Guidance

Apply for a standard rules environmental permit

How to apply for a standard rules environmental permit from the Environment Agency.

Applies to England

Before you apply

You need to check you:

  • comply with the standard rules and risk assessment for your permit – if standard rules do not cover what you are doing, you’ll need to apply for a bespoke permit
  • meet the legal operator and competency requirements – these include having evidence of a technical competence qualification, for example from the Waste Management Industry Training and Advisory Board (WAMITAB)

You must:

  • check your site meets the location criteria (excludes mobile plant permits), otherwise your application will be returned to you – use the pre-application advice service to help you
  • have a written management system before you start operating – the Environment Agency will check it when they first inspect your site

Start your application

You’ll be told what documents and information you need when you start your application.

Apply now

Contact us

Contact the Environment Agency if you need help with your application or you cannot apply online.

General enquiries

National Customer Contact Centre
PO Box 544
Rotherham
S60 1BY

Email enquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk

Telephone 03708 506 506

Telephone from outside the UK (Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm GMT) +44 (0) 114 282 5312

Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm.

Published 28 August 2018
Last updated 22 August 2022 + show all updates
  1. Updated the 'Before you apply' section to link to the collection of standard rules permits and the legal operator and competency requirements for permits. Also linked to the guidance on developing a management system.

  2. Removed a sentence from the 'Contact us' section about not getting post, as we are now receiving it.

  3. Before you submit your permit application you must check your site meets the standard rules location criteria. If your site does not meet the criteria we will return your application.

  4. Explained how we are managing postal applications during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

  5. First published.