Permits and design review for window frames
When replacement is exempt from a permit, when the municipality assesses it, and what applies on top of that in a protected village area or on a listed building.
| Situation | Outcome | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Rear elevation, everything stays the same | OutcomeUsually permit-exempt | WhyShape, size, layout and detailing stay identical. This counts as ordinary maintenance, even if the material changes, as long as the appearance does not. Dutch law calls this vergunningvrij. |
| Street elevation, everything stays the same | OutcomeUsually permit-exempt | WhySame rule, but here what counts as the same is read more strictly. A wider profile or a different colour already changes the appearance. |
| Street elevation, different material or layout | OutcomePermit requiredNote: expect an application | WhyThe municipality tests the design against the policy document for that area. Allow eight weeks for a decision, plus fees that differ per municipality. The permit is called an omgevingsvergunning. |
| Protected village area | OutcomePermit needed almost alwaysNote: expect an application | WhyIn the estate zone along the Herenweg in Heemstede and in designated parts of Bloemendaal, part of the permit exemption falls away, even where the appearance stays the same. The Dutch term is beschermd dorpsgezicht. |
| Municipally or nationally listed building | OutcomePermit always neededNote: expect an application | WhyIncluding for maintenance to a historic component. A heritage committee assesses it as well and often asks for a reversible solution, such as secondary glazing instead of replacement glass. |
What we arrange
- Looking up which design review area your address falls in, and whether the building is listed, before the quotation goes out
- Supplying a profile section, an elevation drawing and the colour number, in the form the municipality asks for
- Building what was finally permitted rather than what was originally drawn
What you do yourself
- Submitting the application through the national permit portal (Omgevingsloket); it stands in the name of the owner
- Paying the municipal fees
- In a flat or under an owners association, arranging consent for a change to the facade in advance
On a municipally or nationally listed building, and in a protected village area, replacement is almost never permit-exempt, even where the appearance stays the same.
Have your situation assessed
Calling, sending a photo or filling in the form come to the same thing. With a photo of the current situation it is clear in advance whether this is a repair or a replacement.
It differs per place
Heemstede and Zandvoort are municipalities in their own right with their own design policy documents. Overveen, Aerdenhout and Bennebroek fall under Bloemendaal and therefore under that document.
Have your address checked first
A photo, your postcode, the year the house was built and the number of frames produce a range. The quotation follows only after measuring up in the rebate: a wrong dimension is the most expensive mistake in this trade.