This article was machine-drafted from the sources cited in its footnotes. It is not the official text of any law or court decision, and it is not legal advice (how articles are written).
Undang-Undang 32/2009Regulation
Full titleUndang-Undang Nomor 32 Tahun 2009 tentang Perlindungan dan Pengelolaan Lingkungan Hidup
CitationUU 32/2009 (LN 2009 No. 140, TLN No. 5059)
JurisdictionIndonesia
Enacted byHouse of Representatives and President of Indonesia
Signed3 October 2009
Promulgated3 October 2009
Effective3 October 2009
ReplacesUU 23/1997 on environmental management
Amended byUU 6/2023 (job creation), Pasal 22

Undang-Undang 32/2009 (Undang-Undang Nomor 32 Tahun 2009 tentang Perlindungan dan Pengelolaan Lingkungan Hidup), often cited as UU PPLH, is the Indonesian statute on environmental protection and management. It was signed by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and promulgated on 3 October 2009, taking effect on that day, and it replaced Undang-Undang Nomor 23 Tahun 1997 on environmental management.[1][2] It is the parent statute of the rules described at environmental approval in Indonesia and of the national duties on greenhouse gas inventories surveyed at carbon trading and climate regulation in Indonesia.

The Act has seventeen chapters and 127 articles. It sets the principles and scope of environmental protection; a planning system of inventories, ecoregions and environmental plans; a set of instruments to prevent pollution and damage, among them strategic environmental assessment, quality standards, the Amdal impact assessment, economic instruments and environmental audit; rules on hazardous substances and waste; the division of duties between the central and regional governments; rights and duties of the public; administrative supervision and sanctions; civil dispute resolution, including strict liability and standing for communities and environmental organisations; and criminal offences.[3][4][5]

Undang-Undang 6/2023 on job creation amended the Act in 2023, replacing the environmental permit with an environmental approval integrated into business licensing and recasting many sanctions.[6] Its implementing regulations include Peraturan Pemerintah 22/2021, Peraturan Pemerintah 46/2017 and Peraturan Pemerintah 26/2025.[7][8] Between November and December 2025 CRPG's regulatory tracker published seven analyses of the Act.[9][10][11][12][13][14][15]

Background

The preamble grounds the Act on the right to a good and healthy environment as a human right under the 1945 Constitution, on sustainable and environmentally sound development, on the changed relations between central and regional government under regional autonomy, on declining environmental quality, and on climate change caused by global warming. It cites Pasal 20, Pasal 21, Pasal 28H ayat (1) and Pasal 33 ayat (3) and (4) of the Constitution.[16] Pasal 125 revoked Undang-Undang 23/1997, and Pasal 126 required the implementing regulations to be issued within one year.[2:1]

The text held by CRPG's regulation vault is a consolidated version that incorporates the amendments made by Peraturan Pemerintah Pengganti Undang-Undang Nomor 2 Tahun 2022, which Undang-Undang 6/2023 enacted as law; the provisions described below are those of the Act as amended, except where a section says otherwise.[17]

Principles, objectives and scope

Pasal 2 lists fourteen principles, among them state responsibility, sustainability, precaution, the ecoregion principle, the polluter-pays principle, participation, local wisdom, good governance and regional autonomy. Pasal 3 sets ten objectives, including protection of the national territory from pollution and damage, the safety and health of people, intergenerational justice, the fulfilment of the right to the environment as a human right, and anticipation of global environmental issues. Pasal 4 divides environmental protection and management into planning, utilisation, control, maintenance, supervision and law enforcement.[3:1]

Planning and utilisation

Planning proceeds through an environmental inventory, the designation of ecoregions (ekoregion) and the preparation of environmental protection and management plans (Rencana Perlindungan dan Pengelolaan Lingkungan Hidup, RPPLH) at national, provincial and district level.[18] The Minister, governors and regents or mayors prepare the plans with regard to ecological character, population, resources, local wisdom, community aspirations and climate change. The national plan is set by government regulation and regional plans by regional regulation; each must cover resource use and reservation, environmental quality, resource conservation, and climate adaptation and mitigation, and it forms the basis of long-term and medium-term development plans.[18:1] Natural resources are to be used according to the plan; where none exists, according to the carrying and assimilative capacity of the environment set by the Minister, governor or regent or mayor.[19] Peraturan Pemerintah 26/2025 implements these planning provisions.[8:1]

Control of pollution and damage

Control of pollution and damage comprises prevention, response and recovery, and is shared by the central and regional governments and those responsible for activities.[20] Pasal 14 lists the prevention instruments: strategic environmental assessment (kajian lingkungan hidup strategis, KLHS), spatial planning, environmental quality standards, standard criteria of environmental damage, the Amdal, the UKL-UPL, licensing, economic instruments, environment-based legislation and budgets, environmental risk analysis, environmental audit, and others.[4:1]

Strategic assessment and standards

The central and regional governments must prepare a KLHS for spatial plans, long-term and medium-term development plans, and policies, plans and programmes with potential environmental impact or risk, and every spatial plan must rest on a KLHS and take carrying capacity into account.[21] Pollution is measured against quality standards for water, wastewater, sea water, ambient air, emissions and disturbance; waste may be released to the environment only if it meets the standards and has central or regional government approval.[22] Damage is measured against standard criteria for ecosystems, such as soil for biomass production, coral reefs, forest and land fires, mangroves, seagrass, peat and karst, and for climate change impacts, such as rising temperature and sea level, storms and drought.[23]

Amdal, UKL-UPL and environmental approval

Every activity with a significant impact on the environment requires an Amdal, the significance being judged by the population affected, the area and intensity of impact, cumulative and reversible effects, and other criteria.[24] As amended, the Amdal is the basis of an environmental feasibility test carried out by a team formed by the central government's feasibility test agency, and the resulting decision on environmental feasibility is a condition of the business licence or government approval. The Amdal is prepared by the proponent with the involvement of directly affected communities.[25] Activities without significant impact must meet the UKL-UPL standard, stated in a commitment on which the licence is issued, and lower-risk activities make a statement of commitment (SPPL) integrated into the business identification number.[26] The environmental approval (persetujuan lingkungan) is defined as the feasibility decision or the UKL-UPL commitment once approved by the central or regional government; the separate environmental permit of the original Act was deleted.[27][28] The allocation of approval authority among levels of government is set by Permen LH 22/2025.[29]

Economic instruments, risk analysis and audit

The central and regional governments must develop and apply environmental economic instruments in three groups: development planning and economic activity, environmental funding, and incentives and disincentives; the detail is set by Peraturan Pemerintah 46/2017.[30][7:1] Activities that may cause significant impact or threaten ecosystems or human health must carry out an environmental risk analysis.[31] The government encourages voluntary environmental audits, and the Minister may require an audit of high-risk activities, periodically, and of operators showing non-compliance. If an operator fails to act, the Minister may carry out the audit or appoint an independent third party at the operator's expense and publish the results; audits are performed by certified auditors.[32] The tracker examined the audit provisions in December 2025.[13:1]

Response, recovery and maintenance

Anyone who pollutes or damages the environment must respond to the pollution, by warning the public, isolating the pollution and stopping its source, and must restore environmental functions through cleaning, remediation, rehabilitation and restoration.[33] As amended, every holder of an environmental approval must provide a guarantee fund for recovery, held in a designated state bank.[34] Maintenance of the environment covers resource conservation, resource reservation and the preservation of atmospheric functions, the last including climate mitigation and adaptation, ozone layer protection and protection against acid rain.[35]

Hazardous substances and waste

Anyone who imports, produces, transports, distributes, stores, uses, discharges, treats or disposes of hazardous and toxic substances (B3) must manage them. Anyone who produces hazardous waste must manage it, or hand it to another party if unable to do so, and the management of hazardous waste requires a business licence or government approval.[36] Dumping of waste or materials into the environment is prohibited without authorisation and may take place only with central government approval at designated locations.[37] These provisions are implemented in the regime described at hazardous waste regulation in Indonesia.

Information and government authority

The central and regional governments must develop a public environmental information system covering at least environmental status and hazard maps.[38] Pasal 63 lists the duties of the central government, among them setting national policy and standards, the national RPPLH, KLHS and Amdal policy, the national inventory of natural resources and greenhouse gas emissions, policy on the control of climate change impacts and ozone protection, policy on B3 and hazardous waste, the recognition of customary law communities and local wisdom, and environmental law enforcement. Provinces hold parallel duties at their level, including the provincial inventory of resources and greenhouse gas emissions. The central government's duties are carried out or coordinated by the Minister.[39] The CRPG tracker's November 2025 analysis of these provisions presented them as the statutory basis of Indonesia's greenhouse gas inventory, and its December 2025 analysis examined the three-tier division of authority.[9:1][15:1]

Rights, obligations and public participation

Pasal 65 declares that everyone has the right to a good and healthy environment as part of human rights, and to environmental education, access to information, participation and justice. Everyone may propose or object to a planned activity likely to affect the environment, take part in environmental protection, and complain of suspected pollution or damage.[40] Pasal 66 provides that a person who fights for the right to a good and healthy environment cannot be prosecuted or sued for doing so.[41] Everyone must preserve environmental functions, and every business must give correct, accurate, open and timely environmental information and comply with quality standards and damage criteria.[42] Pasal 69 prohibits, among other acts, causing pollution or damage, importing prohibited B3 or foreign waste, releasing waste or B3 into the environment, clearing land by burning (with an exception for communities acting with due regard to local wisdom), preparing an Amdal without certified competence, and giving false or misleading information.[43] Communities have equal and broad rights to participate through social oversight, suggestions, objections and complaints, and the supply of information.[44] The tracker's December 2025 analysis treated these provisions as a statutory expression of access rights.[14:1]

Supervision and administrative sanctions

The central and regional governments supervise compliance with environmental law through functional environmental inspectors, and apply administrative sanctions when supervision finds a breach of a business licence or government approval.[45] As amended, the Act sanctions operating without the required licence or approval, and breaching one, with written warnings, government coercion, administrative fines, and the suspension or revocation of the business licence; negligent pollution that causes no harm to human health or life is dealt with by administrative sanction and an order to restore.[46]

Dispute resolution

Environmental disputes may be settled in or out of court by the parties' free choice; a court claim may be brought only after a chosen out-of-court process has been declared unsuccessful. Out-of-court settlement, with the help of mediators or arbitrators, may address compensation, restoration and measures against recurrence and future harm, but not environmental crimes, and communities may set up independent dispute resolution bodies.[47] The tracker analysed these mechanisms in December 2025.[11:1]

In court, a person responsible for an activity who unlawfully pollutes or damages the environment and causes loss must pay compensation or take specific action; a transfer or change of the business does not end its liability, and courts may impose a daily penalty for late compliance.[48] Pasal 88, in the wording given by Perppu 2/2022 and enacted as law by Undang-Undang 6/2023, makes anyone whose actions, business or activities use B3, produce or manage hazardous waste, or pose a serious threat to the environment absolutely liable (bertanggung jawab mutlak) for the loss arising from the business or activity.[49] The 2009 text of the article ended instead with the words "without the need to prove the element of fault" (tanpa perlu pembuktian unsur kesalahan).[50] The elucidation that Perppu 2/2022 gives for the amended article defines absolute liability as strict liability, under which the plaintiff need not prove the element of fault as the basis for compensation, and describes the provision as a special rule (lex specialis) within claims for unlawful acts generally.[51] Limitation periods follow the Civil Code and run from discovery of the pollution or damage, but do not apply to harm from activities using or managing B3 or hazardous waste.[52] Environmental agencies may sue for compensation for environmental loss; communities may bring class actions; and environmental organisations that are legal entities, have environmental objects in their statutes and have been active for at least two years may sue for specific action, without damages beyond actual costs.[53] The tracker's analysis of these provisions was published in December 2025.[12:1]

Investigation and criminal provisions

Designated civil servants in environmental agencies may investigate environmental crimes alongside the police.[54] All offences under the Act are felonies (kejahatan).[55] Intentionally causing the ambient air, water or sea water standards or the damage criteria to be exceeded carries three to ten years' imprisonment and a fine of three to ten billion rupiah, rising where people are injured or killed; negligence carries lower ranges. Breach of wastewater, emission or disturbance standards is punishable only where an administrative sanction has been ignored or the breach repeated.[56] Where an offence is committed by or for a business entity, the entity and those who ordered or led the act may be punished, and the entity may also face confiscation of profits, closure, remediation, or placement under guardianship for up to three years.[57]

Amendment by the job creation law

Pasal 22 of Undang-Undang 6/2023, signed and promulgated on 31 March 2023, amended the definitions and the provisions on quality standards, the Amdal and its feasibility test, the UKL-UPL and SPPL, licensing, the guarantee fund, hazardous waste, dumping, government authority, supervision, sanctions, strict liability and several offences. It deleted, among others, Pasal 29 to Pasal 31 on Amdal assessment commissions, Pasal 36, Pasal 38 and Pasal 40 on the environmental permit, Pasal 79, Pasal 93, Pasal 102 and Pasal 110, and inserted Pasal 61A and Pasal 82A to Pasal 82C.[6:1] The tracker's November 2025 overview of the Act described its structure and the 2023 changes.[10:1]

See also

CRPG coverage on crpg.id (7 posts)
Identifiers Know ID K159 · Work URI /akn/id/act/uu/2009/32 · RegVault UU_32_2009
What links here (51)

References


  1. [P] UU 32/2009, Pasal 127 and closing formula (Disahkan di Jakarta pada tanggal 3 Oktober 2009; Diundangkan di Jakarta pada tanggal 3 Oktober 2009; Lembaran Negara Republik Indonesia Tahun 2009 Nomor 140, Tambahan Lembaran Negara Nomor 5059). regulation_id UU_32_2009. ↩︎

  2. [P] UU 32/2009, Pasal 125 and Pasal 126. regulation_id UU_32_2009. ↩︎ ↩︎

  3. [P] UU 32/2009, Pasal 2, Pasal 3 and Pasal 4. regulation_id UU_32_2009. ↩︎ ↩︎

  4. [P] UU 32/2009, Pasal 14. regulation_id UU_32_2009. ↩︎ ↩︎

  5. [P] UU 32/2009, chapter headings, Bab I to Bab XVII, and Pasal 127. regulation_id UU_32_2009. ↩︎

  6. [P] UU 6/2023, Pasal 22 angka 1 to 39 (amendments to UU 32/2009) and closing formula (Disahkan di Jakarta pada tanggal 31 Maret 2023; Diundangkan di Jakarta pada tanggal 31 Maret 2023). regulation_id UU_6_2023. ↩︎ ↩︎

  7. [P] PP 46/2017, Menimbang (implementing Pasal 43 ayat (4) and Pasal 55 ayat (4) of UU 32/2009). regulation_id PP_46_2017. ↩︎ ↩︎

  8. [P] PP 26/2025, Menimbang (implementing Pasal 10 ayat (3) huruf a, Pasal 11 and Pasal 12 ayat (4) of UU 32/2009). regulation_id PP_26_2025. ↩︎ ↩︎

  9. [E] "UU 32/2009 Mandates Government GHG Inventory and Climate Change Control at All Levels", CRPG regulatory tracker, crpg.id, 26 November 2025. https://crpg.id/uu-32-2009-mandates-government-ghg-inventory-and-climate-change-control-at-all-levels/ (free sign-in required on crpg.id) The post carries a notice that it was drafted with AI-assisted research tools; it is cited for the record of the development, not for its legal content. ↩︎ ↩︎

  10. [E] "UU 32/2009 (UU PPLH): Indonesia's Foundational Environmental Protection Statute", CRPG regulatory tracker, crpg.id, 26 November 2025. https://crpg.id/what-is-indonesias-environmental-protection-framework-under-uu-32-2009/ (free sign-in required on crpg.id) The post carries a notice that it was drafted with AI-assisted research tools; it is cited for the record of the development, not for its legal content. ↩︎ ↩︎

  11. [E] "Environmental Dispute Resolution in Indonesia: Out-of-Court Mechanisms Including Mediation and Arbitration Under UU 32/2009", CRPG regulatory tracker, crpg.id, 15 December 2025. https://crpg.id/environmental-dispute-resolution-in-indonesia-out-of-court-mechanisms-including-mediation-and-arbitration-under-uu-32-2009/ (free sign-in required on crpg.id) The post carries a notice that it was drafted with AI-assisted research tools; it is cited for the record of the development, not for its legal content. ↩︎ ↩︎

  12. [E] "Environmental Court Litigation in Indonesia: Strict Liability, Class Actions, and NGO Standing Under UU 32/2009", CRPG regulatory tracker, crpg.id, 15 December 2025. https://crpg.id/environmental-court-litigation-in-indonesia-strict-liability-class-actions-and-ngo-standing-under-uu-32-2009/ (free sign-in required on crpg.id) The post carries a notice that it was drafted with AI-assisted research tools; it is cited for the record of the development, not for its legal content. ↩︎ ↩︎

  13. [E] "Environmental Audit in Indonesian Law: Voluntary Performance Tool and Mandatory Compliance Mechanism Under UU 32/2009", CRPG regulatory tracker, crpg.id, 16 December 2025. https://crpg.id/environmental-audit-in-indonesian-law-voluntary-performance-tool-and-mandatory-compliance-mechanism-under-uu-32-2009/ (free sign-in required on crpg.id) The post carries a notice that it was drafted with AI-assisted research tools; it is cited for the record of the development, not for its legal content. ↩︎ ↩︎

  14. [E] "Public Participation Rights in Indonesian Environmental Law: Access to Information, Participation, and Justice Under UU 32/2009", CRPG regulatory tracker, crpg.id, 16 December 2025. https://crpg.id/public-participation-rights-in-indonesian-environmental-law-access-to-information-participation-and-justice-under-uu-32-2009/ (free sign-in required on crpg.id) The post carries a notice that it was drafted with AI-assisted research tools; it is cited for the record of the development, not for its legal content. ↩︎ ↩︎

  15. [E] "Who Holds the Power? Indonesia's Three-Tier Environmental Governance System", CRPG regulatory tracker, crpg.id, 17 December 2025. https://crpg.id/who-holds-the-power-indonesias-three-tier-environmental-governance-system/ (free sign-in required on crpg.id) The post carries a notice that it was drafted with AI-assisted research tools; it is cited for the record of the development, not for its legal content. ↩︎ ↩︎

  16. [P] UU 32/2009, preamble, Menimbang huruf a to g and Mengingat (English translation held with the text). regulation_id UU_32_2009. ↩︎

  17. [P] UU 32/2009, consolidated text held by the CRPG regulation vault, in which amended articles are marked with a reference to Perppu 2/2022. regulation_id UU_32_2009. ↩︎

  18. [P] UU 32/2009, Pasal 5, Pasal 9 and Pasal 10 ayat (1) to (5). regulation_id UU_32_2009. ↩︎ ↩︎

  19. [P] UU 32/2009, Pasal 12 ayat (1) to (4). regulation_id UU_32_2009. ↩︎

  20. [P] UU 32/2009, Pasal 13. regulation_id UU_32_2009. ↩︎

  21. [P] UU 32/2009, Pasal 15 ayat (1) to (3) and Pasal 19. regulation_id UU_32_2009. ↩︎

  22. [P] UU 32/2009 as amended, Pasal 20 ayat (1) to (3). regulation_id UU_32_2009. ↩︎

  23. [P] UU 32/2009, Pasal 21 ayat (1) to (4). regulation_id UU_32_2009. ↩︎

  24. [P] UU 32/2009, Pasal 22 and Pasal 23. regulation_id UU_32_2009. ↩︎

  25. [P] UU 32/2009 as amended, Pasal 24, Pasal 25 and Pasal 26. regulation_id UU_32_2009. ↩︎

  26. [P] UU 32/2009 as amended, Pasal 34 and Pasal 35. regulation_id UU_32_2009. ↩︎

  27. [P] UU 32/2009 as amended, Pasal 1 angka 35. regulation_id UU_32_2009. ↩︎

  28. [P] UU 32/2009 as amended, Pasal 36, Pasal 38 and Pasal 40 (each "Dihapus") and Pasal 37. regulation_id UU_32_2009. ↩︎

  29. [P] Permen LH 22/2025, Pasal 3 ayat (1). regulation_id PERMEN_LH_22_2025. ↩︎

  30. [P] UU 32/2009, Pasal 42 and Pasal 43. regulation_id UU_32_2009. ↩︎

  31. [P] UU 32/2009, Pasal 47. regulation_id UU_32_2009. ↩︎

  32. [P] UU 32/2009, Pasal 48 to Pasal 51. regulation_id UU_32_2009. ↩︎

  33. [P] UU 32/2009, Pasal 53 and Pasal 54. regulation_id UU_32_2009. ↩︎

  34. [P] UU 32/2009 as amended, Pasal 55. regulation_id UU_32_2009. ↩︎

  35. [P] UU 32/2009, Pasal 57. regulation_id UU_32_2009. ↩︎

  36. [P] UU 32/2009 as amended, Pasal 58 and Pasal 59. regulation_id UU_32_2009. ↩︎

  37. [P] UU 32/2009 as amended, Pasal 60 and Pasal 61. regulation_id UU_32_2009. ↩︎

  38. [P] UU 32/2009, Pasal 62. regulation_id UU_32_2009. ↩︎

  39. [P] UU 32/2009 as amended, Pasal 63 ayat (1) and (2), and Pasal 64. regulation_id UU_32_2009. ↩︎

  40. [P] UU 32/2009, Pasal 65 ayat (1) to (5). regulation_id UU_32_2009. ↩︎

  41. [P] UU 32/2009, Pasal 66. regulation_id UU_32_2009. ↩︎

  42. [P] UU 32/2009, Pasal 67 and Pasal 68. regulation_id UU_32_2009. ↩︎

  43. [P] UU 32/2009 as amended, Pasal 69 ayat (1) and (2). regulation_id UU_32_2009. ↩︎

  44. [P] UU 32/2009, Pasal 70. regulation_id UU_32_2009. ↩︎

  45. [P] UU 32/2009 as amended, Pasal 71 and Pasal 76. regulation_id UU_32_2009. ↩︎

  46. [P] UU 32/2009 as amended, Pasal 82A, Pasal 82B and Pasal 82C. regulation_id UU_32_2009. ↩︎

  47. [P] UU 32/2009, Pasal 84, Pasal 85 and Pasal 86. regulation_id UU_32_2009. ↩︎

  48. [P] UU 32/2009, Pasal 87 ayat (1) to (4). regulation_id UU_32_2009. ↩︎

  49. [P] Perppu 2/2022 (LN 2022 No. 238), Pasal 22 angka 33 (Ketentuan Pasal 88 diubah sehingga berbunyi sebagai berikut), whose Pasal 88 ends "bertanggung jawab mutlak atas kerugian yang terjadi dari usaha dan/atau kegiatannya"; enacted as law by UU 6/2023 (LN 2023 No. 41), Pasal 1, which attaches the Perppu as an inseparable part. regulation_id PERPPU_2_2022; the same text is in the annex held under UU_6_2023. ↩︎

  50. [P] UU 32/2009, Pasal 88 in its 2009 wording, ending "bertanggung jawab mutlak atas kerugian yang terjadi tanpa perlu pembuktian unsur kesalahan". regulation_id UU_32_2009. ↩︎

  51. [P] Perppu 2/2022, elucidation (Penjelasan) of Pasal 22 angka 33, on Pasal 88. regulation_id PERPPU_2_2022; the same elucidation is in the annex held under UU_6_2023. ↩︎

  52. [P] UU 32/2009, Pasal 89. regulation_id UU_32_2009. ↩︎

  53. [P] UU 32/2009, Pasal 90, Pasal 91 and Pasal 92. regulation_id UU_32_2009. ↩︎

  54. [P] UU 32/2009, Pasal 94. regulation_id UU_32_2009. ↩︎

  55. [P] UU 32/2009, Pasal 97. regulation_id UU_32_2009. ↩︎

  56. [P] UU 32/2009, Pasal 98, Pasal 99 and Pasal 100. regulation_id UU_32_2009. ↩︎

  57. [P] UU 32/2009, Pasal 116, Pasal 118 and Pasal 119. regulation_id UU_32_2009. ↩︎