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Sheffield Clean Air Zone (CAZ) Check

SHEFFIELD CLEAN AIR ZONE (CAZ) CHECK

How does Carwow’s Sheffield CAZ check work?

Carwow’s free Sheffield clean air zone check uses your vehicle’s registration to tell you if your vehicle is compliant and whether you’ll need to pay the daily charge to drive into the CAZ.

Our tool also shows you the boundary of Sheffield’s clean air zone. You can enter an address or postcode to see if it lies within the zone.

What is the Sheffield clean air zone?

The Sheffield Clean Air Zone (CAZ) is an area within the city centre which is designed to reduce air pollution. It does this by levying a charge on certain vehicles entering the zone that do not comply with the specified minimum emissions standards. The aim is to encourage owners and operators of these older, more polluting vehicles to upgrade to cleaner, more efficient ones.

The Clean Air Zone was introduced on 27 February 2023. It is a Class C zone which applies to buses, coaches, taxis, private hire vehicles, heavy goods vehicles, vans and minibuses.

Is my vehicle compliant with the Sheffield clean air zone?

The Sheffield CAZ is a Class ‘C’ zone. This means that the following vehicle types need to meet minimum emissions standards to avoid being charged when entering the zone:

  • Buses
  • Coaches
  • Taxis
  • Private hire vehicles
  • Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs)
  • Vans – Light Goods Vehicles (LGVs)
  • Minibuses

Buses, coaches and HGVs need to meet Euro 6 emissions standards to avoid charges.

Vans, minibuses, taxis and private hire vehicles must meet Euro 6 (diesel) or Euro 4 (petrol) emissions standards to comply with the CAZ.

Private cars and motorcycles are exempt from the CAZ charges, and there are also some exemptions for other vehicles, including vehicles used for community transport and emergency service vehicles.

Sheffield clean air zone FAQs

The Sheffield clean air zone (CAZ) covers the city centre area within the boundary of the A61. It includes the University of Sheffield on its westernmost side and extends to a small section of the A57 on its easternmost end. Kelham Island on the northern side is just outside the zone as is St Mary’s Church which is just below the A61 on the southern boundary.

There are clearly marked signs on all roads leading to the CAZ, they have a ‘C’ symbol within a cloud over a green background.

The CAZ operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week including holidays and non-compliant vehicles entering it are charged a fee.

Enforcement of the Sheffield Clean Air Zone is done by Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras. These record the number plates of vehicles entering the zone and charge them accordingly.

Non-compliant vans, light goods vehicles (including motorhomes) and taxis (private hire vehicles and Hackney Carriage Vehicles) must pay a charge of £10 per day, and coaches, buses and HGVs (including larger motorhomes) pay £50 per day.

You are only charged once per day for entering the CAZ, however if you enter and exit either side of midnight, you will be charged for both days.

You can pay the Sheffield clean air zone charge via the Government website.

If you cannot use an online service, or you need help, contact the clean air support line: 0300 029 8888 - open 8am to 7pm, Monday to Friday (except bank holidays), and 8am to 2pm on Saturday.

Clean Air Zone exemptions do not need to be applied for if your vehicle meets one of the following criteria:

  • It is nationally exempt
  • Meets required emissions standards
  • Is a private car or motorbike (even if it doesn’t meet minimum emissions standards)

The Sheffield CAZ Class ‘C’ rating means that buses, coaches and HGVs need to meet Euro 6 emissions standards to avoid being charged while vans, minibuses, taxis and private hire vehicles must meet Euro 6 (diesel) or Euro 4 (petrol) emissions standards.

There are also local exemptions which apply only to Sheffield’s CAZ, including:

  • Large motorhomes over 3.5T GVW
  • Buses, coaches or minibuses being used for educational school trips
  • Vehicles used for community transport
  • Non-commercial vintage buses or vintage emergency service vehicles
  • If you have a compliant vehicle (or retrofit) on order (and the application is not through the Sheffield Financial Support Measures)
  • Disabled adapted minibuses, buses or coaches
  • Hard-to-replace vehicles
  • Specialist emergency service vehicles