Abstract: Strengthening environmental regulation and protecting ecological environment is the inevitable choice to realize the harmonious development of man and nature. However, whether the increasingly tightening environmental regulation will affect technological progress or not. Aiming at this problem, this paper takes panel data of 271 cities in China from 2000 to 2016 as samples to analyze the impact of environmental regulation on technological progress from multiple dimensions. The results show that the impact of environmental regulation on technological progress exists temporal and spatial heterogeneity. The promotion effect of lagging environmental regulation on technological progress in one period is greater than that in the current and lagging two periods. The promotion of environmental regulation on technological progress in the eastern region is the strongest, while that in the western region is the weakest. Environmental regulation has a double threshold effect on technological progress, and too high or too low environmental regulation is not conducive to technological progress. Finally, combined with the research conclusions, some suggestions are put forward from the aspects of improving the intensity of environmental regulation moderately, maintaining the continuity of environmental regulation and formulating differentiated environmental policies.