Public order and safety (General Municipal By-law)

Do you have a commercial building, such as a shop or a catering establishment? You will have to comply with the rules in the General Municipal By-Law.

The General Municipal By-Law (Algemene Plaatselijke Verordening, APV) lays down the municipal regulations on public order and safety. Each Dutch municipality has its own APV, which applies to everyone in the municipality. The rules in the APV tell you if you need a permit for certain activities.

What is the General Municipal By-Law (APV)?

The APV describes various rules that apply in your municipality. The APV includes rules on, for example:

Public order and safety

• events
• catering establishments
• nuisance and rowdiness
• fireworks

Protection of nature and the environment

• noise nuisance
• soil contamination
• environmental rules
• felling trees
• odour nuisance

Other matters

• parking
• trading locations
• water

Rules for the retail sector

For the retail sector the APV contains rules on:

• waste bins (for food and drink waste)
• closure of public roads
• trading hours
• noise pollution
• advertising material
• trading locations
• supervision of events
• shop displays
• shopping carts

Rules for the hospitality industry

For the hospitality industry the APV contains rules on:

• general regulations on permits and dispensations
• performances on the road (for example parties, music, competitions, or street performers)
• closure of public roads
• supervision of events
• supervision of catering establishments
• supervision of overnight accommodation
• supervision of gambling venues
• opening and closing times
• location of a terrace
• nuisance and antisocial behaviour
• organising sales demonstrations or running a shop in a catering establishment
• noise and light nuisance (for instance parties)
• waste bins (for food and drink waste)
• advertising material

The APV and the environment plan

Municipalities have laid down rules about the physical environment in the APV, zoning plans, and other regulations. Under the Environment and Planning Act (Omgevingswet), all rules on the physical environment have to be transferred to 1 environment plan (omgevingsplan). Municipalities have to do this by 2032. So up to 2032, the place where you can find the applicable rules is different for each municipality. You can find the environment plan and zoning plans in the online service counter Omgevingsloket (in Dutch). The rules about public order and safety remain in the APV.

Do you want to open a café, for instance? Then consult the environment plan to find out at which location you are allowed to open a café. The APV will tell you what the rules are on noise and the size of your terrace. You may have to report an activity or apply for a permit at the municipality as well as the Omgevingsloket.

Permit check and APV check

Do you want to know which rules apply to you? And whether you need to apply for a permit? To find out, you must:

• do the permit check in the Omgevingsloket (in Dutch)
• check your municipality’s APV. You will find it on your municipality’s website. Or go to Lokaleregelgeving.nl and type in ‘Algemene Plaatselijke Verordening’ plus your postal code
• look at other municipal regulations, or contact your municipality (in Dutch)