Immissionsschutz — air emissions compliance (Germany)
A list of checks and obligations with their cadence, ready to add to your agenda.
For German companies operating installations that need a permit under the 4. BImSchV and for owners of oil or gas combustion plants in Germany. Covers the emission declaration (Emissionserklärung), periodic TA Luft emission measurements, the appointment and refresher training of the immission control officer (Immissionsschutzbeauftragter) and the chimney sweep measurements on combustion plants. Does not cover noise, odour, waste water, waste or the site-specific conditions (Nebenbestimmungen) attached to an individual permit.
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What it already has at hand
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- 8 planned checks, the most frequent every 6 months from installation
Planned checks
Informative summary verified on 11/09/2026. It does not replace legal advice: the regulation cited prevails. If you spot an error, report it.
Some checks are only mandatory in certain countries: pick yours and the list follows.
In Italy this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
In France this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
- 01
Repeat emission measurements every 3 years
For permit-requiring installations the operator has emissions re-measured by a body notified under § 29b BImSchG after each three-year period, as § 28 BImSchG provides. The three years run from the last measurement and the evidence is the measurement report. Applies to permit-requiring installations; point 5.4 of the TA Luft sets shorter intervals for some categories of installation.
every 36 months since the last inspectionLegal obligationBImSchG § 28 i.V.m. TA Luft 2021 Nr. 5.3.2.1Germany onlySourceverified on 11/09/2026 - 02
Obtain the officer's annual report
Each year the operator obtains from the immission control officer the written report on the immission control measures taken and planned, as § 54 Abs. 2 BImSchG requires. No fixed statutory date applies: the first quarter of the following year is the usual practice, and the evidence is the signed, dated report. Applies only to companies subject to the appointment duty.
every 12 months since the last inspectionLegal obligationBImSchG § 54 Abs. 2Germany onlySourceverified on 11/09/2026 - 03
Appoint the immission control officer in writing
Operators of installations listed in Annex I of the 5. BImSchV appoint one or more immission control officers in writing and notify the competent authority. The appointment must be updated whenever the person or the installation changes; the evidence is the appointment document together with the notification. Applies only to installations listed in Annex I of the 5. BImSchV; for other installations the duty arises only from an authority order under § 53 Abs. 2 BImSchG.
continuous check, confirm every 12 monthsLegal obligationBImSchG § 53 i.V.m. 5. BImSchV § 1 und Anhang IGermany onlySourceverified on 11/09/2026 - 04
Submit the emission declaration every 4 years by 31 May
The operator of a permit-requiring installation declares the reference year's emissions to the authority electronically by 31 May of the following year. The first declaration period was calendar year 2008 and every fourth calendar year since (2012, 2016, 2020, 2024, 2028); the evidence is the electronic submission receipt kept together with the calculation data. Applies to installations requiring a permit under the 4. BImSchV, except those expressly excluded in the annex to the 11. BImSchV.
every 4 years by 31 MayLegal obligation11. BImSchV §§ 3 und 4Germany onlySourceverified on 11/09/2026 - 05
Have the combustion plant measured by the chimney sweep
The owner has the oil or gas combustion plant measured periodically by the district chimney sweep (flue gas loss, CO, soot): once every third calendar year up to 12 years of plant age, every second calendar year when older, every fifth calendar year for self-calibrating combustion control. The evidence is the measurement record, and the Feuerstättenbescheid of the district chimney sweep states the exact dates to follow. Applies to oil and gas combustion plants; it does not apply to plants excluded by § 14 Abs. 3 or to wall-vented gas plants installed before 1 January 1985, and different rules apply to solid fuels.
every 36 months since the last inspectionLegal obligation1. BImSchV § 15 Abs. 3Germany onlySourceverified on 11/09/2026 - 06
Send the immission control officer to refresher training every 2 years
The appointing operator must ensure the officer regularly attends refresher training recognised by the competent authority, at least every two years. The duty lies with the operator, not the officer, and the evidence is the attendance certificate kept on file. Applies to every appointed immission control officer; the same two-year interval applies by analogy to the Störfallbeauftragter.
every 24 months since the last inspectionLegal obligation5. BImSchV § 9 Abs. 1Germany onlySourceverified on 11/09/2026 - 07
Check whether the installation needs a BImSchG permit
Compare your installations and any planned change against Annex 1 of the 4. BImSchV: if the installation is listed, a permit under § 4 BImSchG is required and every substantial change must be notified (§ 15) or re-permitted (§ 16). Technical management together with the environmental officer runs the check, and it must be repeated whenever capacity, raw materials or layout change; the evidence is the permit decision or the authority's written confirmation of the notification. Applies to companies with industrial, combustion, surface-treatment, livestock or waste-management installations above the thresholds of Annex 1 to the 4. BImSchV.
continuous check, confirm every 12 monthsLegal obligationBImSchG §§ 4, 15, 16 i.V.m. 4. BImSchV Anhang 1Germany onlySourceverified on 11/09/2026 - 08
Have the first emission measurement carried out after commissioning
After commissioning or a substantial change the operator commissions a body notified under § 29b BImSchG to measure emissions, as a rule not earlier than 3 and not later than 6 months of stable operation. The evidence is the measurement report submitted to the authority; the binding deadline is almost always set in the conditions attached to the permit. Applies to permit-requiring installations for which the permit or the TA Luft prescribes emission measurements; it does not apply to installations already fitted with continuous measurement. Cadence to be confirmed on the cited source.
every 6 months from installationLegal obligationBImSchG §§ 26, 28 i.V.m. TA Luft 2021 Nr. 5.3.2.1Germany onlySource
In Switzerland this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
In Austria this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
In United Kingdom this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
In Spain this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
In Portugal this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
In United States this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
In Other country this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
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