Procedure descriptions
Immission control - apply for early construction of a plant requiring authorisation in accordance with BImSchG
If you have applied for a permit for an installation requiring authorisation, you can also apply to the competent authority for permission to start building the installation or parts of the installation before the required permit is granted.
The competent authority can revoke the authorisation at any time. In addition, the authorisation may be subject to conditions or granted conditionally if you still have to fulfil certain requirements. A restoration of the previous status is required if the installation applied for is ultimately not eligible for authorisation.
Forms/Online Services
Responsible authority
The responsibilities in the area of immission control are regulated in the Immission Control Competence Ordinance of the state of Baden-Württemberg.
In most cases, the competent authority for installations requiring authorisation under immission control legislation is the local lower immission control authority:
- the district office, if the premises with the plant are located in a district,
- the municipal administration, if the premises with the installation are located in an urban district.
A different responsibility applies in the following cases (among others, for companies that are subject to the European Industrial Emissions Directive, the Hazardous Incident Ordinance or mining law):
Departments 5 - Environment of the respective locally responsible regional councils are the competent immission control authorities for company premises on which:
- at least one installation that is labelled with the letter E in column d of Annex 1 of the Ordinance on Installations Requiring a Permit,
- at least one operating area in accordance with Section 3 (5a) of the Federal Immission Control Act (BImSchG) (hazardous incident operation),
- at least one installation that requires a licence pursuant to Section 60 (3) sentence 1 no. 2 or no. 3 of the Federal Water Act (WHG) or
- at least one landfill in accordance with Article 10 in conjunction with Annex I of Directive 2010/75/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 November 2010 on industrial emissions (integrated pollution prevention and control), as amended
exists or is to be established.
Department 9 - State Office for Geology, Raw Materials and Mining of the Freiburg Regional Council is also the state-wide competent immission control authority for:
- Operational sites including the facilities and activities located thereon that are subject to mining supervision,
- Operating sites with cable cars and funicular railways used for passenger transport,
- Operating sites with high-pressure gas pipelines which, as energy installations within the meaning of the Energy Industry Act, serve to supply gas and which are designed for a maximum permissible operating pressure of more than 16 bar,
- Underground waste disposal facilities and
- Operating sites with facilities used for the construction, significant expansion and significant modification of underground cavities.
Please ensure that you submit the application for early construction to the responsible immission control authority.
Details
Prerequisite
- The competent authority must be able to adequately assess the impact of the planned installation from the application and the required documents.
- Your application must demonstrate a legitimate interest in the early start.
- When submitting the application, you must undertake to compensate for all damage caused by the premature construction until a decision is made. If you do not receive authorisation, you must restore the previous condition.
- An application for premature construction of an installation requiring authorisation is only possible as part of a procedure for the granting of an immission control permit.
Procedure
The application for early construction of an installation requiring authorisation under immission control law is only possible as part of an immission control authorisation procedure.
As soon as the competent authority has completed its review and the requirements for early construction have been met, you will receive a corresponding notification from the competent authority. The issuance of the authorisation under immission control law for the complete construction and operation of the plant is issued in a separate notice.
Deadlines
You must obtain authorisation from the competent authority prior to the premature construction of an installation requiring a permit under immission control legislation.
Required documents
- Application for early construction of an installation requiring authorisation
- required drawings, plans, expert opinions
- Explanatory notes on the installation
- Declaration of commitment to restore the previous status if the required immission control licence is not granted after all
- other documents, if necessary ask the competent authority
Costs
The fees are based on the investment costs for the system.
Miscellaneous
Coordinate in advance with the responsible immission control authority regarding the required documents.
If you wish to have significant changes to an installation requiring authorisation approved, the competent authority can also provisionally authorise the operation of the installation if the change serves to ensure the lawful construction or operation of the installation.
The electronic application for the early construction of an installation requiring authorisation is made using the same online application that is used to apply for construction and operation. The procedure option is selected during the application process.
Legal basis
Bundes-Immissionsschutzgesetz (BImSchG):
- § 8a Zulassung vorzeitigen Beginns
Release note
machine generated, based on the German release by: Umweltministerium Baden-Württemberg, 11.03.2026