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Procedure descriptions

Commission an explosive ordnance disposal service

If you are planning a building project, you can have your plot of land surveyed in advance by the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Service. This service uses aerial photographs to check whether your plot is free of explosive ordnance. The aerial photographs were taken during the Second World War by the American and British air forces.

If the analysis of the aerial photographs raises a suspicion that there may be unexploded ordnance on the site, or if such ordnance is suspected or found there, you must have it properly removed.

The Explosive Ordnance Disposal Service is responsible for this. It carries out the

  • defusing of explosive ordnance,
  • transport of recovered munitions and
  • destruction of ordnance, including the recycling of the material resulting from this process.

The Explosive Ordnance Disposal Service provides advice on suspected explosive ordnance, as well as carrying out the search for and recovery of such ordnance, within the limits of its capacity and subject to full reimbursement of costs by the client. If the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Service is unable to carry out this work, you must commission private companies to do so.

Responsible authority

For the whole of the state of Baden-Württemberg:

Stuttgart Regional Council
Explosive Ordnance Disposal Service
Telephone: 0711 904400-00
Email: kmbd@rps.bwl.de

Details

Prerequisite

none

Procedure

If you wish to commission the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Service to carry out an aerial survey, you will need the application form ‘Application for a Preliminary Survey for Explosive Ordnance/Aerial Survey’.
  • Please complete it carefully in block capitals.
  • Send it, signed, by post or, preferably, by email to the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Service.
    Enclose a site plan showing the survey area clearly and precisely marked out. You will find detailed information on this in the information sheet attached to the application form.
  • If you require advice, a search or, where necessary, the recovery of any unexploded ordnance, please contact the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Service’s head office.

Please call 0711-904 400-00 to arrange a site visit.
During this visit, the client and a member of staff from the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Service will assess the local conditions and discuss the next steps depending on the planned course of action.

You can find information on the procedure and how to act if you discover explosive ordnance under ‘Reporting a bomb find or other explosive ordnance’.

Deadlines

none

Required documents

To apply for an aerial survey, you will need:

  • Application form: ‘Application for a preliminary survey for unexploded ordnance/aerial survey’
  • Map of the survey area

The order form is also available on the website of the Stuttgart Regional Council.

Costs

You will incur costs for:

  • Aerial image analysis
  • Consultancy
  • Search and recovery of explosive ordnance

You can find the amounts of these costs in:

  • “Fee Schedule for Services Provided by the Baden-Württemberg Explosive Ordnance Disposal Service from 1 October 2025”

The following services are free of charge for you:

  • Defusing of unexploded ordnance
  • Transport of recovered explosive ordnance
  • Destruction of explosive ordnance, including the recycling of the resulting material

This exemption from charges does not apply to properties owned by the federal government.

Processing time

Due to the very high volume of applications for aerial image analysis, the processing time is currently around 33 weeks. However, if we already have an aerial image analysis for your entire study area, we will process your application or carry out an update within 4 weeks.
Please refrain from making enquiries about the status of your application during this period to enable us to process applications smoothly.

Miscellaneous

none

Detailed information

Antrag auf Kampfmittelvorerkundung/ Luftbildauswertung

Bombenfund oder andere Kampfmittel melden

Kampfmittelbeseitigung in Baden-Württemberg

Kostensätze für Leistungen des Kampfmittelbeseitigungsdienstes Baden-Württemberg ab dem 01.10.2025

Legal basis

Verwaltungsvorschrift des Innenministeriums über die Aufgaben des Kampfmittelbeseitigungsdienstes vom 21.12.2006/ 31.08.2013 (VwV Kampfmittelbeseitigungsdienst)

Release note

Machine generated, based on the German release by: Regierungspräsidium Stuttgart, 13.08.2026