What Changes with the New General Environmental Licensing Law? Understand the Impacts and Opportunities

Brazil has just taken a historic step in environmental regulation. Published on August 8, 2025, Law No. 15,190, known as the General Environmental Licensing Law, establishes a new regulatory framework for the licensing of activities and projects throughout the country.

But what changes in practice? How does this law affect the industrial, logistics, infrastructure sectors, and professionals who deal daily with environmental licenses, deadlines, and compliance requirements?

Below, we clearly and directly explain the main points of this new legislation — and what your company needs to know to adapt safely and efficiently.

A New Framework for Environmental Licensing in Brazil

According to the law, the main objective of the General Environmental Licensing Law is to standardize licensing processes, which until now had been conducted differently among federal, state, and municipal agencies that are part of the National Environmental System (Sisnama).

With the new regulation, Brazil now has unified general rules applicable to all levels of government, promising greater predictability and efficiency for both businesses and licensing authorities.

Among the main innovations are:

• The creation of new types of environmental licenses;

• Reduced deadlines for analysis and issuance;

• The formalization of exemptions for low-impact activities, which has generated debate;

• The requirement that all processes be conducted electronically and transparently.

New Licensing Categories

One of the most significant changes is the diversification of licensing models, which may now be ordinary (three-phase), simplified (two-phase, single-phase, or by adherence), and corrective, depending on the size and pollution potential of the activity.

The legislation recognizes seven main types of environmental licenses, each with specific purposes and requirements:

• Preliminary License (LP) – Evaluates environmental feasibility during the planning phase, defining location and guidelines.

• Installation License (LI) – Authorizes construction work and installation of the project.

• Operation License (LO) – Allows operations to begin after compliance requirements have been fulfilled.

• Single Environmental License (LAU) – Combines feasibility, installation, and operation into a single stage, intended for lower-complexity activities.

• License by Adhesion and Commitment (LAC) – Based on self-declaration by the entrepreneur for standardized activities with pre-established requirements defined by the licensing authority.

• Corrective Operation License (LOC) – Regularizes projects already operating without a valid environmental license.

• Special Environmental License (LAE) – Intended for strategic projects defined by the federal government that require in-depth evaluation and differentiated deadlines.

Clearer Deadlines Under the General Environmental Licensing Law

The law also establishes maximum deadlines for the analysis and issuance of each type of license, representing a significant improvement compared to the delays common in previous processes.

License Type	Maximum Analysis Deadline
LP (with EIA)	10 months
LP (other studies)	6 months
LI, LO, LOC, LAU	3 months
Two-phase licenses (without EIA)	4 months
LAE	12 months

Failure to meet these deadlines does not result in automatic approval, but it opens the possibility for what is called supplementary jurisdiction — meaning another level of government (federal, state, or municipal) may take over the process, ensuring that the entrepreneur is not left waiting indefinitely.

Transparency and Digitalization: A New Standard

All procedures must now occur electronically, integrated into the National Environmental Information System (Sinima) — a process expected to be implemented within four years.

In addition to promoting transparency, this change aims to reduce rework and allow real-time monitoring by both businesses and environmental agencies. We will have to wait and see how this will be implemented in practice.

Another relevant point is public participation, now reinforced by legal requirements, ensuring that affected communities and interested entities can monitor the progress of licensing processes.

Activities Exempt from Environmental Licensing

Law No. 15,190/2025 also establishes a list of activities exempt from environmental licensing, such as:

• Military activities related to the preparation and operation of the Armed Forces;

• Emergency works responding to disasters or accidents;

• Activities or projects not considered users of environmental resources, not potentially or effectively polluting, or incapable of causing environmental degradation in any way;

• Works intended to prevent infrastructure collapse or risks to human life;

• Public electricity distribution services up to 138 kV;

• Voluntary delivery points for reverse logistics systems;

• Ecopoints for household waste;

• Low-impact agricultural activities, provided the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR) is regularized;

• Among other activities.

This exemption does not release entrepreneurs from obtaining other authorizations, such as permits for native vegetation suppression or water resource use.

Additionally, the law updates the Environmental Crimes Law (Law No. 9,605/1998), revising penalties applicable to environmental licensing violations.

What do you think about the activities exempt from licensing?

A New Scenario — and the Need for Attention to Implementation

The enactment of the General Environmental Licensing Law marks a significant change in Brazil’s regulatory landscape. Although the proposal brings advances in terms of standardization and deadlines, the real impact of this legislation will depend on how it is applied by different environmental agencies and how federal entities organize themselves to meet the new requirements.

More than ever, companies, consulting firms, and environmental managers will need to closely monitor regulations and practical developments, evaluating how these changes may affect their licensing processes and schedules.

It is important to emphasize that while the standardization of rules brings predictability, it also creates operational and interpretative challenges, especially in states and municipalities with different levels of technical structure and digitalization.

Paying attention to future complementary regulations, decrees, and guidelines issued by Sisnama agencies will be essential to ensure legal certainty and avoid delays or incompatibilities in complying with the new directives.

How Raízcon Environmental Consulting Can Support Your Company During This Transition

At Raízcon Environmental Consulting, we closely monitor the evolution of environmental licensing in Brazil and are prepared to support companies in this new regulatory landscape. Our team works from the technical planning of projects to the adaptation of internal processes, ensuring legal security and agility with environmental agencies.

The General Environmental Licensing Law brings profound changes — and understanding its details is essential for the productive sector to move forward safely and sustainably.

Contact Raízcon Environmental Consulting and learn how to adapt your operation to the new law, reducing risks and taking advantage of the opportunities created by this new environmental framework.