Acts / Ordinances

Note on legal text

Laws on the internet

The legal texts available here are not the official versions. These can only be found in the Federal Law Gazette . The new regulations of the federal government, which came into force in the last six months, can be reached via the Legal Update Service . All current federal law is available free of charge frome JURIS . There you can view the laws and ordinances in their applicable version.

Execution of environmental law

European Union directives, the conclusion of international treaties and regulatory activities at national level are constantly creating new environmental legislation. The federal environmental policy is shaped by the adoption and continuation of environmental laws, environmental regulations and related administrative regulations. These regulations are enforced locally by the Länder and municipalities, including the environmental offices.

Core areas in environmental law

Historically, environmental law has evolved in response to various environmental issues. Its core areas are focused on specific environmental media or stressors. Classical environmental laws include the WHG (Water Protection Law), the BImSchG (Immission Control Law), the BBodSchG (Soil Protection and Contaminated Sites), the BNatSchG (Nature Conservation Law) and the KrWG (Waste Law).