Use the following guidance to help you complete your application and comply with the conditions of your environmental permit.
Our guidance
You must read and understand ‘How to comply with your environmental permit’. It explains the conditions or rules of your environmental permit. It describes the standards and measures you must use to control the most common risks of pollution from your activity and how to comply with the conditions of your permit.
You will find further activity specific information in the sector technical guidance. Follow the links below.
There is separate guidance on how to comply for intensive farming and radioactive substances activities. Follow the links under the sector technical guidance section.
How to comply with your environmental permit is split into parts. You must read part 1 for all activities and any other relevant parts that apply to your activity.
Sector technical guidance
Follow the links to find more guidance for your sector:
Horizontal guidance
The horizontal guidance provides information relevant to all sectors regulated under Environmental Permitting Regulations (EPR). For example, noise, odour, energy efficiency, or protection of land:
Regulatory guidance notes (RGNs)
Regulatory guidance notes are Environment Agency guidance on policy and legal interpretation issues associated with implementing the environmental permitting regulations:
Making an application
There is one application form, which must be used to apply for a new bespoke or standard permit or to vary, transfer or surrender your permit. Guidance on how to complete the form is provided.
Environmental Permitting (EP) Charges
For charging please look at our environmental permitting charges web pages:
Operational Risk Appraisal (Opra)
To find out how we assess the environmental risk of an EPR site operation, visit our Opra page. We use the output from Opra to work out charges and for planning our permitting and compliance activity:
Environmental Permitting Regulations
Information to help you understand the wider regulatory framework:
Government guidance
Defra has produced a series of guidance documents. These include 'Core Environmental Permitting Guidance', which describes the general permitting and compliance requirements, and guidance on the European directives which are implemented through the Environmental Permitting Regulations.
