Finding an EPA Licence in Ireland
How do I find an EPA licence in Ireland?
You find Irish EPA licences in the EPA's LEAP public register (leap.epa.ie). Each licence has a profile page under its base number, for example leap.epa.ie/licence-profile/P0001/... [1]. I can also search that register for you here by operator, site, county, licence number, type or status.
How the register is organised
- Licence types: Industrial Emissions Licence, Integrated Pollution Control Licence, Integrated Pollution Prevention Control Licence and Waste Licence [2][3][4].
- Registration numbers: the prefix shows the type of licence. "P" numbers are industrial or IPC licences, such as P0001-03 for Smartply Europe at Belview, Co. Kilkenny [1]. "W" numbers are waste licences, such as W0001-01 for Kerry County Council [5].
- Versions: the suffix (-01, -02, -03) is the licence version. Older versions stay on the register with status "Replaced". For example, Thermo Fisher Scientific Cork has P0004-01 and P0004-02, both marked Replaced [3][5].
- Status: the register marks an in-force licence "Licensed", not "Current". For example, Cork Fabrication Services, P0273-01, is Licensed [4]. Other statuses include Replaced, Surrendered, Withdrawn, Refused, Applied, Revoked and Ceased (Never Commenced). Withdrawn looks like P0148-01, The Irish Crown Cork Co. Ltd [2].
Tips for searching
- If you know the operator, search by company name. Then pick the version with status "Licensed".
- If you know the site, search by town or county. Note that a place-name search also matches company names that contain that word.
- If you have the P or W number, search by it directly. The suffix gets you a specific version.
- Open the licence profile page in LEAP for the licence documents themselves. The register entries I can search give the licence details but not the full conditions.
The EPA's Pollutant Release and Transfer Register is also available here. It holds annual emissions returns for licensed facilities for 2009 to 2024.
Approach: I searched the Irish EPA LEAP public register of IE, IPC, IPPC and waste licences. I did not open the LEAP site itself, so the licence conditions and enforcement documents are not covered above.
Tell me an operator, site or licence number and I'll pull the current licence and its version history.
Who issues waste facility permits and discharge licences?
In Ireland, local authorities (city and county councils) issue both waste facility permits and licences for discharges to waters. Uisce Éireann (Irish Water) issues licences for trade effluent discharged to sewer. The EPA handles the larger activities: waste licences, industrial (IE/IPC) licences, and licences for discharges from public sewerage systems.
Waste authorisations (Waste Management Act 1996, as amended)
| Authorisation | Issued by | Legal basis |
|---|---|---|
| Waste licence (landfills, transfer stations, hazardous waste disposal, ship recycling and other significant activities) | EPA | Activities listed in the 3rd and 4th Schedules to the Waste Management Act 1996 |
| Waste facility permit and Certificate of Registration (CoR) for private operators | Local authority | Third Schedule to the Waste Management (Facility Permit & Registration) Regulations, S.I. No. 821 of 2007, as amended |
| CoR for smaller waste activities run by local authorities themselves | EPA | Third Schedule Part II of S.I. No. 821 of 2007 |
Sources: EPA, Waste Licensing; EPA, Waste Permit & Certificate of Registration.
- Meath County Council's guidance gives examples of activities that need a permit or CoR: land reclamation, car dismantling, composting, recycling construction and demolition waste, and recycling vegetable and cooking oils. A permit or CoR runs for 5 years (gov.ie, Meath County Council).
- The EPA says the permit and CoR register has moved to the National Waste Collection Permit Office (NWCPO). So these permits are not in the LEAP register, which covers only EPA licences (EPA).
Discharge licences (Local Government (Water Pollution) Acts 1977 and 1990)
- Trade effluent to surface water or groundwater (Section 4 licence): the local authority issues it. The receiving water "must be able to receive the discharge without causing pollution" (gov.ie, Offaly County Council).
- Trade effluent to sewer (Section 16 licence): Uisce Éireann issues it (Uisce Éireann, Trade Effluent). For surface water sewers, Dublin City Council's page says the council issues the licence, while Irish Water issues licences for foul and combined sewers (gov.ie, Dublin City Council).
- Discharges from public sewerage systems operated by Uisce Éireann: these need an EPA waste water discharge licence or certificate of authorisation. Small treatment systems serving housing with a population equivalent of 150 or less need to register with the EPA instead (EPA, Waste water).
- EPA-licensed industrial sites: the EPA licenses activities in the First Schedule to the EPA Act. Uisce Éireann says these businesses must still consult it about any discharge to sewer (Uisce Éireann).
Approach: I first searched the EPA LEAP register, which lists EPA licences but doesn't say who issues these permits. The authority split above comes from EPA, gov.ie (local council) and Uisce Éireann pages I opened.