Constraint

Zero-emission zones

A zero-emission zone is an area diesel vans and lorries can no longer enter. Municipalities create one with a traffic decision, carrying a start date and transitional rules. Every start date is a deadline for the fleets and charge points of everyone delivering there.

What is this constraint?

A zero-emission zone is a defined area where vans and lorries may only enter emission-free. The municipality creates the zone with a traffic decision. It sets out the boundaries, the start date and the transitional rules for older vehicles.

The zone does not only affect hauliers. Anyone building, installing, delivering or maintaining inside it has to have their vans and their charge points sorted in time. Charging takes space, power and often a heavier connection.

Zones hook into other constraints. One municipality has a policy rule granting an exemption of up to two years if the grid operator confirms there is no capacity, or if the area shows red on the capacity map. A fleet question becomes a grid question. The traffic decision of that same municipality notes that the zone lowers nitrogen deposition on three nature areas and so helps permitting for housing. One decision, three ways in.

Modou tracks which municipalities have a zero-emission zone and from when it applies. That is at municipality level, not street by street. On top of that Modou reads the traffic decisions, policy rules and council papers in which the zones and the exemptions are set out, with the date attached.

Which documents it shows up in

Traffic decisions in the municipal gazette: Why that is a reason to callA traffic decision names the zone, the start date and the transitional rules. That is a deadline you can put in the diary.
Policy rules for exemptions: Why that is a reason to callThese say who can get more time and on what grounds. In some municipalities a confirmed shortage of grid capacity is one of those grounds, and then a fleet question becomes a grid question.
Council and executive papers on introducing the zone: Why that is a reason to callBefore the decision exists there are meetings about boundaries, dates and support for local businesses. That is the earliest way in.
Tenders for charging infrastructure and emission-free transport: Why that is a reason to callMunicipalities and large suppliers buy this ahead of time. The tender tells you exactly what is needed and when.

Who sells into this

Construction suppliers

Construction logistics and emission-free transport into inner-city projects
Materials delivered in smaller units that an electric vehicle can carry

Energy companies

Charging infrastructure for vans and lorries
Energy management and peak control on charging hubs
Batteries and grid connections at depots
Advice on fleet transition and exemptions

Example from a public document

Energy company

What happened

With a traffic decision a municipality extends its zero-emission zone to the coastal strip. From 1 January 2026 no diesel vans may drive there.

Source:: Municipal gazette, traffic decision
Date:: June 2025

Why this matters to you

Every business delivering or maintaining inside that zone has to have its fleet and its charge points sorted in time. That is a deadline with addresses attached.

Why now

The start date is fixed and the decision is published. In the same municipality there is an exemption where a shortage of grid capacity can be proven, so there are two conversations to have.

Who to call

Fleet manager or facilities manager at a supplier inside the zone

Phone number, where publicly findable
LinkedIn, where publicly findable

This example comes from a public document.

Frequently asked questions

Does this only apply to hauliers?

No. The zone applies to the vehicle, not the trade. An installer, a builder and a caterer all run into it just as hard. For you it is a list of businesses delivering in that area and a date by which they have to be ready.

How fine-grained is this?

Municipality level, with the start date attached. Exactly where the zone boundary runs is in the traffic decision itself, and you get that decision as your source.

Want to know which zones are coming in your region?

Plan a six-week pilot. Every working day you get the traffic decisions, exemption rules and tenders that go with them, with source, date and who to call.

Plan a pilot Run the opportunity check