Does Bath CAZ charge private cars?

No. Bath operates a Class C zone, which exempts private cars and motorbikes from the charge regardless of emissions. The charge applies only to non-compliant vans, taxis and LGVs (£9 a day), and HGVs, buses and coaches (£100 a day).

Is there an exemption for residents?

Some targeted exemptions and grants applied at launch for residents and businesses on lower incomes. Most have wound down. Check the council website for the current list.

Does Bath CAZ run at night?

Yes. The zone operates 24 hours a day, every day of the year. There's no off-peak window.

What if I drive a non-compliant van and don't pay?

You have until midnight on the sixth day after travel to pay the £9. Miss that and a Penalty Charge Notice of £120 is issued, reduced to £60 if paid within 14 days.

Bath · Clean Air Zone

Bath's Clean Air Zone, in plain English.

Class C zone. Private cars are not charged. The fee applies to older vans, taxis, HGVs, buses and coaches only.

Bath's Clean Air Zone covers central Bath, 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Private cars and motorbikes are not charged regardless of emissions. Non-compliant vans, taxis and LGVs pay £9 a day; HGVs, buses and coaches pay £100. Most vans built after September 2015 and most HGVs registered after 2014 meet the standard and pay nothing.

Check my postcode

Bath & North East Somerset Council · gov.uk · JAQU

BATH CAZ

Postcode lookup

Is your postcode inside the Bath Clean Air Zone?

Postcode-level check, scoped to Bath. The zone boundary may run through your street, so for the exact answer use the official Bath & North East Somerset Council checker linked below.

The basics

Four facts to know first

Where

Central Bath

Historic city centre, station area, Holburne Museum.

When

24 / 7

Every day of the year, midnight to midnight.

Cars

Not charged

Private cars and motorbikes never pay, regardless of emissions.

Vans / HGVs

£9 / £100

£9 a day for non-compliant vans, taxis, LGVs. £100 for HGVs, buses, coaches.

Boundary

Where exactly is the zone?

The CAZ covers central Bath, including the historic city centre, the railway station area, the Holburne Museum and most of the area inside the A4 / A36 / A367 ring. The exact boundary follows specific streets rather than a single road; the council website is canonical.

Stylised · Central Bath · Cars not charged · UNESCO World Heritage area

For the exact street-level boundary, use the Bath & North East Somerset Council CAZ map ↗.

Compliance

Does my vehicle have to pay?

Private cars and motorbikes never pay. The charge applies only to non-compliant commercial vehicles: vans, taxis, LGVs (£9 a day), HGVs, buses and coaches (£100 a day). Compliant vehicles of any class pay nothing.

Standards summary

Private cars / motorbikes: Always exempt, regardless of age or emissions.
Petrol vans / taxis / LGVs: Euro 4, generally registered after 1 January 2006.
Diesel vans / taxis / LGVs: Euro 6, generally registered after 1 September 2015.
HGVs / buses / coaches: Euro VI engines (most registered after 2014).

Official check

Type your registration into the official Bath CAZ vehicle checker.

Check on bathnes.gov.uk ↗

We don't run the check ourselves. Bath & North East Somerset Council does. Type your reg directly on theirs.

Penalties

What happens if you don't pay?

For non-compliant commercial vehicles, you have until midnight on the sixth day after travel to pay the daily charge. Miss that and a Penalty Charge Notice is issued.

Reduced rate
£60
Pay within 14 days
Full PCN
£120
Full PCN

Context

Why does Bath have a Clean Air Zone?

Bath's CAZ launched on 15 March 2021, the first Clean Air Zone outside London. The city centre had been recording roadside NO₂ levels above legal limits for years; the council was directed by central government to introduce a charging zone.

Bath chose a Class C zone, exempting private cars from the charge. The decision recognised that Bath is a UNESCO World Heritage city with a high proportion of through-traffic from heavier commercial vehicles, and that targeting those vehicles delivered the air-quality outcome without charging residents.

Air-quality monitoring inside the zone has shown sustained reductions in roadside NO₂ since launch. Targeted resident and business support schemes have largely wound down; the council website lists current grants and exemptions.

FAQ