The construction, operation and significant modification of an installation listed in Annex 1 of the Fourth Ordinance on the Implementation of the Federal Immission Control Act (Ordinance on Installations Subject to Authorisation - 4th BImSchV) require an immission control permit from the competent authority. All environmental impacts of the plant must be considered and assessed in the authorisation procedure.
Authorisations for installations of a certain type or scope can be granted in a simplified procedure instead of a formal one. In these cases, the procedure is carried out without public participation.
Please refer to the legal basis to find out in which cases a simplified authorisation procedure is possible.
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, i.e
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
exists or is to be constructed.
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
Please ensure that you submit your licence application to the immission control authority responsible for your facility.
The permit must be granted if it is ensured that the obligations arising from the Federal Immission Control Act (BImSchG) and its legal ordinances are fulfilled and that other public law regulations and occupational health and safety concerns do not conflict with the construction and operation of the plant. Authorisation can only be granted if the application documents submitted by you allow a complete and final assessment of the project's eligibility for authorisation.
The authorisation procedure requires a written or electronic application. To apply for an immission control permit electronically, you can use the online application "Applying for a permit under the Federal Immission Control Act", which adapts to the information you provide, guides you through the application process and provides specific technical information.
The application must be accompanied by the drawings, explanations and other documents required to check the authorisation requirements. If further documents are required by the responsible immission control authority or the relevant specialised authorities for an assessment, these must be submitted subsequently.
The competent immission control authority shall involve the specialist authorities affected by the projectin order to determine the eligibility for authorisation. In contrast to the formal authorisation procedure, there is no public participation in the simplified authorisation procedure and therefore no presentation of the application documents.
Once the licensing authority has determined all the circumstances that are relevant to the granting of a licence, a decision must be made on the application. The authorisation decision must be substantiated in writing.
Pursuant to Section 13 BImSchG, the immission control permit includes other official decisions relating to the installation, in particular permits, approvals, awards, authorisations and licences under public law. Excluded from this are planning approvals, approval of operating plans under mining law, official decisions based on nuclear regulations and water law permits and authorisations.
As part of the application, an application can also be made for approval of an early start in accordance with Section 8a BImSchG or the granting of a preliminary decision in accordance with Section 9 BImSchG as well as the division into several partial authorisations in accordance with Section 8 BImSchG.
You must obtain authorisation from the competent authority prior to construction and commencement of operation of an installation requiring authorisation.
The application must be accompanied by the documents required for an assessment. These are, for example
The competent authority may request further documents if necessary. Coordinate in advance with the responsible immission control authority regarding the documents required for an assessment.
If official decisions concerning the installation are communicated as part of the authorisation procedure (e.g. building permit), the documents required for this must also be submitted.
The application must always be made using the forms for the application for authorisation under immission control law. The forms and further information on the immission control authorisation procedure can be found in the Guideline - Authorisation and notification procedure in accordance with the Federal Immission Control Act of the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of the Environment.
The fees are based on the investment costs for the system.
As a rule, the licensing authority must check whether the documents are complete within one month of receiving the application. If the application documents are not sufficient for an assessment, they must be completed by the applicant.
In a simplified procedure, the processing time is three months after all the necessary documents have been received in full. The deadline may be extended by three months if this is necessary due to the difficulty of the examination or for reasons attributable to the applicant.
Coordinate in advance with the responsible immission control authority regarding the documents required for an assessment.
The application for an immission control permit in the simplified or formal authorisation procedure is made using the same online application. The procedure variant is selected during the application process.
Significant changes to an installation requiring authorisation under immission control law also require authorisation and can be applied for using the same online application.
When submitting an electronic application via the Baden-Württemberg service portal, use the online process "Submitting documents for immission control authorisation" for the subsequent submission of application documents.
Bundes-Immissionsschutzgesetz (BImSchG):
Vierte Verordnung zur Durchführung des Bundes-Immissionsschutzgesetzes (Verordnung über genehmigungsbedürftige Anlagen - 4. BImSchV)
Neunte Verordnung zur Durchführung des Bundes-Immissionsschutzgesetzes (Verordnung über das Genehmigungsverfahren - 9. BImSchV)
machine generated, based on the German release by: Umweltministerium Baden-Württemberg, 11.03.2026