Birmingham’s Clean Air Zone operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. All year round.

The charge is £8 for cars, vans (light good vehicles) and taxis, and £50 for coaches buses and HGVs.

It’s down to you to know if your vehicle meets emissions standards. It’s also your responsibility to know if you’ve driven through the charge zone. No one tells you.

If you forget to pay the fee, you’ll get a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) in the post for a £120 fine. This is reduced to £60 if you pay it within 14 days.

If your vehicle meets the emission standards, the app will automatically tell you that you're exempt and you don't have to pay the charge.

Most temporary exemptions that were in place when the zone initially launched have now expired.

The only exemptions still active are:

- Residents – If you live in the Clean Air Zone and have a vehicle that will be charged, you can apply for a temporary exemption permit. This will expire on 31 May 2023.

- Community and school transport vehicles - this exemption doesn't expire, however you will need to apply for an exemption permit via the government website.

- Visitors to certain medical centres that offer 24/7 emergency care - Visitors can claim a one-time voucher to pay the daily CAZ charge.

- Specialist vehicles - Emergency service vehicles like police, fire and ambulance services.

- Historic and military vehicles

- Recovery vehicles

- Showman's vehicles

Most postcodes are in the Birmingham CAZ, along with many well known landmarks and visitor hotspots:

B1 –  Birmingham City Centre, Broad St (EAST)

B2 – Birmingham City Centre, New StB3 – Birmingham City Centre, Corporation St

B4 – Birmingham City Centre, Corporation St

B5 – Digbeth, Highgate, Lee Bank

B6 – Aston, Birchfield, WittonB7 – Nechells, Vauxhall

B9 – Bordesley Green, Bordesley

B10 – Small Heath

B12 – Balsall Heath, Sparkbrook, HighgateB15 – Edgbaston

B16 – LadywoodB18 – Harborne, Edgbaston

B19 – Lozells, Newtown, Birchfield

All city theatres

The BullringGrand Central

Birmingham Cathedral

Colmore Business District

Centenary Square

Birmingham Council House

Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery
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If switching to a vehicle that meets emissions standards isn’t part of your near-future plan, you could:

- Share a ride with a friend

- Consider walkingTake the bus

- Get on your bike

See what’s in store for alternative travelling with Birmingham’s exciting 2031 transport plan.

As you drive towards Birmingham, you’ll start to see CAZ signs. These advance warnings are in prominent locations around the A4540 Middleway. It’s now time to find another route if you don’t want to enter the zone. Because once you’re in, there’s no going back.

One (or more) of 67 cameras around the zone perimeter, and in the zone, will log your vehicle registration number (VRN).

The signs have a symbol with the Letter D, showing the Clean Air Zone class. Cameras (67 of them!) use an automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) system to identify the vehicle’s owner.