Portable Equipment

What is Portable Equipment?

Equipment that is designed to be and capable of being carried or moved from one location to another. Examples of portable equipment are:  confined and unconfined abrasive blasting, portable concrete batch plants, internal combustion engines, sand and gravel screening, rock crushing, and unheated pavement crushing and recycling operations. For a definition of portable equipment, please refer to Rule 12 and 12.1. Additionally, examples of portable equipment can be found at this Proper Uses of Portable Equipment page.

What Is Not Portable?

Equipment that:

• Is attached to a foundation
• Will reside at the same location for more than 12 consecutive months
• Operates at a location for 3 months or more over 2 consecutive years
• Replaces another portable unit (both of which have resided at the same location for more than 12 months)
• Replaces stationary equipment or supplements an ongoing primary activity of a stationary source

(The above exclusions to the portable definition of Rule 12 & 12.1 are not complete.  For a full definition of portable and exclusions see Rule 12 and 12.1.

How Do I Permit Portable Equipment?

Portable equipment can be permitted with a District Certificate of Registration or via the California Air Resources Board (CARB) Portable Equipment Registration Program (PERP).

In some cases, a District Permit to Operate may be required for portable equipment that operates at a stationary source or is otherwise ineligible to operate under a Certificate of Registration. To obtain a permit for this equipment, a standard District permit application should be submitted.

District Certificate of Registration 

The District offers the option to portable equipment operators to obtain a Certificate of Registration under Rule 12/12.1, which functions as a permit to those wishing to register equipment as portable under Rule 12/12.1 in lieu of a District Permit to Operate. The District issues Certificates of registration for the following equipment:

• Abrasive Blast (Confined/Un-Confined)
• Asphalt Roofing kettles & Day Tankers
• Concrete batch Plant
• Engines-Diesel Fired and Spark Ignition 
• Pavement/Rock and Other Material Crushing and Recycling
• Rock Drills
• Material Screening (Including sand & Gravel)

California Air Resources Board Portable Equipment Registration Program (PERP)

In addition to District Certificates of Registration, the District also accepts those Certificates of Registration issued by CARB under the Portable Equipment Registration Program.

The District’s definition of portable differs from that of the Statewide PERP. The PERP regulation limits how the equipment and engines can be used.

The California Air Pollution Control officers Association (CAPCOA) has an Explanation & examples of uses of PERP.   

To schedule a District inspection of your PERP-registered equipment,  please email apcdcomp@sdapcd.org a completed PERP Inspection Appointment Form.

To notify the District you are moving PERP-registered equipment into San Diego County, please email apcdcomp@sdapcd.org a completed PERP Notification Form.

To notify the District of intended CARB-registered engine operations on state territorial waters (STW), please email apcdcomp@sdapcd.org and apcdengineering@sdapcd.org a completed STW notification form and include the noted attachments.  The District will respond within two weeks of receiving this notification.

Compliance Division Contact

If you have any questions please contact the Portable Equipment Coordinator by emailing apcdcomp@sdapcd.org or phone at (858) 586-2650.