VENTURA COUNTY AIR POLLUTION CONTROL DISTRICT

Rule 23. Exemptions from Permit

(Adopted 10/22/68, Revised 5/23/72, 7/18/72, 8/26/74, 3/9/76, 6/14/77, 1/17/78, 6/20/78,11/21/78, 6/17/80, 5/5/81, 7/2/85, 10/21/86,

11/22/88, 5/16/89,6/20/89, 6/27/89, 9/12/89, 5/8/90, 1/8/91, 7/16/91, 1/28/92, 6/8/93, 3/22/94, 12/13/94, 7/9/96)

The following operations, equipment or emission sources are exempt from the requirement to have a permit,

but must comply with emission standards and prohibitions except as exempted in Rule 55. The owner or

operator shall provide calculations, usage records, emissions records and/or operational data as necessary to

substantiate any exemptions which apply to the subject facility and as may be required by the District to

substantiate such exemption.

A. Burning, Incineration, Smoke

Open outdoor fires used only for recreational purposes, heating or occasional cooking of food for

human consumption, where such use is accomplished in a fireplace or barbecue pit.

1. 

Smoke generators which are intentionally operated for purposes of training observers in observing the

shade or opacity of emissions.

2. 

Acceptable incinerators used exclusively in connection with any structure designed and used

exclusively as a residential dwelling for not more than four (4) families. (Revised 5/23/72)

3. 

Safety flares exclusively used for emergency standby for the disposal of process gases in the event of

unavoidable process upsets. (Adopted 6/14/77)

4. 

B. Dust

1. Material stock piles.

2. Blasting with explosives.

3. Mobile equipment which is used solely for the movement of solid materials. (Revised 5/23/72)

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

4. 

Equipment used for carving, cutting, drilling, surface grinding, planing, routing, sanding, sawing,

shredding, or turning of wood or paper, or the pressing or storing of sawdust, wood chips or wood

shavings.

5. 

6. Blast cleaning equipment using a suspension of abrasives in water.
Abrasive blast cabinet-dust filter integral combination units where the total internal volume of the blast

section is 50 cubic feet or less.

7. 

8. Batch mixers of 5 cubic feet rated working capacity or less.

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

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

Laundry dryers, extractors or tumblers used for fabrics cleaned only with water solutions of bleach or

detergents.

11. 

C. Heaters, Boilers

Space heating and heat transfer equipment rated at less than one million BTU/s per hour, except

reboilers that are part of a glycol dehydration unit. (Revised 6/14/77, 12/13/94)

1. 

Equipment rated at less than one million BTUs per hour and used exclusively for steam cleaning.

(Revised 6/20/89)

2. 

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

D. Vehicles, Engines

Aircraft and vehicles as defined by the Vehicle Code of the State of California, and the filling of fuel

tanks attached to such equipment but not including any equipment mounted on such vehicle that would

otherwise come under the jurisdiction of these Rules and Regulations.

1. 

2. Vehicles used to transport passengers or freight.

3. Self-powered vehicular mounted concrete mixing units.

4. Internal combustion engines used exclusively for frost protection.

Piston driven internal combustion engines used for oil well work-over operations, for driving air pumps

at sewage treatment facilities, or for driving irrigation pumps. (Adopted 6/20/78, Revised 5/5/81,

1/8/91)

5. 

Internal combustion engines having a maximum design power rating of less than 50 brake horsepower.

(Adopted 6/20/78, Revised 7/2/85)

6. 

Emergency internal combustion engines operated either during an emergency or during maintenance of

the engine. Engine maintenance operation is limited to 50 hours per calendar year per engine.

For the purpose of this section, an emergency internal combustion engine is either a portable engine

used for emergency purposes; an engine that is used only when electrical power line or natural gas

7. 
service fails; or an engine used for the emergency pumping of water for either fire protection or flood

relief.

An emergency engine may not be operated to replace an internal combustion engine or a turbine that

has failed or requires maintenance; to supplement a primary power source when the load capacity or

rating of the primary power source has been either reached or exceeded; nor to reduce the demand for

electrical power when normal electrical power line service has not failed.

8. Piston driven internal combustion engines used in oil drilling rigs in emergencies to drill relief wells.

E. Food Preparation, Processing, Household

Equipment used in connection with any structure designed and used exclusively as a residential

dwelling.

1. 

Equipment and processing plant equipment used exclusively and directly for the purpose of preparing

food for human consumption where no organic solvents are used.

2. 

Vacuum cleaning systems used exclusively for industrial, commercial, institutional or residential

housekeeping purposes.

3. 

Comfort air conditioning or ventilating systems which are not designed to remove air contaminants

generated by or released from specific units of equipment.

4. 

5. Refrigeration units except those used as, or in conjunction with, air pollution control operations.

F. Gaseous Reactive Organic Compound Emissions

Storage in or loading into any tank having a capacity of 550 gallons or less which is equipped with a

submerged fill pipe and is not required to have a vapor recovery system. (Revised 11/22/88)

1. 

Equipment for loading and storing of a reactive organic compound liquid into any stationary storage

tank having a capability of holding 250 gallons or less. (Revised 5/23/72)

2. 

Equipment for loading of reactive organic compound liquid into transportable containers of 100 gallons

or less.

3. 

Equipment for loading of a maximum of 500 gallons per calendar day or less of reactive organic

compound liquid into transportable containers.

4. 

5. Containers for the storage of unheated asphalt. (Revised 5/23/72)

Until July 9, 1997; any of the following solvent cleaning equipment or operations:

Non-conveyorized degreasers which use unheated solvent and which have a liquid surface area of

less than 929 square centimeters (1 square foot).

a. 

Non-conveyorized degreasers which use unheated solvent with an initial boiling point greater

than 150 oC (302 oF) and which have a liquid surface area of less than 1 square meter (10.8

b. 

6. 
square feet).

Degreasing equipment at any stationary source where less than 25 gallons of solvent per year are

lost to the atmosphere from all such equipment. Solvent lost shall not include solvent that is

recycled or disposed of properly. Any person claiming exemption pursuant to this subsection

shall maintain adequate monthly records to substantiate their exempt status.

c. 

Wipe cleaning operations at any stationary source where less than 25 gallons of solvent per year

are lost to the atmosphere from such operations. Solvent lost shall not include solvent that is

recycled or disposed of properly. Any person claiming exemption pursuant to this subsection

shall maintain adequate monthly records to substantiate their exempt status.

d. 

Products used for facility, grounds, and building maintenance and repair, including solvents, coatings,

adhesives, lubricants, and sealants. Facility maintenance and repair does not include the use of these

products for maintenance and repair of process and industrial equipment when this activity is being

conducted by contractors.

7. 

8. Janitorial services and use of products for routine janitorial maintenance, including graffiti removal.

Office and administrative use of products such as ink, marking pens, ink pads, glues and adhesives, and

cleaning solvents. Office and administrative use does not include production activities by facilities

involved in graphic arts operations.

9. 

Solvent cleaning operations and materials as follows:

a. Cleaning agents that contain two percent or less organic solvent, by weight, as used or applied.

b. Nonrefillable aerosol cleaning products.

Cold cleaners which use non-boiling organic solvent(s) with an initial boiling point (excluding

water) greater than 150 oC (302 oF) and which have a liquid surface area of less than 1 square

meter (10.8 square feet), at any stationary source where less than 1000 pounds of ROC are lost to

the atmosphere from all such cold cleaners during any rolling period of 12 consecutive calendar

months. (effective 7/9/97)

c. 

Cleaning activities, excluding coating, ink, adhesive and polyester resin operations, where less

than 200 pounds each of ROC, methylene chloride, 1,1,1 trichloroethane, and perchloroethylene

are lost to the atmosphere from all such activities at the stationary source during any rolling

period of 12 consecutive calendar months. Emissions from cleaning agents that contain two

percent or less organic solvent by weight as used or applied, aerosol products, and cold cleaners

included in subsection c above, shall not be included in this determination. (effective 7/9/97)

d. 

10. 

Coating operations and materials as follows:

a. Nonrefillable aerosol spray paints and coatings.

Coating operations, other than motor vehicle or mobile equipment coating operations, where less

than 200 pounds each of ROC, methylene chloride, 1,1,1 trichloroethane, and perchloroethylene

are lost to the atmosphere during any rolling period of 12 consecutive calendar months. (effective

7/9/97)

For the purpose of this section, coating operations shall include solvent loss from coatings,

thinning, substrate surface preparation, and application equipment cleaning, associated with the

coating operation. Emissions from degreasers subject to Rule 74.6.1, 74.6.2, and/or 74.6.3, and

aerosol products shall not be included in this determination. Emissions included in a graphic arts

operation shall not be included in this determination.

b. 

Coatings used in mobile automotive touch-up operations where application is done using either a

paint brush or an air brush with a cup that holds no more than 4 ounces of paint.

c. 

11. 

12. Adhesive operations where less than 200 pounds *each of ROC, methylene chloride, 1,1,1
trichloroethane, and perchloroethylene are lost to the atmosphere during any rolling period of 12

consecutive calendar months. (effective 7/9/97) (* clerical correction made)

For the purpose of this section, adhesive operations shall include solvent loss from adhesives, thinning,

substrate surface preparation, and application equipment cleaning, associated with the adhesive

operation. Aerosol adhesives shall be included in this determination. Emissions from degreasers subject

to Rule 74.6.1, 74.6.2, and/or 74.6.3, shall not be included in this determination. Emissions included in

a graphic arts operation shall not be included in this determination.

Graphic arts operations (including but not limited to graphic arts operations such as packaging gravure,

publication gravure, flexographic printing, screen printing, letterpress, lithographic printing, or ink jet

printing) where less than 200 pounds * each of ROC, methylene chloride, 1,1,1 trichloroethane, and

perchloroethylene are lost to the atmosphere during any rolling period of 12 consecutive calendar

months. (effective 7/9/97) (* clerical correction made)

For the purpose of this section, graphic arts operations shall include solvent loss from inks, ink

additives, fountain solutions, substrate surface preparation, application equipment cleaning, coatings,

and adhesives for binding or gluing printed substrates, associated with the ink operation. Emissions

from degreasers subject to Rule 74.6.1, 74.6.2, and/or 74.6.3, and aerosol products shall not be included

in this determination.

13. 

Polyester resin operations using less than 20 gallons of polyester resin materials each month including

unsaturated polyester resins, cross-linking agents, catalysts, gel coats, inhibitors, accelerators,

promoters, and any other material containing ROC and used in the polyester resin operation. Inert filler

and cleaning material is specifically excluded from this determination.

14. 

Operations using organic solvent (other than solvent cleaning operations, coating operations, adhesive

operations, ink operations, polyester resin operations, semiconductor manufacturing, dry cleaning, and

other defined exempted uses) that emit less than 200 pounds each of ROC, methylene chloride, 1,1,1

trichloroethane, and perchloroethylene during any rolling period of 12 consecutive calendar months.

Emissions from degreasers subject to Rule 74.6.1, 74.6.2, and/or 74.6.3, and aerosol products shall not

be included in this determination. These operations include but may not be limited to: stripping,

passivation, deoxidation, mold release, debonding, unglueing, defluxing, etching, dewaxing, descaling,

drying, and maskant application.

15. 

Equipment for melting and applying coatings of oils, waxes, greases, resins, and like substances where

no reactive organic solvents, diluents or thinners are used.

16. 

Equipment used exclusively for the manufacture of water emulsions of asphalt, greases, oils or waxes

or the manufacture of waterbased adhesives or waterbased paints.

17. 

Equipment used to compress, store, liquefy or separate gases from the air or to compress or store

natural hydrocarbon gases, other than engines. (Revised 5/23/72)

18. 

Equipment used exclusively to mill or grind coatings and molding compounds where all materials

charged are in a paste form.

19. 

Until July 9, 1997, stationary sources, other than motor vehicle or mobile equipment coating operations,

emitting not more than 3 pounds of ROC per day and not more than 200 pounds of ROC per year from

20. 
surface coating operations including coatings, thinners, or any other solvent containing materials.

Until July 9, 1997, any motor vehicle or mobile equipment coating operation where only hand-held,

nonrefillable aerosol cans, 16 ounces or less (net weight) are used (Adopted 6/14/77, Revised 5/16/89,

1/28/92).

Any tank or container which is used to hold or store reactive organic compound liquids, except gasoline

and crude oil, and which is not required to have reactive organic compound vapor emission controls.

21. 

Until July 9, 1997, adhesive and sealant operations emitting not more than 200 pounds of ROC per

rolling period consisting of 12 consecutive calendar months from adhesives, sealants, adhesive primers,

solvents, and aerosol spray products (Adopted 6/8/93).

22. 

Any soil aeration project exempt from the soil aeration limit in Rule 74.29 pursuant to Subsection C.1,

C.2, or C.3 of Rule 74.29.

23. 

Any soil remediation project where collected organic vapors are not emitted to the atmosphere by any

means. For the purpose of this subsection, this may include, but is not limited to, routing the vapors into

the ground.

24. 

G. Experimental Operations

Bench scale experimental or research operations and equipment used exclusively for investigation,

experimentation or research to advance the state of air pollution control knowledge or to improve techniques,

provided however, the Air Pollution Control Officer has given express prior approval which shall include

limitation of time. (Revised 5/23/72)

H. Plastics and Rubber

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

Ovens used exclusively for the curing of plastics which are concurrently being vacuum held to a molt or

for the softening or annealing of plastics.

2. 

3. Equipment used for compression molding or injection moulding of plastics.

Mixers for rubber or plastics where no material in powder form is added and no organic solvents,

diluents or thinners are used.

4. 

5. Ovens used exclusively for the curing of vinyl plastisols by the closet mold curing process.

6. Roll mills or calendar for rubber or plastics where no organic solvents, diluents or thinners are used.

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

8. Equipment used exclusively for conveying and storing plastic pellets.
I. Metals and Ceramics

Porcelain enameling furnaces, porcelain enameling drying ovens, vitreous enameling furnaces or

vitreous enameling drying ovens of one million BTU/s per hour or less heat input. (Revised 5/23/72)

1. 

2. Kilns used for firing ceramic ware of one million BTU/s per hour or less heat input. (Revised 6/14/77)

Equipment used exclusively for heat treating or sintering glass or metals or for case hardening metals of

one million BTU/s per hour or less heat input. (Revised 5/23/72)

3. 

Presses used exclusively for extruding metals, minerals, plastics or wood where no heat is applied.

(Revised 5/23/72)

4. 

5. Equipment used for hydraulic or hydrostatic testing.

6. Equipment used for inspection of metal products.

7. Brazing, soldering or welding equipment.

8. Molds used for the casting of metals.

Equipment using dilute aqueous solutions for surface preparation, cleaning, stripping, etching (does not

include chemical milling) or the electrolytic plating, electrolytic polishing or the electrolytic stripping

of brass, bronze, cadmium, copper, iron, lead, nickel, tin, and zinc. This exemption does not apply to

chrome plating or chromic acid anodizing. (Revised 5/23/72, 6/27/89)

9. 

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.

10. 

Crucible furnaces, pot furnaces, or induction furnaces, with a capacity of 1000 pounds or less each with

fail-safe temperature controllers preventing vapor boil-off, in which no sweating or distilling is

conducted and from which only the following metals are poured or in which only the following metals

are held in a molten state. (Revised 5/23/72)

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

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

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

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

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

f. Copper

g. Precious metals

11. 

Crucible furnaces, pot furnaces or induction furnaces with a brimful capacity of less than 450 cubic

inches of any molten metal. (Revised 6/14/77)

12. 

J. Miscellaneous

Bench scale laboratory equipment used exclusively for chemical or physical analyses or experiments.

(Revised 6/14/77)

1. 
Vacuum producing devices in laboratory operations or in connection with other equipment which is

exempt by this Rule.

2. 

Until July 9, 1997, graphic arts operations (packaging gravure, publication gravure, flexographic

printing, screen printing, letterpress, lithographic printing, or ink jet printing) with total facility

emissions from graphic arts operations of not more than 200 pounds of ROC per rolling period of 12

consecutive calendar months from inks, coatings, fountain solutions, solvents, and adhesives used for

the binding of books or periodicals. Solvents shall include ink additives and materials used for the

clean-up of graphic arts equipment. (Revised 5/23/72, 3/22/94)

3. 

Photographic process equipment by which an image is reproduced upon material sensitized to radiant

energy.

4. 

5. Equipment used exclusively to package pharmaceuticals or cosmetics or to coat pharmaceutical tablets.

6. Shell-core and shell-mold manufacturing machines.

7. Die casting machines.

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

9. Valves and flanges.

10. Cooling towers and ponds.

Equipment used exclusively for the dyeing or stripping (bleaching) of textiles where no organic

solvents, diluents, thinners or sulfur compounds are used.

11. 

Any article, machine, equipment, contrivance or their exhaust systems, the discharge from which

contains airborne radioactive materials and which is emitted into the atmosphere in concentrations

above the natural radioactive background concentration in air. "Air-borne radioactive material" means

any radioactive material dispersed in the air in the form of dusts, fumes, smoke, mists, liquids, vapors or

gases.

Atomic energy development and radiation protection are controlled by the State of California to the

extent it has jurisdiction thereof, in accordance with the advice and recommendations made to the

Governor by the Advisory Council on Atomic Energy Development and Radiation Protection. Such

development and protection are fully regulated by the United States Atomic Energy Commission to the

extent that such authority has not been delegated to the states.

12. 

Repairs, including the replacement of worn or defective parts, to any article, machine, equipment or

other contrivance where a Permit to Operate had previously been granted for such equipment, so long

as such repairs do not constitute a substantial replacement of the equipment as a whole. (Revised

1/17/78)

13. 

Any sterilizer or aerator at a stationary source where the amount of ethylene oxide charged to all

sterilizers at the stationary source is no more than 4 pounds per year (lb/yr).

14.