Cooling towers provide cooled water for air-conditioning, manufacturing and electric power generation. They can be found in many large premises such as hotels, leisure centres, factories and shopping centres.
The main purpose of these regulations is to prevent Legionellosis (legionnaires disease) and help in the investigation of outbreaks.
Poor maintenance of wet cooling systems can give rise to the conditions in which outbreaks of Legionnaires Disease can occur – which can often cause serious illness and even fatalities. For more information about legionnaires' disease and its control, visit the Health and Safety Executive (opens in new tab) (HSE) website.
Anybody who has control of premises with a cooling tower has a duty under the Notification of Cooling Towers and Evaporative Condensers Regulations 1992 to notify the local authority in writing with details of any 'notifiable devices', and to update these details as required.
Even if the premises is enforced by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), you must still notify the local authority.
'Notifiable devices' consist of cooling towers and evaporative condensers, except when they contain water that is not exposed to the air and the water and electricity supply are not connected.
If a tower becomes redundant and is decommissioned or dismantled, this should also be notified to the local authority.
If you need to register a cooling tower or change the details of an existing registration, the application forms and information you need may be found here.
If you are worried about a cooling tower that you think may not be registered or properly maintained, you should contact us so that we can carry out an investigation.
Registering a Cooling Tower
Licence Summary
If you control non-domestic premises, you must ensure that you notify the local authority of any cooling tower or evaporative condenser (notifiable devices) on the premises.
Notification must be in writing (including by electronic means) on a form approved by the Health & Safety Executive.
You must notify the local authority of any changes to the notification information within one month of the change, in writing.
If the device ceases to be a notifiable device you must notify the local authority or island or district council in writing as soon as possible.
Information and guidance on the law
A summary of the regulation relating to this licence (opens in new tab)
How to apply
If you wish to apply for a licence or change the details of an existing licence, the notification of cooling towers and evaporative condensers (opens in new tab) can be downloaded here.
Application fees
The registration process is free.
The application process
The process of registering a cooling tower is very straightforward. Once you have completed the application form, we will put your premises details onto the Cooling Towers Register. Please note that this register is a public document.
Once your premises are registered, we may inspect if your premises fall to us for health and safety enforcement, or sample as part of our sampling programme. However, it is unlikely that registration will affect your risk rating or the number of inspections we make at your premises.
Please note that you will need to amend your registration details if your business or your cooling tower changes in any way.
Please note that some details of your premises may be included on our web-site, and your details may also be shared with other statutory bodies as appropriate.
Does Tacit Approval apply?
Yes. This means that you will be able to act as though your application is granted if you have not heard from us by the end of the target completion period of 28 days from the submission of your completed application.
Appeals and Complaints
If your application is refused, or if you do not accept any of the licence conditions imposed as part of the approval, you should contact the officer dealing with your licence in the first instance. We will always inform you of the appeal procedures when refusing a licence, or on request. We will also inform you of our complaints procedure, should you feel that your application has been improperly processed.
Other guidance
Information on Legionella, its prevention and the law is available from the Health and Safety Executive.