For municipalities, police zones and organisations
Prevention instead of fines: a guide that explains the rule and the reason for it
BELtogether is a not-for-profit social project that explains the rules in plain language, with the reasons behind them, to everyone who lives in Belgium, newcomers and refugees included. The site is available in Turkish, Dutch, French and English. It is free for users, there is no advertising and no personal data is collected.
206
rule cards
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topics
563
municipalities with pilot data
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cookies and trackers
Benefits for the municipality
- Fewer offences committed "without knowing" in GAS matters (municipal administrative sanctions) such as noise, rubbish, barbecues and mowing the lawn.
- Fewer conflicts between neighbours and less work for mediation.
- A complementary source in four languages (Turkish, Dutch, French and English) alongside the integration programme (inburgering / parcours d'intégration).
- Neighbourhood police officers, the integration service and associations all use the same checked text.
What do we ask of the municipality?
- Checking the times and GAS amounts in your police regulations (lawn mowing, night-time quiet, barbecues, rubbish).
- A contact person in the integration or diversity service.
- Promotion through the municipality's channels (newsletter, social media, reception desk).
- If possible, a joint information workshop in association and mosque halls.
Legal accuracy and responsibility
- Every card goes through the steps "written → checked against the official source → published"; the card shows the official source and the date of the last check.
- During the transition to the new Criminal Code (2026–2027) the cards are reviewed every three months.
- The site gives general information and is not legal advice; it does not handle individual cases and points people to the right service.
- Technical: a fully static website and an iOS/Android app; no server, no accounts, no cookies (designed to comply with the GDPR). Also works offline.
- Accessibility: we aim for WCAG 2.2 AA and every version is tested automatically (statement).
Neutrality and governance
- The project is not linked to any political party, religious movement or community group; the content is based only on Belgian law.
- We reach the community through associations, mosques, cemevis, youth and women's organisations from different groups, keeping an equal distance from all of them.
- Funders and partners are clearly listed on this page; no funder can change the content.
- There is an open way to report and correct mistakes; the date of a correction is shown on the card (method).
Become a pilot partner
In the pilot phase we are adding data for Brussels and for Flemish and Walloon cities with many residents with a migration background (e.g. Ghent, Antwerp, Genk, Beringen, Liège). If you would like your municipality's rules to be added or checked, please contact the project team.