Use the following guidance to help you complete your application and comply with the conditions of your environmental permit.
Our Guidance
‘How to comply with your environmental permit’ replaces 'Getting the Basics Right'. It contains guidance on permit conditions and describes the basic standards that standard permit holders will need to understand.
Applicants for bespoke permits will find the basic information they need here but they should also use other relevant technical guidance.
Separate guidance applies to intensive farming and radioactive substances activities.
In November 2010 we revised 'How to comply with your environmental permit'. The standards and measures in the document are still the same, we've just clarified some of the guidance for water discharge and groundwater activities. There is also more information on the risk assessments and monitoring of bioaerosols for compost facilities.
The guidance is split into three parts:
Part 1: guidance for all activities;
Part 2: is split into five separate sections to provide guidance for different types of regulated facility. You will need to read the section that is relevant to your regulated facility.
Part 3: additional guidance which may be relevant to activities, for example monitoring.
Sector technical guidance
To read our technical guidance notes that are written for each individual sector please use the links below to navigate to your sector of interest:
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.
