Who is allowed to dig a ditch and where?

Can you dig a drainage ditch on your own property? Do you need to notify the authorities or apply for a permit if you want to drain a field or an area of forest?

You are allowed to dig a ditch on a site owned by you, for example to drain a building lot. This is considered a minor drainage project that does not need to be notified to the authorities. If the site is located in a built-up area, however, you must arrange with the local authorities to discharge the drainage waters to any stormwater drainage system that the municipality might provide.

Other minor drainage projects include subsurface drainage or supplementary drainage of field parcels and ordinary ditch maintenance.

If the drainage project is large, a drainage notification must be submitted to the Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment (ELY Centre) at least 60 days in advance. If the site to be drained is located in a groundwater area or has acid sulphate soil, even a minor drainage project must be notified to the ELY Centre. Once the ELY Centre has received the notification, it will assess the need to apply to the Regional State Administrative Agency for a water permit or to conduct drainage proceedings.

Ensuring that drainage causes as little harm as possible is important when planning and carrying out drainage projects, regardless of whether they are large or small. For example, any harms caused to other landowners, or fish stocks and recreational use of downstream water bodies must be minimised. The drainage project must not cause waterlogging on someone else’s land or hamper a neighbour’s access to water, for instance.

If the harmful effects of drainage cannot be adequately prevented, a permit issued by a Regional State Administrative Agency is usually required for the project.

Image: Yrjö Huusko