United Kingdom · guide · 7 September 2026
How to read a Compliance Assessment Report (CAR)
A Compliance Assessment Report (CAR) is the Environment Agency’s record of a compliance assessment — a site inspection, audit, desktop review, or check of monitoring data. This note is a plain-English map of what the form usually contains. Source: EA guidance on assessing and scoring environmental permit compliance (OGL v3.0).
What the form is for
The EA records findings on a CAR form, gives the permit holder a copy, and must put it on the public register. Newer CARs for waste, installations, and water-discharge activities are also published on Public Register Online.
What to look for first
- Permit number and operator — confirm it is the right site.
- Date of assessment and whether it was an inspection, audit, or desktop assessment.
- What was assessed — the form marks sub-criteria as assessed (A), not assessed (N), not applicable (NA), or ongoing (O).
- Non-compliances — what is wrong, actions required, dates, and any enforcement noted.
- Risk category and score — if a permit condition was breached (see the CCS guide).
How conditions are grouped on the form
A permit may have many conditions. On the CAR they are summarised into high-level areas (permitted activities, infrastructure, general management, incident management, emissions, amenity, monitoring/records, resource efficiency) with sub-criteria under each. Non-compliances are recorded under the sub-criteria that best describe them.
After the assessment
The EA usually aims to send the CAR within 14 days of the assessment (or of receiving monitoring data). The form should explain what is wrong, what actions are needed, by when, and whether enforcement is being considered. See our deadlines guide for more on response timescales and appeal routes. If a permit holder disagrees, EA guidance describes raising concerns with the issuing officer within 14 calendar days of receipt, then a regulatory appeal route within 28 calendar days of that response — this guide does not advise whether or how to appeal.
What CARBrief does with a CAR
We extract and organise status, scored non-compliances, linked conditions, deadlines, a priority checklist, evidence-to-retain notes, and page refs. We do not invent findings and we do not tell you how to respond.