13 CA ADC § 2262.9 Page 1

13 CCR s 2262.9

Cal. Admin. Code tit. 13, s 2262.9

© 2010 Thomson Reuters. No Claim to Orig. US Gov. Works.

BARCLAYS OFFICIAL CALIFORNIA CODE OF 

REGULATIONS

TITLE 13. MOTOR VEHICLES

DIVISION 3. AIR RESOURCES BOARD

CHAPTER 5. STANDARDS FOR MOTOR VEHICLE FUELS

ARTICLE 1. STANDARDS FOR GASOLINE

SUBARTICLE 2. STANDARDS FOR GASOLINE 

SOLD BEGINNING MARCH 1, 1996

This database is current through 12/26/2003, Register 

2003, No. 52.

s 2262.9. Requirements Regarding Denatured Ethanol 

Intended For Use as a Blend Component in California 

Gasoline.

(a) Standards.

(1) Standards for denatured ethanol.Starting December 31, 

2003, no person shall sell, offer for sale, supply or offer for 

supply denatured ethanol intended for blending with 

CARBOB or California gasoline that fails to comply with 

the following standards:

(A) Standards for properties regulated by the CaRFG 

Phase 3 standards.

1. A sulfur content not exceeding 10 parts per million;

2. A benzene content not exceeding 0.06 percent by volume; or

3. An olefins content not exceeding 0.5 percent by volume; or

4. An aromatic hydrocarbon content not exceeding 1.7 

percent by volume.

(B) Standards based on ASTM D 4806-99.All test methods and standards identified in the title and the table 

below are incorporated herein by reference.

Specification Value Test method

Ethanol, vol.%, min. 92.1 ASTM D 5501-94(1998)

Methanol, vol.%, max. 0.5

Solvent-washed gum, mg/100 5.0 ASTM D 381-00, air jet

ml, max. apparatus

Water content, vol.%, max. 1 ASTM E 203-96 or

E 1064-00

Denaturant content,

vol.%, min. 1.96

vol.% max. 4.76

The only denaturants shall be

natural gasoline, gasoline

components, or unleaded gasoline.

Inorganic Chloride content, 40 (32) Modification of ASTM

mass ppm (mg/l), max. D512-89(1999),

Procedure C 1

Copper content, mg/kg, max. 0.1 Modification of ASTM

D1688-95, Test Method A 2

Acidity (as acetic acid), mass 0.007 (56) ASTM D 1613-96 (1999)

% (mg/l), max.

pHe 6.5 - 9.0 ASTM D 6423-99

Appearance Visibly free of Determined at indoor

suspended

or precipitated ambient temperature

contaminants unless otherwise agreed

(clean and upon between the
13 CA ADC § 2262.9 Page 2

13 CCR s 2262.9

Cal. Admin. Code tit. 13, s 2262.9

© 2010 Thomson Reuters. No Claim to Orig. US Gov. Works.

bright)

supplier and purchaser

____________ 

Note 1: The modification of ASTM D 512-89(1999), 

Procedure C consists of using 5 ml of sample diluted with 

20 ml of water in place of the 25 ml sample specified in the 

standard procedure. The water shall meet ASTM D 

1193-99, Type II. The volume of the sample prepared by 

this modification will be slightly larger than 25 ml. To 

allow for the dilution factor, report the chloride ion present 

in the fuel ethanol sample as the chloride ion present in the 

diluted sample multiplied by five.

Note 2: The modification of ASTM D 1688-95, Test 

Method A (atomic absorption) consists of mixing reagent 

grade ethanol (which may be denatured according to the 

U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (BATF) of 

the U.S. Treasury Department Formula 3A or 30, as set 

forth in 27 CFR sections 21.35 and 21.57, as in effect April 

1, 2001) in place of water as the solvent or diluent for the 

preparation of reagents and standard solutions. However, 

this must not be done to prepare the stock copper solution 

described in 11.1 of ASTM D 1688-95. Because a violent 

reaction may occur between the acid and the ethanol, use 

water, as specified, in the acid solution part of the procedure to prepare the stock copper solution. Use ethanol for 

the rinse and dilution only.

(2) Exemption.

(A) Inapplicability of basic standards.The standards in 

section (a)(1)(A) do not apply to a quantity of denatured 

ethanol sold, offered for sale, supplied, or offered for 

supply by a person who demonstrates as an affirmative 

defense that:

1. The person has complied with section (c)(1)(B); and

2. He or she has taken reasonably prudent precautions to 

assure that the denatured ethanol will only be added to 

CARBOB which has been designed to be lawfully oxygenated with denatured ethanol having the properties 

identified in the document provided pursuant to section 

(c)(1)(B).

(B) Substitute standards.Starting December 31, 2003, no 

person shall sell, offer for sale, supply or offer for supply 

denatured ethanol that is intended for blending with 

CARBOB or California gasoline and is exempt pursuant to 

section (a)(2)(A), if the denatured ethanol fails to comply 

with any of the properties identified in the document provided pursuant to section (c)(1)(B).

(3) Standards for products represented as appropriate for 

use as a denaturant in ethanol.

(A) Except as otherwise provided in section (a)(3)(B), 

starting December 31, 2003, no person shall sell, offer for 

sale, supply or offer for supply a product represented as 

appropriate for use as a denaturant in ethanol intended for 

blending with CARBOB or California gasoline, if the 

denaturant has:

1. A benzene content exceeding 1.1 percent by volume; or

2. An olefins content exceeding 10 percent by volume; or

3. An aromatic hydrocarbon content exceeding 35 percent 

by volume.

(B) A person may sell, offer for sale, supply or offer for 

supply a product that is represented as only suitable for use 

as an ethanol denaturant in ethanol intended for blending 

with CARBOB or California gasoline if the denatured 

ethanol contains no more than a specified percentage of the 

denaturant that is less than 4.76 percent. In this case, the 

product must be prominently labeled as only lawful for use 

as a denaturant where the denatured ethanol contains no 

more than the specified percentage of the denaturant, and 

the seller, supplier or offeror must take reasonably prudent 

precautions to assure that the denaturant will not be used in 

concentrations greater than the specified percentage in 

ethanol intended for blending with CARBOB or California 

gasoline. If these conditions are met, the standards in section (a)(3)(A) for the denaturant will be adjusted by multiplying the stated values by (4.76 Bmax.%), where 

"max.%" is the maximum percentage of denaturant specified for the denatured ethanol.

(b) Test Methods.

(1) In determining compliance with the denatured ethanol 

standards in section (a)(1)(A):

(A) The sulfur content of denatured ethanol shall be de-
13 CA ADC § 2262.9 Page 3

13 CCR s 2262.9

Cal. Admin. Code tit. 13, s 2262.9

© 2010 Thomson Reuters. No Claim to Orig. US Gov. Works.

termined by ASTM D 5453-93, which is incorporated 

herein by reference.

(B) The aromatic hydrocarbon, benzene and olefins content of denatured ethanol shall be determined by sampling 

the denaturant and using the methods specified in section 

2263 to determine the content of those compounds in the 

denaturant. The result will then be multiplied by 0.0476, 

except that where it is demonstrated that the denatured 

ethanol contains less than 4.76 percent denaturant, the 

result will be multiplied by the decimal fraction 

representing the percent denaturant.

(2) In determining compliance with the denaturant standards in section (a)(3), the aromatic hydrocarbon, benzene 

and olefins content of the denaturant shall be determined 

by the methods specified in section 2263 for determining 

the content of those compounds in gasoline.

(c) Documentation required for the transfer of denatured 

ethanol intended for use as a blend component in California gasoline.

(1)(A) Starting December 31, 2003, and except as provided in section (c)(1)(B), on each occasion that any person transfers custody or title of denatured ethanol intended 

for use as a blend component in California gasoline, the 

transferor shall provide the transferee a document that 

prominently states that the denatured ethanol complies 

with the standards for denatured ethanol intended for use 

as a blend component in California gasoline.

(B) Starting December 31, 2003, on each occasion that 

any person transfers custody or title of denatured ethanol 

that is intended to be added to CARBOB designated for 

blending with denatured ethanol exceeding any of the 

standards in section (a)(1)(A), the transferor shall provide 

the transferee a document that prominently identifies the 

maximum sulfur, benzene, olefin and aromatic hydrocarbon content of the denatured ethanol, and states that the 

denatured ethanol may only be lawfully added to CARBOB that is designated for blending with denatured ethanol having such properties.

(2) Starting December 31, 2003, any person who sells or 

supplies denatured ethanol intended for use as a blend 

component in California gasoline from the California facility at which it was imported or produced shall provide 

the purchaser or recipient a document that identifies:

(A) The name and address of the person selling or supplying the denatured ethanol, and

(B) The name, location and operator of the facility(ies) at 

which the ethanol was produced and at which the denaturant was added to the ethanol.

<General Materials (GM) - References, Annotations, or 

Tables>

Note: Authority cited: Sections 39600, 39601, 43013, 

43013.1, 43018 and 43101, Health and Safety Code; 

andWestern Oil and Gas Ass'n. v. Orange County Air 

Pollution Control District, 14 Cal.3d 411, 121 Cal.Rptr. 

249 (1975). Reference: Sections 39000, 39001, 39002, 

39003, 39010, 39500, 39515, 39516, 41511, 43000, 

43013, 43013.1, 43016, 43018, 43101 and 43830.8, Health 

and Safety Code; andWestern Oil and Gas Ass'n. v. Orange 

County Air Pollution Control District, 14 Cal.3d 411, 121 

Cal.Rptr. 249 (1975). 

HISTORY 

1. New section filed 8-20-2001; operative 8-20-2001 pursuant to Government

Code section 11343.4 (Register 2001, No. 34).

2. Amendment filed 12-24-2002; operative 12-24-2002 pursuant to Government

Code section 11343.4 (Register 2002, No. 52).

13 CA ADC s 2262.9

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