KLIC notification — the mandatory utility survey before mechanical excavation (WIBON)

The underground cables burial depth guide covers the physical requirement for an underground cable itself (minimum 0.5 m trench depth, or mechanical protection, under §522.8 of NEN 1010). This article covers a different, procedural obligation that is independent of that: the KLIC notification, mandatory before nearly all mechanical excavation, regardless of whether your own new cable already meets the depth requirement.

What a KLIC notification is and why it is mandatory

WIBON (the Dutch law on information exchange for above- and underground networks, also known as the Grondroerdersregeling) requires anyone carrying out mechanical excavation — i.e. with an excavator, not purely by hand — to file a KLIC notification (Kabels en Leidingen Informatie Centrum, Cables and Pipelines Information Centre) with the Kadaster (Dutch land registry) beforehand. After filing, the notifier receives drawings of all cables and pipelines that grid and network operators have registered in that area, to prevent excavation damage to existing infrastructure.

Timing

Filing: at the earliest 20 working days and at the latest 3 working days before starting excavation work.
Validity: the notification remains valid for 20 working days from the date of filing. If work does not start within that period, a new notification is required — the original one cannot be silently "extended".

Note: these timing rules are entirely independent of the physical burial-depth requirement of §522.8.10.1 (0.5 m outside buildings) — a cable correctly installed at the right depth does not exempt the excavator from the KLIC notification obligation before the next excavation on the same site.

Liability

Anyone who excavates mechanically without a (valid) KLIC notification and damages an existing cable or pipe in the process is generally liable for the damage — even if the damaged cable itself did not meet the current depth requirement. Conversely, a correct KLIC notification does not automatically release the excavator from all duty-of-care obligations: the Grondroerdersregeling also expects careful digging near reported cables and pipes (for example a trial pit or hand-digging close to a reported cable), not merely that the notification itself was filed.

Practical relevance

When planning a new cable route — for example a supply cable to a new greenhouse, an EV charging cluster, or an extension of an industrial site — the KLIC notification must be treated as its own planning step, independent of the actual installation work: the 20-working-day validity means a notification filed too early can expire before the excavation actually begins, while a notification filed too late (less than 3 working days before starting) does not meet the statutory timing.

Common mistakes

Assuming a KLIC notification is only needed for excavation work by grid operators themselves — the notification obligation applies to everyone carrying out mechanical excavation, including installers and contractors laying their own cable route.
Filing the KLIC notification too early relative to the actual start date of excavation — if there is a delay of more than 20 working days after filing, the notification expires and a new one must be filed.
Confusing a correct KLIC notification with "exemption from due care" — the notification provides the location of existing infrastructure, but does not remove the obligation to then actually dig carefully (for example with trial pits) near reported cables.