Is my house a national or municipal monument?

A national monument (rijksmonument) is in the national monuments register of the Cultural Heritage Agency (Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed). A municipal monument is designated by the municipality itself; under the Environment and Planning Act it does so in the environment plan, with the designation 'gemeentelijk monument' and the rules that go with it. In a protected townscape or village view the whole area is protected, even if your house is not a monument itself.

What it means if your house is a national monument

The protection covers the whole building, inside and out, including fixed parts such as stairs, floors and mantelpieces. You do not have to open it to the public and you remain the owner.

To renovate, demolish or even change the colour of the facade you generally need an environmental permit. You apply through the Omgevingsloket; the municipality assesses the application.
Small and routine maintenance needs no permit, as long as material, colour, shape, detailing and profiles stay the same.
You must maintain the monument properly. Since 1 July 2016 this duty of care has been in the law; if maintenance is neglected, the municipality can take enforcement action.

A municipal monument

The municipal council designates a municipal monument in the environment plan and chooses which rules go with it: they can resemble those for a national monument, or differ. So ask the municipality which rules apply to your house. An older designation may be registered with the Kadaster (the Land Registry) as a public-law restriction.

A protected townscape or village view

A protected townscape or village view is an area in a town or village with a special cultural and historical character. The Netherlands has 472 of them. The municipality must protect them in the environment plan, and the municipal council sets those rules. For a home in a townscape designated by central government, you can build less without a permit, especially on the street side.

Grants and loans

Residential grant (woonhuissubsidie): for private owners of a national monument used as a home. It covers up to 38 % of the costs of maintenance and restoration, with no minimum or maximum amount; if there are many applications the percentage goes down. You apply every year from 1 March to 30 April, for the costs of the previous year: the invoice date counts.
Preservation grant (Sim): for national monuments that are not homes, such as churches and mills, for maintenance only, based on a six-year plan; applications from 1 February to 31 March. It covers 30 % for owners who use the monument commercially and 50 % for other owners.
The National Restoration Fund (Nationaal Restauratiefonds) offers a low-interest loan for 100 % of the costs of restoration and maintenance; any monument owner except a public authority can apply, including the owner of a provincial or municipal monument. You cannot get a loan and a grant for the same work.

The province may also have a scheme of its own. The Restoration Fund informs owners through Monumenten.nl about maintenance, restoration, making a monument more sustainable and buying one.

What the Perceelscan does with it

The report says whether there is a national monument on the plot (with a link to the register), whether the municipality has registered a monument there and whether the plot is in a protected townscape or World Heritage site.

Is my house a monument if it is in a protected village view?

Not automatically: the area is protected, not every house. But you can do less there without a permit, and the rules are in the environment plan.

Do I need a permit for maintenance on a national monument?

Not for small and routine maintenance in which material, colour, shape, detailing and profiles stay the same. For renovating or demolishing, yes.

Sources

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Updated on 25 October 2026