UK Act of Parliament 1993 United Kingdom

Clean Air Act 1993

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At a glance

Enforced by

OEP, DEFRA

What's here

39 compliance obligations, 2 practical guides · 3 journeys · 17 statutory instruments

Penalty landscape

21 of 39 obligations carry an unlimited fine. 5 carry different penalties and 13 have no criminal penalty — flagged in the list below.

Who this Act binds

Business-side actors with duties under this Act, ranked by how often they appear.

  • Any Person 17
  • Occupier 9
  • Director or Officer 1

Plus 12 non-business duties on Crown ministers, regulators, local authorities or tribunals — shown collapsed under each section below.

Step-by-step journeys using this legislation

Walkthroughs that take you from a real business situation to compliance.

Relevant guidance

Practical guides for businesses affected by this Act, ordered by how closely they engage with it.

Supporting — topic alignment

2 guides

Other Acts binding the same actors

For each actor bound by this Act, the other UK Acts that bind them most often. Useful for understanding the full compliance landscape facing each role.

Any Person also bound by 770 other Acts (top 5 shown)
Occupiers also bound by 107 other Acts (top 5 shown)
Directors and Officers also bound by 229 other Acts (top 5 shown)

What this Act requires

Sections that create concrete duties on businesses or carry penalties. Procedural and definitional sections are folded into the “Browse other sections” expander at the bottom of each group. Click any section title to read the source text on legislation.gov.uk.

Part I — Dark Smoke

Browse 1 other section in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part II — Smoke, grit, dust and fumes

Browse 7 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part III — Smoke control areas

s.019

Penalty for emission of smoke in smoke control area in England

Unlimited fine
  • Emit smoke in a smoke control area Any Person
s.019

Acquisition and sale of controlled solid fuel in England

Unlimited fine
  • Buy or sell controlled solid fuel for prohibited uses Any Person
s.019

Penalty for emission of smoke in smoke control area in Wales

Unlimited fine
  • Emit smoke in a smoke control area in Wales Any Person
s.019

Acquisition and sale of unauthorised fuel: Wales

Fine up to £1,000
  • Acquire or sell unauthorised solid fuel in a smoke‑control area Any Person
s.019

Exemptions relating to particular areas in Wales

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Welsh Ministers may suspend or relax smoke control area rules Crown / Minister / Government department
s.026

Duty of local authority to reimburse for adaptations of vessels in England

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Local authorities must reimburse 70% of vessel adaptation costs Local authority
s.028

Guidance for local authorities in England

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Local authorities must follow government guidance on clean air functions Local authority
s.028

Guidance for local authorities in Wales

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Local authorities in Wales must follow Welsh Ministers' air quality guidance Local authority
Browse 12 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement
s.019

Exemptions relating to particular areas in England

s.019

Interpretation: “approved fireplace” and “controlled solid fuel”

s.019

Section 19F: interpretation

Part IV — Control of certain forms of air pollution

s.030

Regulations about motor fuel.

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Secretary of State must consult before making motor fuel regulations Crown / Minister / Government department
s.033

Cable burning.

Unlimited fine
  • Burn cable insulation to recover metal Any Person

Part V — Information about air pollution

s.034

Research and publicity.

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Local authorities must protect trade secrets when publishing air quality data Local authority
Browse 2 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part VI — Special Cases

s.042

Colliery spoilbanks.

Unlimited fine
  • Fail to prevent combustion or smoke from mine or quarry spoil Any Person
s.043

Railway engines.

Unlimited fine
  • Emit smoke from railway locomotive engine Any Person
Browse 5 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement
s.041

Relation to the Pollution Prevention and Control Act 1999 and Regulatory Reform (Scotland) Act 2014.

Part VII — Miscellaneous and general

Browse 14 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Schedules

Browse 7 other Schedules — structural / supplementary
s.sch001a

Penalty for emission of smoke in smoke control area in England or Wales

Read the full Act on legislation.gov.uk (opens in a new tab)

Official guidance

Authoritative sources published by regulators or government explaining this legislation.

Enforcement and responsible bodies

The regulators that administer or enforce this legislation.

OEP

Primary

Office for Environmental Protection

Independent body established post-Brexit to scrutinise environmental law and investigate complaints about public authorities' failures to comply with environmental law in England …

DEFRA

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Government department responsible for environmental protection, food production and standards, agriculture, fisheries, and rural communities. Sets environmental policy and works with agencies …

Connected legislation

17 statutory instruments

These instruments amend, apply, or refer to this Act. They may not all create direct business obligations.

Secondary legislation (17)

+ 2 more statutory instruments

Explore more

Browse legislation

Find other UK business legislation with related guidance.

Regulators

Learn more about the bodies that enforce this legislation.