licence before it expires.
Renew your licence
Renew your licence to either:
- take water from a bore
- take or use surface water or groundwater.
Step 1. Fill in the relevant forms
To renew your licence, you must fill in the:
- renew a water extraction licence form DOCX (77.2 KB)
- renew a water extraction licence form PDF (501.0 KB).
If you're changing your water use with your renewal, you must also fill in the:
- change water use under a current licence form PDF (221.7 KB)
- change water use under a current licence form DOCX (191.3 KB).
Step 2. Submit the relevant forms
Submit the forms by email to water.licensing@nt.gov.au or by mail or in person to your Water Resources office.
You must do this at least six months before your licence expires.
Applications received after the expiry date will be returned and you will be asked to apply for a new water extraction licence.
Transfer a licence
If the interest in the land has been transferred, you must notify the Water Resources office to update the public register for water licences.
This includes changes in land ownership and properties that are under a lease agreement.
How to transfer
To notify the office, follow these steps:
Step 1. Fill in the:
- transfer of water extraction licence form PDF (466.0 KB)
- transfer of water extraction licence form DOCX (70.6 KB).
Step 2. Submit the form by email to water.licensing@nt.gov.au or by mail or in person to your Water Resources office.
Amend your licence
You must amend your licence if you:
- add or remove an extraction point or bore
- change the land on which the water will be used.
The licence will generally be reissued if the requested change will not result in:
- a change in security level or water source or
- an increase in the maximum water entitlements of the licence.
You may also want to amend any other term or condition of your licence.
How to amend
To apply to have your licence amended, follow these steps:
Step 1. Fill in the:
- application to amend a licence form DOCX (67.5 KB)
- application to amend a licence form PDF (453.6 KB).
Step 2. Submit the form by email to water.licensing@nt.gov.au or by mail or in person to your Water Resources office.
Withhold commercially confidential information
If your renew, transfer or amend form includes commercially confidential information, you can apply for this information to be withheld from the public register.
To apply, follow these steps:
Step 1. Fill in the:
- commercially confidential information form PDF (571.4 KB)
- commercially confidential information form DOCX (67.6 KB).
Step 2. Submit the form by email to water.licensing@nt.gov.au or by mail or in person to your Water Resources office.
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Last updated: 30 October 2020
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