Environmental Protection Notifications and Registrations

The general notification procedure under the Environmental Protection Act, is a procedure similar to an authorisation procedure for certain activities with minor environmental impact. Activities subject to a notification are listed in Appendix 4 of the Environmental Protection Act.

In the general notification procedure, the authority issues an appealable decision, based on the information contained in the notification submitted by the operator. The information required is mainly the same as the information required in the environmental permit application.

The registration is a registering activities in the environmental protection information system without an administrative decision or orders. The activity can begin when the municipal environmental authority has registered the activity, or a period of 30 or 60 days have passed since the notification was submitted. The authority has the right to request the operator to supplement the notification, in order to assess whether the conditions for registration have been met.

The activity to be registered must comply with the requirements laid down in the sector-specific regulation. The purpose of the sector-specific regulations is both to harmonise sector-specific environmental protection requirements, as well as to improve their predictability. At the time of registration, the authority ensures that the operator complies with the relevant environmental protection requirements.

The activities to be registered are mentioned in Appendix 2 of the Environmental Protection Act.

– Asphalt stations
– Liquid fuel distribution stations with a tank capacity of at least 10 m³
– Medium-sized energy production plants (with a fuel capacity of over 1 MW but below 50 MW)
– Concrete stations and concrete product plants
– Activities that use organic solvents
– Dry cleaners

If a trader has established their business in another country within the European Economic Area and intends to provide their services temporarily in Finland, the trader is subject to the same obligations as all other traders established in Finland.

The operator must submit a notification to the municipality’s environmental protection authority regarding a temporary activity or event causing noise or vibration. The notification must be submitted at least 30 days before the activity begins.

According to Section 118 of the Environmental Protection Act, a notification must be submitted to the municipality’s environmental protection authority for temporary activities or events, such as construction or public gatherings, if the noise or vibration is expected to be particularly disturbing.

The goal of noise control is to ensure a healthy and pleasant living environment with minimal disturbance from noise. Various activities, such as construction work, road work, earthmoving, and public events, may generate noise that disturbs residents in the vicinity or hampers work. Therefore, temporary noise-generating activities and events must be notified to the municipality’s environmental protection authority in accordance with Section 118 of the Environmental Protection Act (527/2014).

Notifications are submitted through the Lupapiste service.

Contact us:

If you store dry manure or unpackaged organic fertilizer products in a heap you must notify the environmental protection authority of the city of Rauma, 14 days before starting the storage process. You can find the notification form for from this link: Notification form for a manure heap (In Finnish). Notification must be send to kirjaamo@rauma.fi.

Before the dredging a notification must be made to the Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment (ELY-Center). Dredging means the mechanical removal of soil and silt from the bottom of the water area. Notification must be made at least 30 days before the start of the work. An electronic notification form must primarily be used to make a notification. Before filling out the notification form, get a map of the dredging area, find out the owners of the shore and water areas with real estate information, and evaluate the amount and quality of the mass to be dredged, the method of dredging and the location of the dredging mass dumping area.

Based on the notification, the ELY-Center assesses the need for a permit. A permit is required if the project changes the water level or flow or prevents the passage of fish, for example. For dredging with a volume of more than 500 m³ must always apply water permit from the Regional State Administrative Agency. More information of water permit you can find from the website of Finlands environmental administration.

In addition to the notification to the authority, the dredging must be notified to the owner of the water area 30 days before the start of the procedure. If the water area is shared and the cooperative is organized, the notification is made to the chairman or secretary of the cooperative. If the shareholders of the shared water area is not organized, the notification is delivered to all known shareholders.

Dredging can generally be carried out between September 1 and April 30. If there is no harm to birdlife or fishing, dredging can be done in May as well. On protected areas, Natura sites, and other areas significant for birdlife, the working period is from October 1 to March 31.

Aquatic plants are an integral part of the aquatic environment and serve as important habitats for aquatic organisms. They also improve water quality. However, due to eutrophication of water bodies, increased aquatic vegetation often needs to be mowed or otherwise removed to enhance recreational opportunities and landscape values.

Machine mowing or removal of aquatic vegetation should be reported 30 days in advance to the regional Centre for Economic Development, Transport, and the Environment (ELY Centre) as well as the owner of the water area. Extensive mowing may require a permit from the Regional State Administrative Agency. When planning extensive mowing, a thorough vegetation survey should be conducted at the mowing site. If mowing is planned in protected areas, it should be coordinated with the authorities.

Thinning denser plant growth can improve water flow and enhance the living conditions for fish and bird populations. Timing is crucial when it comes to mowing aquatic vegetation. The most effective time for mowing is around the transition between July and August. If multiple mowing sessions are planned, the first mowing should be done just before the plants bloom in late June, followed by subsequent mowings every 3-4 weeks. The mowing should be designed so that vegetation patches and open water alternate. Keep in mind that particularly at the mouths of ditches, aquatic vegetation also helps retain nutrient loads from the catchment area, preventing them from entering the lake.

The cut plant material must always be removed from the water. Decomposing plant debris consumes oxygen and releases nutrients into the water, which can promote algal growth. Floating masses of vegetation in water also cause aesthetic problems, hinder recreational use, and often drift to someone else’s shoreline.

A designated site must be allocated for the disposed plant material to prevent its re-entry into the water body. Alternatively, the plant debris can be composted.

To facilitate mowing in the following summer, it is possible to mow reeds from the ice surface. The mowed vegetation can be burned or composted.

Establishment of a camping area and any significant changes to its operation must be notified in writing to the Environmental and Permit Board at least three months prior to commencing or modifying the activities. The notification should include necessary information about the camping area operator, the location of the area, and the nature and quality of the operation. Temporary activities lasting up to 14 days also require notification. The provisions for temporary camping areas are determined by the inspection supervisor.

You can complete and submit the electronic camping area notification form here: Camping Area Notification

According to the Act on Environmental Protection in Maritime Transport the port authority shall draw up a Waste Reception and Handling Plan in order to organise the management of ship-generated waste. A marina can perepare a joint Waste Reception and Handling Plan with another marina.

Port Waste Reception and Handling Plans shall be submitted for approval by the Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment in whose territory the port is located.
However, Waste Reception and Handling Plans for marinas shall be submitted for approval by the municipal environmental protection authority in whose territory the marina is located.

Upon approval of the port Waste Reception and Handling Plan, the Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment and the municipal environmental protection authority shall register the plan in the environmental protection information system referred to in the Environmental Protection Act. A copy of the register entry shall be sent to the port authority.