GBUAPCD – Rule 201

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RULE 201. EXEMPTIONS

Adopted: 09/05/74 Revised: 02/15/89, 05/08/96, 01/23/06

The exemptions contained in this Rule shall not apply to any new stationary source or 

modification as defined in Rule 209-A, (F), 2 and 3, which would emit any pollutants in excess of 

the quantities stated in Rule 209-A, (B), (2).

An authority to construct or a permit to operate shall not be required for the sources hereinafter 

set out, provided, however, said sources shall comply with all other applicable District Rules and 

Regulations.

A. Vehicles as defined by the Vehicle Code of the State of California but not including any 

article, machine, equipment, or other contrivance mounted on such vehicle that would 

otherwise require a permit under the provisions of these Rules and Regulations. 

B. Vehicles used to transport passengers or freight. 

C. Equipment utilized, exclusively in connection with any structure which is designed for 

and used exclusively as a dwelling for not more than four families. 

D. The following equipment: 

1. Comfort air conditioning or comfort ventilating systems which are not designed to 

remove air contaminants generated by or released from specific units or 

equipment.

2. Refrigeration units except those used as, or in conjunction with, air pollution 

control equipment. 

3. Piston type internal combustion engines except for diesel engines greater than 

50 brake horsepower that are subject to emission control requirements pursuant 

to the Airborne Toxic Control Measure for Stationary Compression Ignition 

Engines (Title 17, California Code of Regulations, Section 93115). 

4. Water cooling towers and water cooling ponds not used for evaporative cooling 

of process water or not used for evaporative cooling of water from barometric jets 

or from barometric condensers. 

5. Equipment used exclusively for steam cleaning. 

6. Presses used exclusively for extruding metals, minerals, plastics or wood. 

7. Presses used for the curing of rubber products and plastic products. 

8. Equipment used exclusively for space heating other than boilers. 

9. Equipment used for hydraulic or hydrostatic testing. 

10. All sheet-fed printing presses and all other printing presses without dryers.
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11. Tanks, vessels and pumping equipment used exclusively for the storage or 

dispensing of fresh commercial or purer grades of: 

a. Sulfuric acid with an acid strength of 99 percent or less by weight. 

b. Phosphoric acid with an acid strength of 99 percent or less by weight. 

12. Ovens used exclusively for the curing of plastics which are concurrently being 

vacuum held to a mold or for the softening or annealing of plastics. 

13. Equipment used exclusively for the dying or stripping (bleaching) of textiles 

where no organic solvents, diluents or thinners are used. 

14. Equipment used exclusively to mill or grind coatings and molding compound 

where all materials charged are in a paste form. 

15. Crucible type or pot type furnaces with a brimful capacity of less than 450 cubic 

inches of any molten metal. 

16. Equipment used exclusively for the melting or applying of wax where no organic 

solvents, diluents or thinners are used. 

17. Equipment used exclusively for bonding lining to brake shoes. 

18. Lint traps used exclusively in conjunction with dry cleaning tumblers. 

19. Equipment used in eating establishments for the purpose of preparing food for 

human consumption. 

20. Equipment used exclusively to compress or hold dry natural gas. 

21. Tumblers used for the cleaning or deburring of metal products without abrasive 

blasting. 

22. Shell core and shell mold manufacturing machines. 

23. Molds used for the casting of metals. 

24. Abrasive blast cabinet-dust filter integral combination units where the total 

internal volume of the blast section is 50 cubic feet or less. 

25. Batch mixers of five cubic feet rated working capacity or less. 

26. Equipment used exclusively for the packaging of lubricants or greases. 

27. Equipment used exclusively for the manufacture of water emulsions of asphalt, 

greases, oils or waxes. 

28. Ovens used exclusively for the curing of vinyl plastisols by the closed molding 

curing process. 
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29. Equipment used exclusively for conveying and storing plastic pellets. 

30. Equipment used exclusively for the mixing and blending of materials at ambient 

temperature to make water-based adhesives. 

31. Smokehouses in which the maximum horizontal inside cross-sectional area does 

not exceed 20 square feet. 

32. Platen presses used for laminating. 

33. Equipment used exclusively to grind, blend or package tea, cocoa, spices or 

roasted coffee. 

E. The following equipment or any exhaust system or collector serving exclusively such 

equipment:

1. Blast cleaning equipment using a suspension of abrasive in water. 

2. Ovens, mixers and blenders used in bakeries where products are edible and 

intended for human consumption. 

3. Kilns used for firing ceramic water, heated exclusively by natural gas, liquefied

petroleum gas, electricity or any combination thereof. 

4. Laboratory equipment used exclusively for chemical or physical analyses and 

bench scale laboratory equipment. 

5. Equipment used for inspection of metal products. 

6. Confection cookers where the products are edible and intended for human 

consumption. 

7. Equipment used exclusively for forging, pressing, rolling or drawing of metals or 

for heating metals immediately prior to forging, pressing, rolling or drawing. 

8. Die casting machines. 

9. Atmospheric generators used in connection with metal heat treating processes. 

10. Photographic process equipment by which an image is reproduced upon material 

sensitized to radiant energy. 

11. Brazing, soldering or welding equipment. 

12. Equipment used exclusively for the sintering of glass or metals. 

13. Equipment used for buffing (except automatic or semi- automatic tire buffers), or 

polishing, carving, cutting, drilling, machining, routing, sanding, sawing, surface 

grinding or turning of ceramic artwork, ceramic precision parts, leather, metals, 

plastics, rubber, fiberboard, masonry, carbon or graphite. 
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14. Equipment used for carving, cutting, drilling, surface grinding, liquefied, routing, 

sanding, sawing, shredding or turning of wood, or the pressing or storing of 

sawdust, wood chips or wood shavings. 

15. Equipment using aqueous solutions for surface preparation, cleaning, stripping, 

etching, (does not include chemical milling) or the electrolytic plating with 

electrolytic polishing of, or the electrolytic stripping of brass, bronze, cadmium, 

copper, iron, lead, nickel, tin, zinc and precious metals. 

16. Equipment used for washing or drying products fabricated from metal or glass, 

provided that no volatile organic materials are used in the process and that no oil 

or solid fuel is burned. 

17. Laundry dryers, extractors or tumblers used for fabrics cleaned only with water 

solutions of bleach or detergents. 

18. Foundry sand mold forming equipment to which no heat is applied. 

19. Ovens used exclusively for curing potting materials or castings made with epoxy 

resins. 

20. Equipment used to liquefied or separate oxygen, nitrogen or the rare gases from 

the air. 

21. Equipment used for compression molding and injection molding of plastics. 

22. Mixers for rubber or plastics where no material in powder form is added and no 

organic solvents, diluents or thinners are used. 

23. Equipment used exclusively to package pharmaceuticals and cosmetics or to 

coat pharmaceutical tablets. 

24. Roll mills or liquefied for rubber or plastics where no organic solvents, diluents or 

thinners are used. 

25. Vacuum producing devices used in laboratory operations or in connection with 

other equipment which is exempt by Rule 201.

F. Steam generators, steam superheaters, water boilers, water heaters, and closed heat 

transfer systems that have a maximum heat input rate of less than 15 million British 

Thermal Units (BTU) per hour (gross), and are fired exclusively with natural gas or 

liquefied petroleum gas or any combination thereof. 

G. Natural draft hoods, natural draft stacks or natural draft ventilators. 

H. Containers, reservoirs or tanks used exclusively for: 

1. Dipping operations for coating objects with oils, waxes, or greases where no 

organic solvents, diluents or thinners are used. 
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2. Dipping operations for applying coatings of natural synthetic resins which contain

no organic solvents. 

3. Storage of liquefied gases. 

4. Unheated storage of organic materials with an initial boiling point of 300 F or 

greater. 

5. The storage of fuel oils with a gravity of 25 API or lower. 

6. The storage of lubricating oils. 

7. The storage of organic liquids, except gasoline, normally used as solvents, 

diluents or thinners, inks, colorants, paints, lacquers, enamels, varnishes, liquid 

resins or other surface coatings, and having a capacity of 6,000 gallons or less. 

8. The storage of liquid soaps, liquid detergents, waxes, wax emulsions, or 

vegetable oils. 

9. Asphalt Melting Kettles or molten asphalt holding tanks with less than 250 gallon 

capacity. 

10. Unheated solvent dispensing containers, unheated non-conveyorized coating dip 

tanks of 250 gallon capacity or less. 

11. Storage of gasoline in underground tanks having a capacity of 250 gallons or 

less or installed prior to December 31, 1970. 

I. Equipment used exclusively for heat treating glass or metals, or used exclusively for 

case hardening, carburizing, cyaniding, nitriding, carbonitriding, siloconizing or diffusion 

treating of metal objects.

J. Crucible furnaces, pot furnaces or induction furnaces, with a capacity of 1,000 pounds or 

less each, in which no sweating or distilling is conducted and from which only the 

following metals are held in a molten state: 

1. Aluminum or any alloy containing over 50 percent aluminum. 

2. Magnesium or any alloy containing over 50 percent magnesium. 

3. Lead or any alloy containing over 50 percent lead. 

4. Tin or any alloy containing over 50 percent tin. 

5. Zinc or any alloy containing over 50 percent zinc. 

6. Copper. 

7. Precious metals. 
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K. Furnaces for the melting of lead or any alloy, or the holding of lead or any alloy in a 

molten state where the metal is used exclusively in printing processes. 

L. Vacuum cleaning systems used exclusively for industrial, commercial or residential 

housekeeping purposes. 

M. Structural changes which cannot change the quality, nature or quantity of air 

contaminant emissions. 

N. Repairs or maintenance not involving structural changes to any equipment for which a 

permit has been granted. 

O. Identical replacements in whole or in part of any article, machine, equipment or other 

contrivance where a permit to operate has previously been granted for such equipment 

under Rule 200; however, this exception shall not be applicable to equipment or air 

pollution control equipment with respect to the loading of gasoline into stationary tanks 

(Rule 419). 

P. Open Burn/Open Detonation Operations on Military Bases, provided the operation 

complies with the requirements of Rules 217 and 432. 

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