A Clean Air Zone is a Road User Charging Scheme applying to certain vehicles used within a geographic area of a city centre, with the aim of reducing pollution and improving air quality.
Charges apply to vehicles that have an emissions category that does not meet a standard specified by the particular class of Clean Air Zone that is in operation. Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras detect vehicles that are used in a zone.
You can check if your vehicle’s emissions mean you must pay a charge and make payment (obtain a license) to use it within a Clean Air Zone online at the GOV.UK Drive in a Clean Air Zone service.
– Payment of the charge must be made for each day a non-compliant vehicle is used within a Clean Air Zone, either up to 6 days in advance of, or by 11.59pm on the 6th day after, using the vehicle in the zone.
– Charges apply daily, 7 days a week, 365 days a year and from midnight to midnight (for example, 2 x daily charges should be paid for a vehicle entering a Clean Air Zone at 11pm and leaving at 1am the following morning.
Payment should be made at the central GOV.UK service, not to the local authority directly, though a number of Clean Air Zone exemptions and discounts apply, which may require a different method of payment.
