How to apply for an Aboriginal Heritage Impact Permit

Our NSW cultural heritage consultants at Biosis are experts in delivering Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Assessments and following this process, advising on Aboriginal Heritage Impact Permit (AHIP) applications.

Biosis can facilitate your AHIP application, managing all communications with Heritage NSW in the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (Heritage NSW) on your behalf. A qualified Biosis heritage consultant will prepare and lodge the AHIP application, ensuring the process is smooth and compliant.

In NSW, an Aboriginal Heritage Impact Permit (AHIP), is a legal permit issued by Heritage NSW under Section 90 of the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974 (NPW Act). It allows a person or organisation to carry out activities that will impact known Aboriginal objects or Places, while ensuring those activities comply with heritage protection laws. Sample AHIP form 

You must complete an Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Assessment (ACHA) report, inclusive of community consultation with Registered Aboriginal Parties and knowledge holders, before you apply for an AHIP. An AHIP request must include approved development documentation and the finalised ACHA report (evidence of Aboriginal community consultation and investigation of Aboriginal archaeology) as part of your permit application.

An AHIP, if approved, is required before a developer or land holder can cause harm to Aboriginal cultural heritage.

At Biosis, our clients are our priority. We have a proven track record of strong project management, including regular liaison with clients, stakeholders, and regulators. Biosis consistently achieves AHIP approvals from Heritage NSW and takes the initiative to address any Requests for Further Information, ensuring every application is approved on time and seamlessly.

Our NSW heritage team are 15 professionals with decades of experience. For each project, we tailor the team to match our client’s requirements, ensuring the right people are on the job. Our specialists include stone tool experts, bone and midden analysts, rock art specialists, and historic heritage researchers, so every application is handled by someone with the appropriate expertise. Biosis also has extensive in-house GIS resources to ensure that all supporting documentation (maps, graphics) is robust, accurate, and irrefutable.

At Biosis, we have developed good relationships with Registered Aboriginal Parties and Traditional Owners over decades of work in NSW and continue to invest in these relationships for the best project outcome for all stakeholders.

Yes. An AHIP is required if a project cannot avoid having an impact on known Aboriginal objects or Places. This is legislated under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974 (NSW).

To apply for an AHIP, applicants must submit the following supporting documentation:

• Finalised Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Assessment Report, prepared in accordance with government guidelines, in consultation with Registered Aboriginal Parties and knowledge holders, and by a qualified heritage consultant (see Biosis’ services page).
• All necessary development consents or determinations under Part 4 or 5 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979.
• Map and spatial data files showing the exact boundary of the area to which the AHIP will apply.
• Application fee (depending on the cost of the proposed activity, see below for 2025 costs).

Once the ACHA and development consents or determinations are ready, Biosis can immediately lodge your AHIP application with Heritage NSW. Heritage NSW will first undertake a completeness check within 14 days of receiving the AHIP application. They generally determine AHIP applications within 60 days, excluding time taken by applicants to provide additional information. Appeals can be made to the Land and Environment Court within 21 days of a decision.

The costs for Biosis consultants to work with clients will depend largely on the scale of the project and if the client has completed an ACHA. Contact Biosis to get a quotation for your project.  Contact us with the enquiry form and we can call you to have a chat.
An AHIP application fee can cost between $80 and $2,660 (excluding GST), dependant on the size of the proposed activity, to be payable to Heritage NSW upon submission.

AHIP Application fees

Most commonly, AHIPs are issued to permit harm to Aboriginal sites or objects where no other archaeological investigation is recommended. However, they are also required in other situations, including:

• Archaeological test excavations where there are known or the potential for certain sensitive Aboriginal site types, including, human burials, rock shelters, shell middens, earth mounds, a declared Aboriginal place, or Aboriginal missions, reserves or institutes within 50 metres of a proposed activity. AHIPs for test excavations do not require development consents or approved determinations, as the results may guide the development footprint and design.
• Archaeological salvage excavations—while standard test excavations are conducted under the Code of Practice for Archaeological Investigation of Aboriginal Objects in New South Wales 2010 (DCCEEW), they have limitations on the area that can be investigated under this Code. Salvage excavations allow for a more in-depth investigation, using a tailored methodology that must be approved by Heritage NSW through an AHIP and reviewed by the Registered Aboriginal Parties for the specific project.

AHIP applications can cover multiple types of impact. For example, an AHIP to permit harm to Aboriginal sites can be combined with an AHIP for archaeological salvage excavations.

If your development application is being submitted to the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure as a State Significant Development or Infrastructure project, you are exempt from applying for an AHIP to impact Aboriginal sites within your project area. Instead, any Aboriginal heritage within the site will be mitigated and managed through an Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Management Plan.