Change, revoke or transfer a water abstraction or impoundment licence
How to change, revoke or transfer your licence, including if the licence holder dies or becomes bankrupt and find out when changes can be enforced.
Applies to England
If your circumstances or need for water changes, you can apply to revoke, transfer or vary your abstraction or impounding licence. If you apply to change your licence conditions it may affect your annual charge.
You can view your water abstraction licence information online.
Revoke your licence
If you no longer need your abstraction licence you can apply to revoke it. Use form application to revoke an abstraction licence. There is no charge for this type of application. See section 8 in Water resources licences: when and how you are charged to work out how the Environment Agency will calculate any refund due from your annual charge.
Make sure you fill in the correct licence number when you apply to revoke your licence.
If you need to abstract more than 20 cubic metres of water a day after the licence has been revoked, you must apply for a new licence. The Environment Agency cannot guarantee that they will grant you a new licence.
Contact the Environment Agency if you want to revoke your impounding licence.
Transfer your licence
Transferring the whole of an abstraction or impounding licence from one person to another is an administrative only variation. There is no charge for this type of application.
Apply using the form application to transfer an abstraction or impounding licence.
Death or bankruptcy
If the licence holder dies or is an individual who is declared bankrupt, the licence can become the responsibility of (can be ‘vested’ in) a personal representative of the licence holder.
The personal representative must notify the Environment Agency within 15 months that they are responsible for the licence using the form notification of death or bankruptcy of a water resources licence holder. The form describes the different types of personal representatives. There is no charge for this type of application.
If the personal representative does not notify the Environment Agency, the licence will become invalid and no one can abstract under that licence. Anyone wishing to abstract will need to apply for a new licence.
Change (vary) your licence
You must apply for the right type of variation. If you do not, we will reject your application and ask you to reapply.
Administrative only
An administrative only variation must meet all the following criteria:
- does not need any kind of technical input
- does not affect licence conditions
There is no charge for an administrative only variation. However, there is a charge to make administrative changes on a significant number of licences, or several changes to one licence.
Examples of administrative only variations include:
- to change or correct a name or address or trading title
- updating the aggregate volume condition on a licence but only to refer to a renewed licence number or to remove an expired or revoked licence number
Apply using the form application to make administrative changes or minor changes to a water abstraction licence.
Minor variation
A minor variation must meet all the following criteria:
- needs minimal technical input because it will not affect the environment, protected rights or existing lawful users
- does not change the extent of the licence conditions, for example you cannot increase the volume or change the abstraction point
- does not need external consultation
You must apply for a normal or substantial variation if your changes do not meet these criteria.
Minor variations include:
- updating the aggregate volume condition on a licence to refer to the new licence being aggregated to it but with no change in aggregate volume
- removing a purpose (use) from a licence if separate quantities are not specified for each purpose – the licence holder cannot abstract for a different purpose at a greater rate
- removing an abstraction point where separate quantities are not specified for each point – the licence holder cannot abstract from a different point at a greater rate
You can find the charge for a minor variation in the guidance Water resources licences: when and how you are charged.
Apply using the form application to make minor changes to a water abstraction licence.
Reduce the quantity you abstract
Reducing the amount of water your licence allows you to abstract is a minor variation. There is no charge for reducing the amount of water you abstract.
Apply using the form application to reduce the amount you abstract.
Apportion (split) your licence
To apportion (split) an existing licence between 2 or more people without changing the conditions is a minor variation. Each person will get a licence with a proportion of the quantities and all other conditions remain the same.
You can find the charge for a minor variation in the guidance Water resources licences: when and how you are charged.
Apply using the form application to apportion an abstraction licence.
Trade some or all of your licence
You can agree to give the rights to some or all of the water on your abstraction licence to someone else. See how to trade water abstraction rights.
Normal variation
A normal variation is a change which meets all the following criteria:
- changing one or more conditions of the licence
- requires the Environment Agency to do a technical assessment, but not a full reassessment (like for a new application) – this includes if they did this before they received your application to vary the licence
- is likely to need internal or external consultation
Normal variations include:
- adding or changing an abstraction purpose (use)
- adding or changing an abstraction point
- increasing the volume of water to be abstracted, hourly, daily or annually
- changing a gauging station or observation borehole referred to in a licence condition
- changing the lining in an abstraction borehole referred to in a licence condition
If your licence is to abstract from groundwater you must check whether you need to apply for consent to investigate a groundwater source before you apply to vary your licence.
You can find the charge for a normal variation for each licence type in Chapter 2: Water resources application charge tables in the charging scheme.
See the section ‘How to apply for a normal or substantial variation’ in this guide for which application forms to use.
Substantial variation
A substantial variation is one where you apply for multiple changes to an existing licence that:
- will require a full reassessment because the extent of the changes means the original assessment is no longer valid
- means the Environment Agency will need to spend a similar amount of time determining the application to the time they spend on a new licence application
For example, applying to change the purpose, increase the volume and move the abstraction point.
If your licence is to abstract from groundwater you must check whether you need to apply for consent to investigate a groundwater source before you apply to vary your licence.
You can find the charge for a substantial variation for each licence type in Chapter 2: Water resources application charge tables in the charging scheme.
How to apply for a normal or substantial variation
To vary your licence, you will need to use the relevant water resource application forms and form guidance notes.
To apply to vary your abstraction or impoundment licences for a hydropower scheme, see new hydropower scheme: apply to build one.
To apply to vary your abstraction licence or EPR permit for an open loop heat pump system, use the application forms for open loop heat pump systems: permits, consents and licences.
To apply to vary your full or transfer abstraction licence read the guidance notes and complete all of these forms:
- Part A application for a water resources licence – about you
- Part B application for a water resources abstraction licence – about the abstraction
- Part C application for a water resources abstraction licence – additional information such as the duration of the licence, water use and how you will measure what you have abstracted
- Part E application charge for water resources licence – your application charge
You do not need to complete Part E if you are applying for an environmentally beneficial abstraction, as explained in Water resources licences: when and how you’re charged.
To apply to vary your impounding licence read the guidance notes and complete all of these forms:
- Part A application for a water resources licence – about you
- Part D application for a water resources impoundment licence – about your impounding proposal
- Part E application charge for water resources licence – your application charge
You do not need to complete Part E if you are applying for an environmentally beneficial impoundment, as explained in Water resources licences: when and how you’re charged.
You can use the Environmental permits and abstraction licences: tables of charges to work out how much it will cost to vary your licence.
Enforced changes to your licence
If your licensed abstraction is causing or could cause damage to the environment, the Environment Agency may propose to change or revoke your licence. For example, by adding a time limit to the licence if it does not already have one. You can propose to make these licence changes voluntarily.
You may be entitled to compensation, unless the licence needs to be changed or revoked because it is causing or could cause serious damage to the environment.
To help you understand whether you are eligible for compensation, read the leaflet Changing water abstraction and impoundment licences, or contact the Environment Agency Sustainable Abstraction team:
Email: OCS_SA@environment-agency.gov.uk
Contact the Environment Agency
General enquiries
National Customer Contact Centre
PO Box 544
Rotherham
S60 1BY
Email enquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk
Telephone 03708 506 506
Telephone from outside the UK (Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm GMT) +44 (0) 114 282 5312
Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm.
Last updated 1 June 2023 + show all updates
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We've reordered the information and provided more detail on how to change, revoke or transfer your abstraction or impounding licence. Made it clearer what each type of licence change is and what it costs. Explained the implications of revoking or failing to vest a licence in time. Added reference to when changing a licence potentially affects annual charges. Linked to new water rights trading page.
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Updated the charging information for changing an abstraction or impounding licence.
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Updated with new charges introduced from 1 April 2018 following the review of Environment Agency charges.
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First published.