Do you need a permit in Amsterdam? Extensions, dormers and renovations

In Amsterdam three layers decide whether an extension, dormer or renovation needs a permit: the national exemptions in the Buildings Decree, the City of Amsterdam environment plan, and the protection of the historic centre and other areas. Behind an ordinary house outside the centre a lot is permit free. In the canal ring almost nothing is. This page explains how it works and how to check your own address.

First: technical and planning rules

Under the Environment and Planning Act (Omgevingswet) every building plan has a technical part, checked against the Buildings Decree (Besluit bouwwerken leefomgeving, or Bbl), and a planning part, checked against the municipality's environment plan (omgevingsplan). Permit free does not mean rule free: the Bbl and the neighbour rules in the Civil Code always apply. This page explains how it works in Amsterdam. It is not permit advice: only the online permit check or the municipality (gemeente) can confirm what applies to your address.

Extensions: the national rules

On the technical side, a side or rear extension is permit free if it stands on the ground, is no higher than 5 metres, has no habitable room on the second storey and no roof terrace or balcony (Bbl article 2.25).

On the planning side the dowry rules (bruidsschat) apply: national rules copied into every environment plan in 2024. The extension must be in the rear yard area, starting 1 metre behind the front facade, and more than 1 metre from public space (article 22.27). Within the article 22.36 limits below it can ignore the old zoning plan. Municipalities may change these rules.

Dormers and roof windows

A dormer (dakkapel) is always permit free technically (Bbl article 2.27(2)(a)); a full roof extension is not. On the planning side, a dormer on the rear slope, or a side slope not facing public space, is free under Bbl article 2.29(b), which overrides the environment plan. The conditions are listed below.

At the front, a dormer is only free where no design requirements (welstand) apply (dowry article 22.27(c)). A roof window is free on the rear slope or a flat roof if it sticks out no more than 0.6 metres and stays 0.5 metres from the edges (Bbl article 2.29(c)). On a listed building, and in a state protected area on a slope facing public space, you need a permit (Bbl article 2.30).

• Flat roof.
• No higher than 1.75 m.
• Bottom more than 0.5 m and less than 1 m above the eaves.
• Top more than 0.5 m below the ridge.
• Sides more than 0.5 m from the edge of the roof slope.

Renovating inside the house

Internal work is permit free as long as the load bearing structure and fire compartments stay the same (Bbl article 2.27) and the building volume does not grow (dowry article 22.27(i)). A new bathroom or kitchen usually falls under this. If you remove a load bearing wall, IPLO, the government's information point for the Act, says you need a permit for the technical building activity. In a national monument (rijksmonument) even internal work often needs a monument permit. Normal maintenance stays free.

What the Amsterdam environment plan adds

Amsterdam has a single environment plan for the whole city (Omgevingsplan gemeente Amsterdam). It contains the old zoning plans, the national dowry rules and a basic set of rules the city wrote itself. For anything outside the national exemptions, that plan decides plot by plot whether an extension is possible, how deep and how high. It also sets the conditions for a dormer on the front slope or on a side slope facing the street.

For the Oost, Zuid and West districts the city has a separate page with deviating rules (Dutch), covering dormers, roof terraces and extensions among other things. If you live in one of those districts, read that page first. If your plan does not fit the environment plan, the city advises a preliminary request (conceptverzoek, Dutch page). It is checked against the plan and design rules, so you know where you stand before paying for full drawings. For an extension we go through this at the first visit.

Design review, protected areas and listed buildings in Amsterdam

Design review (welstand: the check that a building looks right in its setting) is done by the Commissie Omgevingskwaliteit. It uses the design guide De Schoonheid van Amsterdam, with separate chapters for dormers and extensions. A plan that follows a pattern already found in the block can often be assessed quickly.

The city centre inside the Singelgracht is a state protected townscape (rijksbeschermd stadsgezicht), and the canal ring is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There, Bbl article 2.30 and dowry article 22.28 apply. In that area, expect a permit for almost any visible change. The city has also designated protected areas of its own, such as the Admiralenbuurt, Betondorp and Oud Zuid in 2022 and Plan Van Gool in 2024. Their rules are in the environment plan and the city's heritage bylaw.

Amsterdam has thousands of national monuments (rijksmonumenten) and many municipal ones. You can check your building in the national monuments register of the Cultural Heritage Agency (RCE).

Owners' associations and renting

A permit only means the government agrees. In a flat, the facade, roof and usually the load bearing walls belong to the owners' association (Vereniging van Eigenaren, or VvE). A dormer, extension or new opening then needs a VvE decision under the deed of division (splitsingsakte). The municipality does not check this.

If you rent, you need the landlord's consent for an extension, dormer, kitchen or bathroom. The landlord must reply within 8 weeks and may only refuse if the home becomes harder to let or loses value (Civil Code article 7:215).

How to check it yourself

Start from your own address. The national portal is in Dutch and you need a DigiD login to apply; a browser translation is usually enough to follow the questions.

If you get stuck, call the city on 14 020. Newcomers can also ask IN Amsterdam. If you want to know what is possible structurally, contact us for a visit by Stas. For larger work, such as a full renovation, we include the permit question in the planning.

• Read the city's English page on construction and renovation permits.
• Run the permit check on the Omgevingsloket. Pick the right activity for each part, such as placing a dormer or renovating an existing building.
• Look up the rules for your plot in Rules on the map.
• Read the Dutch pages on the environment permit and, if you live in Oost, Zuid or West, the deviating rules.
• Check your address in the national monuments register and on the RCE map of protected areas.

Frequently asked questions