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Environmental Protection Department Customer Service Counter Office Address
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Revenue Tower Office
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33/F., Revenue Tower, 5 Gloucester Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong.
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2824 3773
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2838 2155
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N/A
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Regional Office (East)
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5/F., Nan Fung Commercial Centre, 19 Lam Lok Street, Kowloon Bay, Kowloon.
8/F., Cheung Sha Wan Government Offices, 303 Cheung Sha Wan Road, Kowloon
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2755 5518
2402 5200
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2756 8588
2402 8272
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Kwun Tong, Wong Tai Sin,Sai Kung & Kowloon City
Yau Tsim Mong
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Regional Office (South)
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2/F., Chinachem Exchange Square, 1 Hoi Wan Street, Quarry Bay, Hong Kong.
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2516 1718
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2960 1760
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Hong Kong Island & Islands
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Regional Office (West)
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8/F., Tsuen Wan Government Offices, 38 Sai Lau Kok Road, Tsuen Wan, New Territories.
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2417 6116
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2411 3073
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Tuen Mun,Tsuen Wan, Kwai Tsing & Sham Shui Po
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Regional Office (North)
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10/F., Sha Tin Government Offices, No.1 Sheung Wo Che Road, Sha Tin, New Territories.
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2158 5757
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2685 1133
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Yuen Long, Shatin, Tai Po & North
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Vehicle Emission Approval
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Room 4518, 45/F., Revenue Tower, 5 Gloucester Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong
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2594 6216
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2824 9361
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N/A
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Smoky Vehicle Control
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34/F., Revenue Tower, 5 Gloucester Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong
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2827 0858
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2960 1760
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N/A
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Non-pesticide Hazardous Chemicals Control
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24/F., Southom Centre, 130 Hennessy Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong
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2834 4573
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2180 6596
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N/A
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Legislative Requirements for Siting of Vehicle Repair Workshops
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In accordance with the Town Planning Ordinance, the setting up of vehicle repair workshop should comply with the requirements of Schedules of Statutory Plans. In addition, reference can be made to the specific standard and guidelines for Vehicle Repair Workshops in Section 5 of Chapter 12 : Miscellaneous Planning Standards and Guidelines of the Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines.
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In accordance with Buildings Ordinance (Cap 123), prior application to the Buildings Department is needed for any change in the intended use of a premise. Unless approved by the Buildings Department, residential premises cannot be used to conduct vehicle repair or similar operation.
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New vehicle repair workshops must comply with fire services requirements (such as automatic sprinkler system, fire services hosereels, emergency lighting systems, fire services alarm systems and so on) stipulated in the Fire Services Ordinance. For details, please refer to the Codes of Practice for Minimum Fire Service Installations and Equipment and Inspection, Testing and Maintenance of Installations and Equipment published by the Fire Services Department. For storing dangerous goods such as petrol, diesel, turpentine, and kerosene in excess of the exempted volumes, prior approval from the Fire Services Department must be sought.
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Any vehicle repair workshop undertaking the servicing of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) vehicles must comply with relevant requirements of both the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department and the Fire Services Department; and has prior written approval from the former department.
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Paint spraying processes should not be carried out in non-industrial premises
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Air Pollution Control Ordinance
If an authorized officer of the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) is satisfied that the emission of air pollutants from a polluting activity is causing air pollution, EPD may give an Air Pollution Abatement Notice to the owner / occupier of the premises concerned under the Air Pollution Control Ordinance (Cap. 311).
The air pollutants emission from situations below may cause nuisance:
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Emission of dust or particles of any kind
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Emission of objectionable odour
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The staining of, corrosion or damage to, a building, plant, equipment or other materials
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The irritation of the eye, nose, skin or any other sensory discomfort
An Air Pollution Abatement Notice will point out the air pollution problem, and will require the recipient to abate the pollution within a specified time period. The Notice remains in force until it is withdrawn or expires.
Any person who fails to comply with the Notice may be prosecuted and is liable to a maximum fine of HK$200,000 and imprisonment for 6 months upon conviction.
Air Pollution Control (Open Burning) Regulation
Under the above Regulation, it is illegal to carry out open burning for disposal of tyres and waste; or for the salvage of metal from electric wires. If found guilty, a court may impose a maximum fine at level 5(Note) and imprisonment for 3 months.
(Note : In Year 2002, a level 5 fine is HK$50,000.
Ozone Layer Protection Ordinance
The Ozone Layer Protection Ordinance (Cap. 403) stipulates the control of chemicals that deplete the Ozone Layer. These include the older types of refrigerants (such as CFC11, CFC12 and so on) which do not conform to environmental protection principles used in some air conditioning systems. Any person or organization which imports "scheduled" ozone depleting substances without a licence commits an offence.The penalties include fine and imprisonment terms.
At present, Hong Kong has banned the import of older types of refrigerants such as CFC11, CFC12 and so on. Any person who wants to export the recovered CFC11and CFC12 to other countries must have applied for export permits from the Trade and Industry Department.
In addition, owners of vehicle repair workshops who recovers and recycles a controlled refrigerant must use equipment that has been approved by the Director of Environmental Protection and keep proper records of quantities of controlled refrigerants added and removed. The record should be retained for at least the past 12 months and be made available for inspection by the Authority. Any person failing to comply with the above requirements commits an offence, and is liable to a maximum fine of HK$100,000.
- Records of amount of controlled refrigerants added and removed from motor vehicle air-conditioning systems (Download PDF file)
Noise Control Ordinance and its Subsidiary Regulations
The Noise Control Ordinance (Cap. 400) stipulates that noise from any industrial, commercial, trading or premises for business, including vehicle repair workshop, cannot emit excessive noise to cause nuisance to nearby residents and other sensitive areas. Should the noise exceed acceptable noise levels, the Environmental Protection Department will issue Noise Abatement Notices. In most urban areas, the acceptable noise level is 55 dB(A).
Upon receipt of a Noise Abatement Notice(NAN), the person-in-charge of a vehicle repair workshop must abate noise in accordance with requirements of the NAN. Failure to comply with the requirements of a NAN is an offence and if convicted, is subject to a maximum fine of HK$200,000 and daily fine of HK20,000.
For noise from public places (such as kerb side), it is also controlled by the Noise Control Ordinance and the police will take appropriate enforcement actions.
Waste Disposal Ordinance and its Subsidiary Regulations
The Waste Disposal (Chemical Waste)(General) Regulation (Cap. 354C) stipulates that any scheduled chemical wastes, including solid, semi-solid and liquid wastes must be properly handled.The following chemical wastes are commonly generated by vehicle repair workshops :
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Waste lubricating oil
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Wrapping cloths, absorbent, cleaning rags ("waste") and sand stained with lubricating oil
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Spent refrigerants
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Organic solvents and their containers
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Waste paints and and their containers
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Oil filters stained with lubricating oil
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Waste batteries, engine coolants, and so on
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Brake linings with asbestos content
Vehicle repair workshops that produce the above chemical wastes during their operations must be registered as "Chemical Waste Producers" with the Environmental Protection Department.
Chemical wastes must be properly stored, labelled and packaged. Finally, remember to hire licensed chemical waste collectors to collect and transport chemical wastes to licensed treatment facilities for treatment. Keep trip tickets for 12 months for inspection by law enforcement personnels
Any producer of chemical wastes failing to register with the Enviornmental Protection Department or improper of disposing chemical wastes commits an offence and may be subject to a fine of HK$200,000 and an imprisionment term of 6 months, and a daily fine of HK$10,000. The penalty for the person-in-charge of a vehicle repair workshop failing to provide suitable containers for chemical wastes, the penalty is a fine of HK$100,000 and imprisonment term of 6 month, plus a daily fine of HK$10,000. For an offence for failing to provide proper labels, the penalty is a fine of HK$50,000 and imprisonment term of 6 month.
In accordance with Section 16A of the Waste Disposal Ordinance, any person disposing waste in public places commits an offence and may be subject to a maximum fine of HK$500,000 and an imprisionment term of 6 months, plus a maximum daily fine of HK$10,000.
Water Pollution Control Ordinance and its Subsidiary Regulations
In accordance with the Water Pollution Control Ordinance (Cap. 358), a licence granted by the Environmental Protection Department under the said Ordinance should be obtained before a new discharge of waste water other than domestic waste water in a water control zone is commenced.
In determining the terms and conditions for a licence, the Environmental Protection Department will make reference to the Technical Memorandum - Standards for Effluents Discharged into Drainage and Sewerage Systems, Inland and Coastal Waters, pollutants in the waste water and the discharge volume. The licensee is required to comply with terms and conditions in the licence.
All waste water should be connected to sewers leading to treatment facilities. Storm drain is generally limited to collect rain water. Discharging waste water, waste lubricating oil and other chemicals into storm drain will directly pollute Hong Kong waters and is illegal. If convicted, the penalty for the offence is a maximum fine of HK$400,000 and an imprisonment term of 6 months, plus a daily fine of HK$10,000.
Licence Applications under Water Pollution Control Ordinance
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A licence granted under the Water Pollution Control Ordinance should be obtained before a new discharge is commenced. Application form (Form A) for the licence is available free of charge at the offices of EPD as well as District Offices.
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The applicant should submit the completed application form, together with the three most recent water bills or estimated water consumption information to a Regional Office of EPD. The applicant should also submit copies of Business Registration Certificate or Certificate of Incorporation where appropriate. EPD may request the applicant to submit copies of other related documents when necessary (e.g. drainage layout plan). The applicant must pay the appropriate icence application fee. For details, please refer to A Guide to the Water Pollution Control Ordinance.
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The applicant must be the person who makes or authorizes the discharge or the owner or occupier of the premises from which the discharge is made
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The Director of Environmental Protection (DEP) may grant a licence for a discharge under the Water Pollution Control Ordinance. Licences are generally valid for 5 years, except those for domestic septic tanks, which are normally valid for the tank's useful life or until the concerned premises has been connected to the communal sewers provided in the vicinity.
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DEP has the power to refuse to grant a licence for a discharge if:-
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he considers that the attainment and maintenance of water quality objectives will not be or not likely to be achieved; or
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he considers that the discharge will or is likely to endanger public health, will be harmful to the sewerage or drainage system or will be harmful to the health or safety of the operation or maintenance staff.
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