Borehole Registration with the DWS: A Plain Guide

Drilling a borehole is one thing. Making sure it is legally registered is another — and it is the step many Johannesburg homeowners skip, sometimes without realising it is required. This guide explains what borehole registration with the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) actually involves, who has to do it, when, and what to expect from the process. No jargon, no sales pitch.

Why registration exists

Groundwater in South Africa is a public resource, not a private one. The National Water Act (Act 36 of 1998) vests ownership of water in the nation, administered by the DWS. Registration is the mechanism by which the state keeps a record of who is abstracting water, from where, and in what volumes. It also feeds into national groundwater management — without registration data, neither the DWS nor local authorities can assess whether aquifers in a given area are being overused.

For you as a homeowner, registration is not optional. It is a legal obligation, and an unregistered borehole can create complications when you sell your property, apply for a water-use licence, or need to demonstrate lawful use.

Who must register

Under the National Water Act, virtually anyone who drills a borehole must register it. This includes:

• Domestic users — even if you are only supplementing municipal supply for garden irrigation or household use.
• Small farms and smallholdings within or adjacent to the Greater Johannesburg area.
• Commercial and industrial properties that sink a borehole for any purpose.

The only practical nuance is around water-use licences. Some higher-volume uses require not just registration but a formal licence. Registration and licensing are separate processes — registration is the first, simpler step; licensing is an additional layer for larger abstractions. For most residential properties in Johannesburg, registration alone is what applies, but if you plan to abstract significant volumes, confirm with the DWS or a hydrogeologist whether a licence is also needed.

Before you even get to registration, it is worth reading up on borehole permission requirements in Johannesburg, since municipal approvals and DWS registration are two distinct processes that often run in parallel.

When to register

Registration should happen after drilling is complete but before you begin sustained abstraction. In practice, this means once your borehole contractor has finished the installation and you have basic yield data from a pump test, you have what you need to complete the registration. Do not wait months — the legal obligation attaches as soon as the borehole exists and is capable of abstracting water.

If you have an older, unregistered borehole, the DWS’s position is that late registration is better than no registration. There is no formal amnesty programme with a fixed deadline, but acting proactively is always preferable to being found non-compliant.

What information you will need

The DWS registration process requires specific technical details about your borehole. Gathering these before you start saves time. You will typically need:

Item	Detail required
Property information	Erf number, physical address, GPS coordinates
Borehole technical data	Depth, casing diameter, static water level
Pump test results	Estimated yield (litres per hour or per day)
Intended use	Domestic, irrigation, commercial, etc.
Owner/user contact details	As they appear on title deeds

Your drilling contractor should provide a borehole completion report covering the technical data. If they did not, ask for it — reputable contractors supply this as standard.

How the DWS registration process works

The DWS operates an online water-use registration and licensing system called the Water Use Registration and Licensing Administration (WRULA) portal. Registration can be initiated there, though the DWS also has regional offices where paper-based submissions are accepted.

The broad steps are:

1. Gather your documentation — completion report, property details, GPS coordinates, pump test data.
2. Access the DWS portal at dws.gov.za or visit the relevant regional office.
3. Complete the registration form — this covers the water-use type (groundwater abstraction falls under Schedule 1 or General Authorisation, depending on volume).
4. Submit and retain your reference number — keep all correspondence. Reference numbers are your proof that registration was initiated.
5. Follow up if necessary — processing times vary and can run to several months at busy periods. Follow up with the regional office if you have not received confirmation.

There is currently no registration fee for most domestic boreholes, but confirm this with the DWS at the time of submission, as administrative requirements can change.

If you are still at the planning stage and need a reliable driller who handles the paperwork correctly from the start, request 3 free borehole quotes — vetted installers, no obligation.

Water quality and SANS 241

Registration records where and how much water you abstract. It says nothing about whether that water is safe to use. Groundwater quality in Johannesburg varies considerably depending on depth, geology, and proximity to industrial or agricultural activity. Before using borehole water for drinking or cooking, have it tested by a SANAS-accredited laboratory against SANS 241 (2024 edition), the South African drinking-water quality standard. This is not a bureaucratic formality — it is a straightforward health precaution. Test first, treat second.

Water quality results may also be relevant to the DWS if your water use involves discharge or return flows, so keep test records on file.

Borehole registration and property sales

This is where unregistered boreholes create the most practical headaches. When you sell a property with a borehole, conveyancers and buyers increasingly check for DWS registration as part of due diligence. An unregistered borehole can:

• Create uncertainty about the legal right to use it.
• Require remediation before transfer, which delays the sale.
• Result in the borehole being disclosed as a liability rather than an asset.

If you are considering a borehole as a long-term investment — and given Johannesburg Water’s reported non-revenue water losses of 44.8% (2024/25 audited figures) and the city’s roughly 27-hour reservoir storage buffer, many residents are — getting the registration right from the outset protects that investment. You can read more about the full scope of what a borehole installation involves on our borehole drilling guide.

Already have quotes but want a second opinion on whether installers are quoting correctly for a compliant installation? Compare quotes from vetted installers — free, no obligation.

Common mistakes to avoid

A few patterns come up repeatedly with Johannesburg homeowners:

• Assuming the driller registers on your behalf. Some do, many do not. Confirm this in writing before work starts. The legal obligation rests with the water user, not the contractor.
• Confusing municipal approval with DWS registration. These are separate processes with separate authorities. Joburg Water or your municipality may require notification or a plumbing compliance certificate; the DWS requires registration. Both may apply.
• Skipping registration on low-yield boreholes. Volume thresholds exist in the General Authorisation framework, but the registration obligation is broad. If in doubt, register — it costs nothing and protects you.
• Not updating registration after a pump upgrade. If you significantly increase your abstraction volume, the existing registration may no longer cover the new use. Check with the DWS.

Registration is not complicated, but it does require attention to detail and a bit of follow-through. The DWS regional office for Gauteng can answer specific questions about your situation — and given how much depends on a correctly registered borehole, a phone call to confirm the current requirements is time well spent.