Registration

The correct application fee, as calculated using the fee estimate form tool below, must be submitted along with your application in order for it to be accepted.  Additionally, please include the completed estimate form with your application.

Note: The estimate is designed to provide a good starting point for work on most applications; however, certain situations may require specific types of review that require additional fees. The District will review your application and determine if any of these specific considerations apply and will contact you and provide an invoice if additional fees are necessary.

Fee Estimate Form

To determine the proper fee, complete the application fee estimate form based on the specifics of your application.

1. "Applicant Site ID/EIF ID” – For applications at existing facility please provide the Site ID number.

2. “Reason for Submittal” - Identify the reason for application submittal from the indicated options:
   a. New/ Existing Unpermitted (Do not select for replacements and modifications)
   b. Modification – Includes both physical modifications of equipment and condition changes.
   c. Replacement
   d. Change of Location
   e. Amendment - Used when modifying an open application
   f.  Additional Identical Unit, Applying Same Time - See instructions below
   g. Permit Activation
   h. Permit Reactivation
   i. Like Kind Replacement – not applicable for registered equipment
   j. other

3. “Equipment Type” - Using the dropdown menu, select the equipment type that describes your equipment. 

4. “Applicant DBA” - Enter the company name/DBA of the owner/operator of the equipment

5. “Existing Site” - Select whether the location (site) is new or existing (i.e. has existing permits with the District).

6. “Affected Permit Number” - For changes to existing permits, enter the permit number. For amendments, enter the application number being amended.

7. "Estimate Date” – This is the date the form is filled out.

8. “Equipment Description” – Please enter a brief description of the equipment for which the permit is being applied for.

9. “Special Considerations” - Complete any of the special consideration drop downs that apply
   a. "Number of Units". Indicate the number of permits you are applying for. If you are applying for multiple identical equipment at the same time, see instructions below for using multiple estimate sheets.
   b. "Outstanding Permit Fees." If your permit was previously retired for non-payment, you may owe back fees. Indicate yes in this box, and contact the District to determine what total amount is owed. This must be paid prior to apply to reactive your permit.
   c. "Split Payment". The District has a split payment option. This allows the application to be paid in two installments. If you wish to request this option, indicate yes and the total fee will be divided in two, plus an additional processing fee is paid with the first application.
   d. "HRA Fee not applicable..." District Rule 1200 requires that an HRA be conducted for any project that results in an increase in Toxic Air Contaminants. The estimate sheet assumes that most applications require this fee; however, certain applications may not increase emissions or a project may consist of multiple applications where only one fee is required. If either of these is the case for your application, use this box to remove the HRA fee, but note that if this fee is required an invoice will be issued for the additional amount.

The specific fees that must be included are determined by District Rule 40 and can include fixed fees and/or time and material (T&M) based fees. Please note that T&M based fees are estimates and can vary based on the amount of work necessary to complete the review of the application. Additionally, review of certain requirements, including Health Risk Assessments (HRA), New Source Review (NSR), California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), and others are also assessed on a Time & Material basis.

Note for Multiple Applications - If you are submitting multiple applications simultaneously, a single fee estimate sheet can be used if all equipment is within the same fee schedule and you are applying for multiple permits. However, note that a single application record will be created for each individual application.

If you are submitting multiple applications simultaneously and wish to take advantage of the multiple identical equipment lower fee provisions of Rule 40, complete an estimate form for the first unit, and then a separate form for the subsequent units, with the reason for submittal as “Additional Identical Unit, Applying Same Time”.

NOTE:   The fees listed in this estimate are intended to be the deposit necessary to begin work on your application. In most cases, fees will be accurate; however, some fees are estimates of time & material based fees and the final fee may be more or less than the estimated amount. If additional fees are owed, you will be invoiced for these fees and if any fees are remaining after approval, these will be refunded. Work records are kept for purposes of establishing time and material based fees.

How to Pay

These fees may be paid by check payable to "Air Pollution Control District" or by credit card (Visa, MasterCard, and American Express).

If you choose to email or fax your application and intend on paying with a credit card, ensure that you have obtained your fee estimate and have it in hand, and then after submitting the application, you must contact the District over the phone at (858)586-2600 to provide payment information.

Please note that credit card payments are assessed a transaction fee of 2.19% that is charged by the credit card provider.

The District will act on complete applications as soon as possible but at most within 180 days. The engineer assigned to your application will review it and contact you within 30 days of receipt to confirm that it is complete or request additional information. Typically permits are issued in about 60 days. More complex processes will take longer. Common reasons that applications may take longer than 60 days to evaluate include: the project is a complex project specifically at a major source, if the project requires a mandatory public notice period due to being installed within 1000 feet of a school or triggering the requirement for a air quality impact analysis (AQIA), if they do not initially pass a health risk assessment (HRA) or AQIA, if BACT is not proposed or complete BACT analysis is not submitted or for major sources if actual emission data is not included.

Ensuring your application is complete is the best way to reduce processing time. Complete emissions data is the most important factor in minimizing application processing time and iterative information requests. If you have any questions about what information is required, please contact the District using the information on the Assistance tab.

Sign up for Citizen Access to get up to date information on the status of your application.

Learn more about the permitting process and what to expect.

NESHAP/NSPS/ATCM

ATCM for Stationary Compression Ignition Engines (Stationary ATCM) - Applies to stationary engines that combust diesel fuel, so may apply to engines registered under Rule 12. Common requirements of the Stationary ATCM include limiting testing and maintenance operation and keeping records of operation and maintenance.

ATCM for Portable Engines (Portable Engines) - This rule applies to engines that combust diesel fuel and are considered portable under the rule, so may apply to engines registered under Rule 12.1. Common requirements of the Portable ATCM include purchasing a current tier engine and meeting fleet averaging standards.

RICE NESHAP (ZZZZ) - This EPA rule applies to both spark ignition and compression ignition stationary engines, so may apply to engines registered under Rule 12. Typical requirements of this rule include maintenance and operating requirements. The District will evaluate your application and include any applicable requirements of this rule in an authority to construct.

NSPS Subpart OOO - This EPA rule applies to any portable rock crushing plants with a maximum processing rate of more than 150 tons per hour including asphalt crushers/recyclers. If your registered equipment will exceed this threshold, contact the District prior to submittal to determine potential requirements and application evaluation fees.

The engineer assigned to an application will review the proposed equipment to determine the requirements of these regulations that may apply and include them as conditions in your authority to construct

District Rules

Several District rules may apply to your equipment. General rules that may apply  include Rules 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, and 62.

District Rule 12 and Rule 12.1 contain specific requirements for each equipment type being registered. Requirements can be found in the applicable rule and are also listed on the certificate application for the equipment type. A complete listing of the District's rules can be found here.

Calculation Procedures and Additional Resources

Equipment Calculation Procedures - This page contains procedures to be used for calculating emissions from this equipment that should be submitted with each application.

Use of these calculation procedures will aid in minimizing application review time and costs.  The correct emission factors should be selected from the list based on equipment. If available, manufacturer provided equipment specific emission data or source test results should be utilized before using default emission factors. Sources of all emission data used must be included as attachments to the application.

AP-42 - An alternative compilation of emission factors and calculation procedures prepared by the EPA that may be utilized by the District in some situations for some equipment types.

EPA Certification Information - This page contains spreadsheets with emission factors for engines certified by the US EPA. Data is available for most diesel engines and certified spark-ignition engines and can be looked up by model year and EPA engine family name.

CARB Executive Orders - Use this link to obtain emission factors for certified diesel engines from the California Air Resources Board (CARB). Data can be looked up by engine manufacturer, model year and EPA engine family name.

Stationary Engine Compliance Information - Contains useful information prepared by the District for staying in compliance with stationary engine permit requirements.

Forms and Compliance Policies - See this page for compliance related forms (including reporting form templates) and compliance advisories that may be relevant to your equipment.

Portable Equipment Compliance Information - Helpful information for determining whether your equipment is considered portable and other useful compliance information for portable equipment.