Knowledge base · Permits
A spa or sauna in Het Gooi:
when do you need a permit?
Usually not. A freestanding spa in your back garden usually falls within what is allowed permit-free under the national rules. An outdoor sauna in the rear garden: usually the same story, although the precise details differ per municipality. It gets interesting at monuments and protected village views; there we check for you beforehand.
SUNSPA ’T GOOI Wellness at home.General rules
When is a spa or sauna permit-free?
Freestanding on the ground and in the rear garden is usually permit-free; at a monument or protected townscape that is different.
Permit-free building falls under the Dutch Environment Act, the Omgevingswet. Four questions decide what your plot allows: is the object freestanding or fixed, does it stand in the rear-garden zone behind the front facade, how large and tall is it, and does your plot have a protected status. The rest is detail.
A freestanding spa on the ground, behind the front of the house and within the national size limits, is usually permit-free. If you want to sink it into the ground or place it under a fixed canopy with a foundation, the permit situation can change; that is not an automatic yes or no. We then have it determined via the Vergunningcheck with your municipality.
For an outdoor sauna, the dimensions, its position on the plot and the rules at your address matter. Listed buildings and conservation areas can have additional restrictions. Check your plan in the Omgevingsloket and ask the municipality for clarification before ordering if anything is uncertain.
The only sure check
To be certain, use the Vergunningcheck on the Omgevingsloket (omgevingsloket.nl). Based on your address and plans, it tells you whether you can build permit-free or need to apply for a permit.
We run that check for you as standard, before you order anything. If the outcome is doubtful, we ask your municipality, if need be all the way up to the design-review (welstand) or heritage committee. You hear from us what is and is not possible. Part of every project, at no extra charge.
Per municipality
What applies in your municipality?
A first direction per municipality, not a substitute for the municipal environment plan (omgevingsplan).
Whether your address sits in a protected village view is something we look up for you; that is part of the municipal check.
Hilversum
A freestanding spa is in practice almost always permit-free here. In the protected zones, such as the Noordwestelijk Villagebied, Plan Oost and Hilversum Zuid, we check your address before you order.
Wijdemeren (’s-Graveland, Kortenhoef, Nederhorst, Ankeveen)
Our showroom stands in ’s-Graveland, so we know this municipality up close. For plots on the water or on an estate we always check first.
Gooise Meren (Bussum, Naarden, Muiden, Muiderberg)
Freestanding placement is usually permit-free here too. In the historic centres the rules are tighter; we do that legwork.
Laren
Usually no permit needed for a freestanding spa. For an outdoor sauna we first check whether your address falls under a protected status.
Blaricum
The same applies as in Laren: freestanding is usually permit-free. Any protected status of your plot is part of our check.
Huizen
Rarely a permit needed for a freestanding spa. If you are unsure about your plot, we ask the municipality for you.
Frequently asked
The questions from the showroom.
Four questions, each with the answer up front.
Do I need a permit for a freestanding spa in my garden?
No, usually not. A freestanding spa in the rear-garden zone usually falls within what is allowed permit-free under the national rules. If you want to sink it in or add a fixed canopy, we check in advance with your municipality what applies. If in doubt, send a photo and your plot drawing; we go through it together with you.
We live in a listed villa. Does that change things?
Yes, stricter rules apply there. At a monument, building is not permit-free; even for a freestanding spa in the garden we therefore check in advance what is allowed on your plot. We arrange that monument check before the quote is fixed.
Up to what size is an outdoor sauna permit-free?
That depends on your municipality and on the spot on your plot. The outdoor saunas we install almost always fit within what is permit-free in the rear garden. The exact size limit for your address is part of the municipal check.
Do I need to inform my neighbours?
Legally, usually not; practically we always recommend it. A spa, or a sauna that gives off a steam plume in winter, is not invisible to whoever lives next door. Five minutes over the hedge prevents a letter from the municipality.
Further reading
Three articles on rules and installation
A hot tub in the garden and the zoning plan
Why a hot tub counts as a structure and what your municipal zoning plan (omgevingsplan) says about it. With court rulings included.
Hot tub noise and the neighbours: the rules
Which noise limits apply to the pump, and which measures make the difference before the neighbours raise it.
Installing a hot tub: power, base, crane
What has to be arranged in practice: the circuit in the meter cupboard, the base and the route into the garden.
About this article
Sources and author
Based on the Environment Act and the official Vergunningcheck; laws change, we check per address.
Next step
We do the municipal check for you.
Send us your address and what you are looking for: a spa, an outdoor sauna or both. We check with your municipality whether you can install permit-free, and put the question to the design-review (welstand) or heritage committee where needed. There is no separate invoice for that. Live outside Het Gooi, in Almere, Eemnes or further afield? We deliver, install and service throughout the Netherlands; we run the municipality check there just the same.