Environmental permitting

Guidance on the authorisations you need for installations, waste, water discharge or groundwater activities you carry out.

What are the Environmental Permitting Regulations?

The Environmental Permitting Regulations (England and Wales) 2010 were introduced on 6 April 2010, replacing the 2007 Regulations.

In 2007 the Regulations combined the Pollution Prevention and Control (PPC) and Waste Management Licensing (WML) regulations. Their scope has since been widened to include water discharge and groundwater activities, radioactive substances and provision for a number of Directives, including the Mining Waste Directive.

What do I need to do?

If you are a new customer you need to find out if the activity you plan to carry out requires you to register an exemption or apply for an environmental permit.

If you are an existing customer use the following links to make an application or to read the guidance.

What's new?

Waste exemptions

Check if your waste activity is exempt and find out how to register the exemption with us.

Water discharge exemptions

Check if your water activity is exempt and find out how to register the exemption with us.

Standard rules permits


Check if your activity meets the requirements of a standard rules permit.

Radioactive substances activities


For activities on nuclear sites or for the on-site burial of low-level radioactive waste look at the Nuclear sector pages.

Environmental permitting guidance

Guidance to help you complete your application and to comply with your environmental permit / exemption.

Making an application


Find out how to make a application for a new permit or make changes to (vary), transfer or surrender your permit.

What happens when we receive your application for a permit


Find out what happens to your application after it has been submitted.

How we work together

Find out how we consult with the public and relevant organisations on applications for permits.

View current applications for permits


We publicise applications for new bespoke permits, and certain changes to those, on our website, so the public have an opportunity to comment on them.



Customers in Wales

On 1 April 2013 Natural Resources Wales (NRW) will take over the responsibilities of the Environment Agency in Wales.

To support NRW we will continue to provide this online service until it can be moved to their website.

Please contact NRW with any queries or feedback about this service.

Related links

External links

We are not responsible for the content of other web sites.