Under the Environment Protection Act 2017, the purpose of an environmental audit is to:
- assess the nature and extent of the risk of harm to human health and the environment from contaminated land, pollution, waste or an activity
- recommend measures to manage risks of harm
- make recommendations to manage the contaminated land, waste, pollution or activity.
A person in management or control of a site can be required to initiate an environmental audit by:
- us
- landowners or occupants of a site
- planning authorities.
Register of environmental audits
We publish environmental audits completed under the Environment Protection Act since 1 July 2021 on our public register.
The register also includes some environmental audits completed since 1990.
If you cannot find the environmental audit report you’re looking for, contact us.
When an environmental audit is needed
Environmental audits can have different purposes.
An audit may be required for land use planning and development decisions – for example, to show that:
- land is safe for an ongoing or proposed use
- contaminated land has been cleaned up to a satisfactory level.
We may require an audit to show that the requirements of a permission, remedial notice or order are met – for example:
- an industrial facility is not causing harm to the local community and environment
- the construction and operation of a landfill complies with our requirements.
As the owner or manager of a site, you may decide to get an audit to:
- comply with a planning requirement or statutory notice
- demonstrate or confirm your land is safe for an ongoing or proposed use
- assess any potential risk to human health and the environment from your activities.
An audit can also help you make decisions about land you have an interest in – for example, as part of due diligence when purchasing property.
Who conducts an environmental audit
An environmental audit must be conducted by an EPA-appointed environmental auditor.
You can find an EPA-appointed environmental auditor on our public register.
Although these auditors are appointed by us, they are independent. We do not recommend or engage environmental auditors. Visit Choosing an environmental auditor.
Environmental audit process
An audit of a simple site can take a few months to a year. Big or complex sites often take more than a year to audit.
An environmental auditor must notify us about a decision not to proceed with an environmental audit. We may ask for more information about the site’s condition. We may issue a remedial notice or order to clean up or manage the site.
The scope of an environmental audit
The scope of an audit impacts how long it will take to conduct the audit.
The scope is flexible, depending on the circumstances. Broadly, it can target:
- suitability of land use
- risk of harm from an activity
- risk of harm from contaminated land, waste or pollution.
Before starting an environmental audit, the environmental auditor must:
- define the scope of what will be considered in the audit
- submit the proposed scope to us.
At a minimum, they must include:
- the identity of the site or activity the environmental audit covers
- the elements of the environment they will assess, such as land, water, air and noise
- consideration of the standards and reference documents used in the environmental audit
- any exclusions from the environmental audit and the reason for the exclusions
- the current or proposed site use (for suitability of land use audits).
Environmental audit statement and report
When the audit is complete, the environmental auditor prepares an:
- environmental audit statement
- environmental audit report.
The environmental auditor must provide a copy of the statement and report to:
- us within 5 business days of completion
- the party requesting the audit (this is usually the site owner)
- the relevant planning and responsible authority.
If you're relying on an environmental audit report, make sure the site or activity has not changed significantly since the audit was done. The audit report and statement reflect the condition of the site or status of the activity at the date they were issued.
Environmental audit statement
An environmental audit statement must include:
- all the matters set out in the scope of the environmental audit
- the use or proposed use of a site, if part of the scope
- any assumptions the environmental auditor makes during the environmental audit
- any limitations on the environmental audit
- any additional considerations of the standards and reference documents used in the environmental audit
- any exclusions from the environmental audit and the reason for these exclusions
- the results of the environmental audit and any recommendations
- the name of the person who engaged the environmental auditor
- the environmental auditor’s signature and contact details.
The environmental audit statement will:
- outline any risks relating to your site
- provide recommendations to manage the risks.
You're responsible for:
- using your site in a way that’s consistent with the statement
- following the statement's recommendations to manage risks.
Following the recommendations to manage risks may help meet your duty to manage contaminated land.
Environmental audit report
A report accompanies the environmental audit statement. It must include:
- a review of all relevant information collected during the environmental audit
- the reasons for the findings and recommendations in the environmental audit statement.
Guidance and forms for environmental audits
Visit Our role in the environmental audit system for:
- all our guidelines and forms used by environmental auditors when conducting an environmental audit
- more information on the roles and responsibilities of environmental auditors on this page.
Our guidelines may be useful for anyone involved in the audit process.
Suitability of land use audit
A suitability of land use audit determines if a site is suitable for a use or proposed use. It assesses the nature and extent of the risk of harm to human health and the environment from contaminated land. The audit report can include recommendations to manage the risk of harm from contaminated land.
The environmental auditor must provide one of these statements:
- The site is suitable for the purposes specified in the statement.
- The site is suitable for the purposes specified in the statement if the recommendations made in the statement are met.
- The site is not suitable for the purposes specified in the statement at the time the statement was prepared.
This type of audit is mostly triggered by the planning system. It can help planning authorities make decisions about potentially contaminated land.
You can initiate this type of audit voluntarily to understand the land use suitability of your site.
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