Can I drill a water borehole on my plot without a permit?
It depends — you can drill a water borehole, and often no permit is needed, but it must be registered. Under the Law on the Subsurface, no permit to use groundwater is needed if a household extracts under 10 m³ of water per day (for agricultural activity, under 100 m³ per day). But the popular myth that "a shallow borehole need not be registered" is misleading: since 2022, every borehole must be entered in the Subsurface Register, whatever its depth. The Lithuanian Geological Survey (LGT) registers a borehole free of charge — you pay only a one-off charge (for a household taking up to 10 m³/day this is €15). Time matters: documents to legalise old, unregistered boreholes must reach LGT by 31 July 2026, after which such applications are no longer accepted.
📋 The rules
- For a household extracting up to 10 m³ of water per day, no permit to use the resource is needed
- For agricultural activity the limit is up to 100 m³ per day (annual average) without a permit
- Every borehole must be registered in the Subsurface Register — whatever its depth
- LGT registers a borehole free of charge; you pay only a one-off charge (household up to 10 m³/day — €15)
- A new borehole must be registered with LGT within 60 days by the licensed firm that drilled it, not by the resident
🔓 Exceptions
- Above 10 m³/day (or 100 m³/day in agriculture) you need a permit, water meters and a resource tax
- Documents to legalise old, unregistered boreholes must reach LGT by 31 July 2026
- Around an individual borehole a 3 m radius protection zone applies, where pollution is restricted
⚠️ Penalties & fines
The biggest risk is not a fixed fine but that you can no longer legalise the borehole. Since 2022, every groundwater borehole must be entered in the Subsurface Register, and an unregistered borehole counts as unlawful use of the subsurface, carrying administrative liability and an order to remedy the breach. The key point now: documents to legalise old, unregistered boreholes must reach LGT by 31 July 2026 — after that, applications to legalise an illegal borehole are no longer accepted. What people miss: extracting 10 m³ or more per day requires water meters and payment of a tax on state natural resources, and doing so without a permit is prohibited. An un-legalised borehole can also cause problems when selling the plot or handling other documents, and a 3 m protection zone applies around it.
📎 Official sources
- LGT · legalising and registering boreholes →
- Ministry of Environment · simplified borehole legalisation →
- e-seimas · Law on the Subsurface (Žemės gelmių įstatymas) →
❓ Frequently asked
Do all boreholes need a permit?
No, no permit to use groundwater is needed if a household extracts under 10 m³ per day, or agriculture under 100 m³ per day. But that does not mean the borehole can go undeclared — registering it in the Subsurface Register is mandatory regardless of the amount extracted.
Must an old borehole be registered?
Yes, since 2022 all groundwater boreholes must be entered in the Subsurface Register, including those built earlier. Documents to legalise old, unregistered boreholes must reach the Lithuanian Geological Survey by 31 July 2026, after which such applications are no longer accepted.
How much does legalising a borehole cost?
The Lithuanian Geological Survey registers a borehole free of charge — you only pay a one-off charge to the tax authority. If a household uses up to 10 m³ of water per day, this charge is €15; for larger use or where a permit is required, it is higher.
Does the depth decide whether a permit is needed?
No, the law is based not on the borehole's depth in metres but on the volume extracted — 10 m³ per day for households and 100 m³ per day for agriculture. So the common belief that "a shallow borehole needs neither registration nor approval" is simply wrong.
Who registers a new borehole?
A new borehole must be drilled and its data filed with the register within 60 days by the firm that did the work and holds a subsurface-exploration permit, not by the resident. Only such a firm can lawfully drill and issue the borehole passport, so choosing a licensed contractor matters.
🔎 Common searches
What people search to land here:
- “water borehole without permit lithuania”
- “do i need to register a borehole”
- “borehole legalisation 2026”
- “borehole 10 m3 per day”
- “how much to legalise a borehole”
- “subsurface register borehole”