What is the EMF limit in the UK?

Question

What EMF exposure limits apply in the United Kingdom, and who enforces them?

Answer

The UK has no numeric limit of its own: it applies the ICNIRP general-public limits, which are 10 W/m² incident power density above 2 GHz and 61 V/m in the mid-band. Since 2021 Ofcom has attached an EMF licence condition to most spectrum licences requiring compliance with those limits, for licensees authorised to transmit above 10 W EIRP (6.1 W ERP), and can enforce against a breach. The condition protects members of the public; workers and the licensee's own staff fall under separate occupational rules.

Related records

• UK Ofcom EMF licence condition

  The mechanism that makes the ICNIRP general-public exposure limits legally enforceable in the United Kingdom, applied as a condition on spectrum licences since 2021.

  Standards & frameworks

• UK enforceable general-public limit, 2–300 GHz

  10 W/m² — the ICNIRP 2020 public reference level, made enforceable in the UK by the Ofcom EMF licence condition rather than by a UK-specific number.

  Exposure limits

• Ofcom

  The UK spectrum regulator, which since 2021 has enforced the ICNIRP general-public exposure limits through a condition attached to spectrum licences.

  Organizations

Sources

1. ofcom-emf-policy Ofcom's rules on EMF exposure (EMF licence condition) — Ofcom, 2021. regulation, link checked 2026-08-12.
2. ofcom-emf-guidance Guidance on EMF compliance and enforcement — Ofcom, 2021. government, link checked 2026-08-12.
3. icnirp-2020 Guidelines for Limiting Exposure to Electromagnetic Fields (100 kHz to 300 GHz) — International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection, 2020. guideline, link checked 2026-08-12.