Air conditioning in Brussels, Flanders and Wallonia

Checked on 2 October 2026

1. In the Brussels region, a heat pump in principle needs a planning permit, unless it stands on the ground at a non-protected building, with no departure from the rules, has a maximum volume of 1 m³, is at least 3 metres from party boundaries and is not visible from public space.

   Source:environnement.brussels

2. In the Brussels region, if those conditions are not met, installation still needs a planning permit, with procedural exemptions for a heat pump below 150 kW electrical capacity on a non-protected property, if the installation respects the property’s existing architectural appearance.

   Source:environnement.brussels

3. In the Brussels region, heat pump noise is limited by the neighbourhood noise order or, for a classified installation, by the order on noise from classified installations. The limit applies at the property boundary if classified, otherwise at the neighbours’ balcony, garden or terrace.

   Source:environnement.brussels

4. In the Brussels region, in a residential area (zone 2), heat pump noise at the property boundary may not exceed 45 dB by day on weekdays and 33 dB at night, or 39 dB if it runs 24 hours a day.

   Source:environnement.brussels

5. In the Brussels region, a heat pump or air conditioning system can be a classified installation needing a declaration or environmental permit (heading 132), depending on the refrigerant quantity per circuit and the compressors’ electrical power.

   Source:environnement.brussels

6. In the Brussels region, only a qualified refrigeration technician may install equipment that can contain fluorinated greenhouse gases, and handling them must be entrusted to a registered refrigeration company.

   Source:environnement.brussels

7. In the Brussels region, leak checks, full maintenance and repairs on parts containing regulated refrigerants must be done by a qualified refrigeration technician.

   Source:environnement.brussels

8. In the Brussels region, for a listed building, one on the safeguarding list or one being protected, a ground-mounted heat pump only benefits from procedural exemptions, under the same conditions.

   Source:environnement.brussels

Checked on 2 October 2026

1. In Flanders, no environmental permit is needed to place the above-ground parts of heat pumps and air conditioners at a dwelling that is mainly permitted or deemed permitted, in the garden, on a façade or on a flat roof, at least two metres from the plot boundary or against an existing party wall.

   Source:codex.vlaanderen.be

2. In Flanders, according to the Departement Omgeving guidance, an environmental permit is always required if the heat pump or air conditioner is placed at an unpermitted dwelling, more than 30 metres from the dwelling, or less than 2 metres from the plot boundary where there is no existing party wall.

   Source:publicaties.vlaanderen.be

3. In Flanders, the exemption only applies if the installation does not conflict with applicable planning rules; a municipal planning regulation may, for example, prohibit placing heat pumps and air conditioners against the front façade.

   Source:publicaties.vlaanderen.be

4. In Flanders, heat pumps and air-conditioning installations with a total installed drive power (electrical power) of 5 kW or more are classified installations under VLAREM (heading 16.3.2); for a class 3 installation, a notification to the city or municipality is sufficient. Most units for individual homes stay below 5 kW per dwelling.

   Source:publicaties.vlaanderen.be

5. In Flanders, regional noise conditions only exist for heat pumps and air conditioners classified as nuisance installations. For many units at individual homes, no noise conditions are currently set at Flemish level.

   Source:publicaties.vlaanderen.be

6. In Flanders, installing, maintaining, repairing and decommissioning stationary refrigeration systems and heat pumps containing fluorinated greenhouse gases may only be done by a certified refrigeration technician holding a certificate of the corresponding category.

   Source:codex.vlaanderen.be

7. In Flanders, according to the Departement Omgeving guidance, installing a heat pump or air conditioner whose refrigerant circuit is entirely inside a hermetically sealed unit (monobloc), with no refrigerant work on site, does not have to be done by a certified refrigeration technician; maintenance of the refrigerant circuit does require one.

   Source:publicaties.vlaanderen.be

8. In Flanders, exemptions from the environmental permit do not affect the rules for protected monuments, protected townscapes and villagescapes, cultural-historical landscapes and archaeological sites, for which a separate authorisation system applies.

   Source:codex.vlaanderen.be

9. In Flanders, for works requiring authorisation on a protected monument that do not need an environmental permit, a written authorisation must be requested from the Flemish Heritage Agency (Onroerend Erfgoed) or from the recognised heritage municipality.

   Source:onroerenderfgoed.be

Checked on 2 October 2026

1. In Wallonia, installing a heat pump not linked to an industrial process is exempt from a planning permit when it is placed on the ground, on a flat roof or fixed to a façade, at a distance of 3 m from the boundaries with neighbouring plots, not visible from the access road, and outside a zone with a high flood hazard. In that case an architect is not required.

   Source:wallex.wallonie.be

2. In Wallonia, an installation producing cold or heat through a refrigeration cycle is a class 3 classified installation when its nominal useful cooling capacity is 12 kW or more and below 300 kW, or when it contains more than 3 kg of fluorinated refrigerant. From 300 kW it falls under class 2.

   Source:wallex.wallonie.be

3. In Wallonia, establishments covered by the environmental permit decree must comply with the noise limits set by the decree of 4 July 2002 on general operating conditions (articles 18 to 37). In residential zones, the standard limits are 50 dB(A) by day, 45 dB(A) in the transition period and 40 dB(A) at night.

   Source:environnement.wallonie.be

4. In Wallonia, technicians working on installations containing fluorinated gases (for example R134A) or natural alternatives (for example CO2) must hold a European certificate; these certificates or approvals are issued by the Walloon Air and Climate Agency (AwAC).

   Source:environnement.wallonie.be

5. In Wallonia, works on a listed (classé) or assimilated heritage property require prior heritage authorisation (autorisation patrimoniale). Maintenance works do not, unless a subsidy is requested for them.

   Source:wallex.wallonie.be

6. In Wallonia, planning permit exemptions do not apply to works that modify, extend, destroy or demolish the envelope of a building, structure or installation, or to building or rebuilding a veranda or annex, when these are located in a protection zone.

   Source:wallex.wallonie.be

Checked on 2 October 2026

1. Under Regulation (EU) 2024/573, which applies directly in Belgium, the installation, maintenance or servicing, repair and decommissioning of stationary air-conditioning equipment and heat pumps containing fluorinated greenhouse gases must be carried out by certified natural persons.

   Source:eur-lex.europa.eu

2. Companies (legal persons) that install, maintain, repair or decommission this stationary equipment, including air-conditioning equipment and heat pumps, must also be certified.

   Source:eur-lex.europa.eu

3. Non-hermetically sealed equipment charged with fluorinated greenhouse gases may only be sold to an end user where evidence is provided that the installation will be carried out by a certified undertaking.

   Source:eur-lex.europa.eu

4. Under Regulation (EU) 2024/573, equipment containing 5 tonnes of CO2 equivalent or more of Annex I fluorinated greenhouse gases, or 1 kilogram or more of the gases in Section 1 of Annex II, must be checked for leaks. This applies in particular to stationary air-conditioning equipment and heat pumps.

   Source:eur-lex.europa.eu

5. For equipment containing less than 50 tonnes of CO2 equivalent of Annex I fluorinated greenhouse gases, the leak check takes place at least every 12 months, or at least every 24 months where a leakage detection system is installed.

   Source:eur-lex.europa.eu

6. Hermetically sealed equipment that is labelled as such and contains less than 10 tonnes of CO2 equivalent of Annex I fluorinated greenhouse gases is not subject to leak checks.

   Source:eur-lex.europa.eu

7. Where hermetically sealed equipment is installed in a residential building, it is not subject to leak checks if it contains less than 3 kilograms of fluorinated greenhouse gases and is labelled as hermetically sealed.

   Source:eur-lex.europa.eu

8. Since 1 January 2025, the EU has banned placing on the market single split systems containing less than 3 kg of Annex I fluorinated greenhouse gases with a GWP of 750 or more.

   Source:eur-lex.europa.eu

9. From 1 January 2029, placing on the market air-to-air split systems with a rated capacity up to and including 12 kW that contain fluorinated greenhouse gases with a GWP of 150 or more is banned, except where required to meet safety requirements at the site of operation.

   Source:eur-lex.europa.eu

10. From 1 January 2035, placing on the market split systems with a rated capacity up to and including 12 kW that contain fluorinated greenhouse gases is banned, except where required to meet safety requirements at the site of operation.

    Source:eur-lex.europa.eu

11. From 1 January 2027, placing on the market plug-in room air conditioners, monoblock air conditioners, other self-contained air-conditioning equipment and self-contained heat pumps with a maximum rated capacity up to and including 12 kW that contain fluorinated greenhouse gases with a GWP of 150 or more is banned, except where required by safety requirements, in which case the GWP limit is 750.

    Source:eur-lex.europa.eu

12. By way of derogation, placing on the market parts needed to repair and service existing equipment listed in Annex IV remains allowed, provided the repair does not increase the capacity of the equipment or the amount of fluorinated gas, and does not lead to a gas with a higher GWP.

    Source:eur-lex.europa.eu

13. In Belgium, in a co-owned building, where the title deeds are silent or contradictory, the parts of buildings or land used by all co-owners, or by some of them, are deemed to be common parts.

    Source:ejustice.just.fgov.be

14. Co-ownership charges, in particular maintenance, repair and renovation costs, are shared according to the respective value of each private unit, unless the parties decide to share them in proportion to the usefulness for each private unit.

    Source:ejustice.just.fgov.be

15. In Belgium, the general assembly of a co-ownership decides by a two-thirds majority of the votes on all works affecting the common parts. Works required by law and protective or provisional management works can be decided by an absolute majority of the votes of the co-owners present or represented.

    Source:ejustice.just.fgov.be