Permissions (WFS Service)

In the Federal Republic of Germany, the search for economically important mineral resources such as hydrocarbons, hard coal, lignite or potash and rock salts and their extraction are subject to the provisions of the Federal Mining Act (BBergG). A distinction is made between “mountain-free” and “basic” mineral resources. Land-owned mineral resources are owned by the landowner. The ownership of a plot of land does not extend to mountain-free mineral resources. If you want to visit mountain-free mineral resources (research = search for or determine the expansion of mineral resources), you need a permit in accordance with § 7 BBergG. The issue shall be carried out by the competent authority. For the states of Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg, Bremen and the continental shelf of the North Sea, this is the State Office for Mining, Energy and Geology (LBEG). Permission grants the right to seek mineral resources within a given field (permission field). The permit field is limited for days and extends to the “eternal depth”, i.e. theoretically, to the center of the earth. The “Permissions” theme maps show the current LBEG permit areas both offshore in the North Sea and onshore on the continental shelf.