Environmental permitting applies to England and Wales only.
If you operate your business in Northern Ireland or Scotland, see our guidance on pollution prevention and control and waste management licensing.
Pollution prevention and control permits
Waste management licensing
An environmental permit is a document that you must get before you start operating a regulated facility. For further information on regulated facilities, see our guidance on whether you need an environmental permit.
Do you need an environmental permit?
How do you apply for an environmental permit?
If you have an environmental permit you must comply with its conditions to make sure that your operations do not harm the environment or human health. If you do not comply with the conditions in your permit you could be fined or sent to prison.
What is an environmental permit condition?
An environmental permit condition is something that your regulated facility must do to achieve an environmental outcome. For example, your condition might say: you must not cause odour pollution outside your site; the environmental outcome is an odour-free environment for your neighbours.
In most cases, your conditions will not set out what you must do to meet the environmental outcome. You have the flexibility to decide how you will do this.
For further information, see our guidance on what you must do if you hold an environmental permit.
What you must do if you hold an environmental permit
What types of environmental permit exist?
There are three types of environmental permit:
- standard permits
- bespoke permits
- consolidated permits.
Standard permits
A standard permit has one condition which requires you to comply with a set of standard rules.
Standard permits are available from the Environment Agency for activities that have a low to medium environmental risk. They are cheaper, quicker and easier to apply for than bespoke permits.
You should apply to the Environment Agency for a standard permit if your activities are covered by one of the standard rules, including:
- materials recycling
- composting
- treating waste electrical and electronic equipment
- operating waste transfer stations
- managing inert wastes and unpolluted soil from mining and quarrying.
Environment Agency: Standard permits
More standard rules are being developed.
Environment Agency: Standard rules for the Environmental Permitting Regulations, Consultation No. 3
Bespoke permits
A bespoke permit has a set of conditions that are specific to your site. It can include more than one regulated facility on the same site.
You should apply for a bespoke permit if your activities:
- are not covered by standard rules
- could have a high impact on the environment
- are innovative or complex.
If you apply for a bespoke permit you will need to provide the Environment Agency or your local council with more detailed information about your business activities than if you apply for a standard permit.
Unless your application is for mobile plant, your application fee will be higher because the Environment Agency or your local council must advertise your application and consult the public.
Environment Agency: Bespoke permits
Consolidated permits
A consolidated permit combines more than one environmental permit regulated by the same regulator into a single permit.
You can apply to your regulator to replace your permits with a consolidated permit if you operate more than one:
- mobile plant on the same site or different sites, or
- regulated facility on the same site.
If your mobile plant or regulated facilities are regulated by different regulators, you may be able to apply to the Secretary of State or Welsh Ministers to change your regulator so that you can apply for a consolidated permit.
Contact your environmental regulator
Contact your local council
In this guideline
What is an environmental permit?
Do you need an environmental permit?
Do you need to register an exemption from environmental permitting?
How do you apply for an environmental permit?
What you must do if you hold an environmental permit
How do you change, transfer or cancel your environmental permit?
Environmental permitting further information
Environmental permitting legislation
