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VENTURA COUNTY AIR POLLUTION CONTROL DISTRICT 

RULE 2 - DEFINITIONS 

(Adopted 10/22/68) 

A. Except as otherwise specifically provided in these Rules and except where the context 

otherwise indicates, words used in these Rules are used in exactly the same sense as the 

same words are used in Division 26 of the Health and Safety Code of the State of 

California. (Revised 3/9/76) 

Air Contaminant. “Air Contaminant” or “Air Pollutant” means any discharge, release, or 

other propagation into the atmosphere and includes but is not limited to, smoke, charred 

paper, dust, soot, grime, carbon, fumes, gases, odors, particulate matter, acids or any 

combination thereof. (Revised 6/23/81) 

Air Pollution Control Officer. “Air Pollution Control Officer” means the Air Pollution 

Control Officer or his duly authorized assistants and deputies. (Added 3/26/74) 

Air Quality Standards. “Air Quality Standards” as used in these Regulations refers to 

those ambient air quality standards as promulgated by State or Federal pollution control 

agencies or as described in these Regulations. (Added 5/23/72, Revised 7/18/72) 

Atmosphere. “Atmosphere” means the air that surrounds the earth but does not include 

the general volume of gases contained in any bona fide building. 

Authority to Construct. “Authority to Construct” means a written permit issued by the 

Ventura County Air Pollution Control District for the construction, erection, installation, 

assembling, modification, or replacement of any facility including any article, machine, 

equipment or contrivance the use of which may cause the issuance, reduction, control or 

elimination of air contaminants. (Added 5/23/72) 

Best Available Control Technology (BACT). “Best Available Control Technology” 

means the most stringent emission limitation or control technology for an emissions unit 

which: 

1. Has been achieved in practice for such emissions unit category, or 

2. Is contained in any implementation plan approved by the Environmental 

Protection Agency for such emissions unit category. A specific limitation or 

control shall not apply if the owner or operator of such emissions unit 

demonstrates to the satisfaction of the Air Pollution Control Officer (APCO) that 

such limitation or control technology is not presently achievable, or 

3. Any other emission limitation or control technology, including, but not limited to, 

replacement of such emissions unit with a lower emitting emissions unit, 

application of control equipment or process modifications, determined by the 

APCO to be technologically feasible for such emissions unit and cost effective as 
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compared to the BACT cost effectiveness threshold adopted by the Ventura 

County Air Pollution Control Board. 

In defining emissions unit categories, the APCO may take into account the function of 

the emissions unit, the capacity of the emissions unit, the annual throughput of the 

emissions unit, and the location of the emissions unit with respect to electricity or fuels 

needed to achieve an emission limitation or control technology. (Added 9/28/76, Revised 

6/20/78, 6/19/79, 1/10/84, 10/22/91) 

Board. “Board” means the Air Pollution Control Board of the Air Pollution Control 

District of Ventura County. 

Combustible Refuse. “Combustible Refuse” means any solid or liquid combustible waste 

material containing carbon in a free or combined state. 

Combustion Contaminants. “Combustion Contaminants” means particulate matter 

discharged into the atmosphere from the burning of any kind of material containing 

carbon in a free or combined state. 

Construction. “Construction” means the erection, installation, assembling, modification, 

or replacement of any article, machine, equipment, or contrivance. Construction begins 

when any of the following occurs; ground is broken, equipment is moved into position, or 

any connection or attachment is done to or for the equipment in question. (Added 

5/23/72) 

Control Strategy. “Control Strategy” means a combination of measures designed to 

reduce air contaminant emissions to attain and maintain ambient air quality standards. 

(Added 8/17/76) 

Crude Oil. “Crude Oil” means any naturally occurring, unrefined petroleum liquid. 

(Added 6/20/78) 

District. “District” shall mean the Ventura County Air Pollution Control District. 

(Added 1/29/74) 

Effluent. “Effluent” means the total volume of gases and/or liquids and/or solids emitted 

from an emission point. (Revised 5/23/72) 

Emission. “Emission” means the act of passing into the atmosphere of air contaminant or 

a gas stream which may or may not contain an air contaminant or the material so passed 

into the atmosphere. (Revised 5/23/72) 

Emission Data. “Emission Data” means measured or calculated concentrations or 

weights of air contaminants emitted into the ambient air. Data used to calculate emission 

data are not emission data. (Added 1/29/74) 
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Emission Point. “Emission Point” means any point from which any air contaminants are 

released into the atmosphere. (Added 5/23/72) 

Emission Standards. “Emission Standards” as used in these Regulations means U.S. 

Federal (EPA), State of California (ARB), or Ventura County Air Pollution Control 

District standards of limits for air contaminant emissions, whichever are the most 

restrictive. (Added 5/23/72, Revised 7/18/72) 

Equipment. Any operation, article, machine, equipment, or contrivance which may emit 

or reduce the emissions of any air contaminant or affected pollutant. (Added 11/19/85) 

Exempt Organic Compounds. “Exempt Organic Compounds” means any of the 

following negligibly-reactive or low-reactive compounds. 

1. The following are negligibly-reactive compounds: 

carbon monoxide (CO), 

carbon dioxide (CO2), 

metallic carbides (M-C) or carbonates (M-CO3), 

ammonium carbonate ((NH4)HCO3(NH4)CO2NH2), 

carbonic acid (CO(OH)2), 

methane (CH4), 

methylene chloride (dichloromethane), 

1,1,1-trichloroethane (methyl chloroform), 

trichlorofluoromethane (CFC-11), 

dichlorodifluoromethane (CFC-12), 

chlorodifluoromethane (HCFC-22), 

trifluoromethane (HFC-23), 

1,1,2-trichloro-1,2,2-trifluoroethane (CFC-113), 

1,2-dichloro-1,1,2,2-tetrafluoroethane (CFC-114), 

chloropentafluoroethane (CFC-115), 

1,1,1-trifluoro-2,2-dichloroethane (HCFC-123), 

2-chloro-1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane (HCFC-124), 

pentafluoroethane (HFC-125), 

1,1,2,2-tetrafluoroethane (HFC-134), 

1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane (HFC-134a), 

1,1-dichloro-1-fluoroethane (HCFC-141b), 

1-chloro-1,1-difluoroethane (HCFC-142b), 

1,1,1-trifluoroethane (HFC-143a), 

1,1-difluoroethane (HFC-152a), 

difluoromethane (HFC–32), 

1,1,1,2,3,4,4,5,5,5-decafluoropentane (HFC–43–10mee), 

3,3-dichloro-1,1,1,2,2-pentafluoropropane (HCFC–225ca), 

1,3-dichloro-1,1,2,2,3-pentafluoropropane (HCFC–225cb), 

1,1,1,2,2,3,3,4,4-nonafluoro-4-methoxybutane (C4F9OCH3), 

2-(difluoromethoxymethyl)-1,1,1,2,3,3,3 heptafluoropropane 

[(CF3)2CFCF2OCH3)], 
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1-ethoxy-1,1,2,2,3,3,4,4,4-nonafluorobutane (C4F9OC2H5), 

2-(ethoxydifluoromethyl)-1,1,1,2,3,3,3-heptafluoropropane 

 [(CF3)2CFCF2OC2H5)], 

ethylfluoride (HFC–161), 

1,1,1,2,3,3-hexafluoropropane (HFC–236ea), 

1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoropropane (HFC–236fa), 

1,1,2,2,3-pentafluoropropane (HFC–245ca), 

1,1,2,3,3-pentafluoropropane (HFC–245ea), 

1,1,1,2,3-pentafluoropropane (HFC–245eb), 

1,1,1,3,3-pentafluoropropane (HFC–245fa), 

1,1,1,3,3-pentafluorobutane (HFC–365mfc), 

chlorofluoromethane (HCFC–31), 

1,2-dichloro-1,1,2-trifluoroethane (HCFC–123a), 

1-chloro-1-fluoroethane (HCFC–151a), 

cyclic, branched, or linear, completely methylated siloxanes (VMS), 

and perfluorocarbon (PFC) compounds which fall into these classes: 

a. cyclic, branched, or linear, completely fluorinated alkanes, 

b. cyclic, branched, or linear, completely fluorinated ethers with no 

unsaturations, 

c. cyclic, branched, or linear, completely fluorinated tertiary amines with no 

unsaturations, and 

d. sulfur containing perfluorocarbons with no unsaturations and with sulfur 

bonds only to carbon and fluorine. 

Perfluorocarbon compounds will be assumed to be absent from a product or 

process unless a manufacturer or facility operator identifies the specific individual 

compounds (from the broad classes of perfluorocarbon compounds) and the 

amounts present in the product or process and provides an EPA approved test 

method which can be used to quantify the specific compounds. 

2. The following are low-reactive compounds: 

acetone, 

ethane, 

methyl acetate, 

tetrachloroethylene (perchloroethylene), 

parachlorobenzotrifluoride (1-chloro-4-trifluoromethyl benzene), 

 t-butyl acetate, 

 dimethyl carbonate, 

 propylene carbonate, and 

 methyl formate. 

(Added 5/12/92, Revised 12/15/92, 4/9/96, 11/10/98, 01/12/10) 
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Experimental or Research Operations. (Added 4/22/80) “Experimental or Research 

Operations” mean those operations to which a preponderance of the following 

characteristics apply: 

1. Not producing a product for commercial use or sale. 

2. The primary objective is not to produce an immediate profit. 

3. The primary objective is to advance the state-of-the-art. 

4. Frequently accompanied by literature search, theoretical studies and computer 

modeling. 

5. Operations are under direct control of engineers or scientists. 

6. Theoretical solutions are evaluated by hardware testing. 

7. Limited quantities of hardware are built for test purposes. 

8. Hardware may incorporate special instrumentation for design and performance 

evaluation. 

9. Hardware frequently is sub-scale, pilot plant scale, incomplete system 

components, breadboard systems, or may be constructed from boiler plate or other 

materials not suitable for a commercial product. 

10. Hardware is subject to continuing modification, may be destroyed in testing or 

scrapped upon completion. 

11. Except for life performance demonstration, tests are usually for short duration or 

at reduced operating levels. 

Fleet Vehicle. “Fleet Vehicles” are gasoline powered motor vehicles as defined by the 

Motor Vehicle Code, Division I, Section 416 of the State of California Vehicle Code and 

operated from one business or governmental entity. (Added 6/25/74) 

Frost Protection. “Frost Protection” means the protection of agricultural crops against 

damage from frost or cold weather. 

Gasoline. “Gasoline” means any petroleum distillate having a Reid vapor pressure of 4.0 

pounds per square inch or greater, which is sold or intended for sale for use in motor 

vehicles or engines and is commonly or commercially known or sold as gasoline. 

(Added 5/23/72) 

Hazardous Material. “Hazardous Material” means dangerous, poisonous, corrosive, 

oxidizing, volatile, flammable, explosive or toxic materials for which Federal, State or 

Ventura County industrial safety or other limits have been established. (Added 5/23/72) 
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Motor Vehicle. “Motor Vehicle” is a vehicle which is self-propelled as defined in the 

California Vehicle Code, Division I, Section 415. (Added 6/25/74) 

Opacity. “Opacity” means the degree to which emissions reduce the transmission of light 

and obscure the view of the background. (Added 5/23/72) 

Operation. “Operation” means any physical action resulting in a change in a location, 

form, or physical properties of a material or any chemical action resulting in a change in 

the chemical composition, chemical or physical properties of a material. 

Orchard Heater. “Orchard Heater” means any article, machine, equipment or contrivance 

burning any kind of fuel, which is designed, used, maintained, or capable of being used 

for protection of agricultural crops against frost or cold weather; provided, however, that 

the devices which are commonly known as wind machines are not included in the terms 

“Orchard Heater” or “Heater”. 

Organic Solvents. “Organic Solvents” are any liquids containing organic compounds 

which are used as dissolvers, viscosity reducers or cleaning agents. These liquids are 

principally derived from petroleum and include petroleum distillates, chlorinated 

hydrocarbons, chlorofluorocarbons, ketones, and alcohols. Solutions, emulsions, and 

dispersions of water and soap, or water and detergent are not organic solvents. Soaps and 

detergents are water based surfactants. (Revised 5/8/90) 

Outer Continental Shelf Area (OCS). “Outer Continental Shelf Area” means any 

offshore waters for which the District has been designated the corresponding onshore 

area by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Anacapa Island, and San Nicolas 

Island (Added 1/10/84, Revised 1O/22/9l). 

Particulate Matter. “Particulate Matter” means any material except uncombined water 

that exists in a finely divided form as a liquid or solid at standard conditions. (Revised 

4/13/04) 

Particulate Matter (PM10). “Particulate matter (PM10)” means particulate matter with an 

aerodynamic diameter equal to or less than 10 micrometers. (Added 10/22/91) 

Permit to Operate. “Permit to Operate” means a written permit issued by the Ventura 

County Air Pollution Control District for the operation of any facility, article, machine, 

equipment, or other contrivance the use of which may cause the issuance, reduction, 

control, or elimination of air contaminants (Added 5/23/72). 

Permitted Emissions. “Permitted Emissions” means those emissions which are imposed 

on a Permit to Operate limiting the maximum quantity of each air pollutant which a 

source can emit. These limits shall be expressed in pounds per hour, and tons per year. 

Permitted emissions shall be determined pursuant to Rule 29.B. (Added 6/19/79, Revised 

10/22/91) 
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Person. “Person” means any person, corporation, government agency, public officer, 

association, joint venture, partnership or any combination of such, jointly or separately, 

operating in concert for any common objective related to the purposes of this Regulation. 

It includes the owner, lessor, lessee, tenant, licensee, manager, and operator, or any of 

such, of an emission point or any source operation related thereto, or of any interest in 

such emission point or source operation. (Revised 5/23/72) 

PPM. “PPM” means parts per million by volume. (Added 5/23/72) 

Public Record. “Public Record” means any record made available to the public by law 

containing information relating to the conduct of the public’s business that is prepared, 

owned, used or retained by the District, except “trade secrets” as defined in Regulation 

IX, Rule 200, Paragraph C. (Added 1/29/74) 

Reactive Organic Compounds. “Reactive Organic Compounds” (ROC) is any compound 

containing at least one atom of carbon except those compounds identified in this Rule as 

Exempt Organic Compounds. This term and definition shall replace the following terms 

and definitions wherever they appear in the District’s Rules and Regulations: organic 

compound, organic gases, organic liquid, organic materials, organic vapor, volatile 

organic compounds and hydrocarbons. (Revised 11/3/81, 1/28/92, 5/12/92) 

Record. “Record” means handwriting, typewriting, printing, photostating, 

photographing, and every other means of recording upon any form of communication or 

representation, including letters, words, pictures, sounds, or symbols, or combinations 

thereof, and all papers, maps, magnetic or paper tapes, photographic films and prints, 

magnetic or punched cards, discs, drums, and other documents. (Added 1/29/74) 

Reduction of Animal Matter. “Reduction of Animal Matter” means processing animal 

matter by any process, including rendering, cooking, drying, dehydration, digestion, 

evaporation, and protein concentration but not including any processing of food for 

human consumption. (Revised 5/23/72) 

Regulation. “Regulation” means one of the major categories of the rules of the Air 

Pollution Control District of Ventura County. 

Rule. “Rule” means a rule of the Air Pollution Control District of Ventura County. 

Schedule of Increments of Progress. “Schedule of Increments of Progress” means a 

statement of dates when various steps are to be taken to bring a source of air 

contaminants into compliance with emission standards and shall include, to the extent 

feasible, the following: 

1. The date of submittal of the final plan for the control of emissions of air 

contaminants from that source to the Air Pollution Control District. 
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2. That date by which contracts for emission control systems or process 

modifications will be awarded, or the date by which orders will be issued for the 

purchase of component parts to accomplish emission control or process 

modification. 

3. The date of initiation of on-site construction or installation of emission control 

equipment or process change. 

4. The date by which on-site construction or installation of emission control 

equipment or process notification is to be completed. 

5. The date by which final compliance is to be addressed. 

6. Such other dates by which other appropriate and necessary steps shall be taken to 

permit close and effective supervision of progress toward timely compliance. 

(Added 8/17/76) 

Section. “Section” means the section of the Health and Safety Code of the State of 

California unless some other regulation is specifically indicated. (Revised 5/23/72) 

Source Operation. “Source Operation” means the last operation preceding the emission 

of an air contaminant which operation: 

1. Results in a separation of the air contaminants in the process material or in the 

conversion of the process materials into air contaminants as in the case of 

combustion of fuel, and, 

2. Is not an air pollution abatement operation. 

Standard Conditions. “Standard Conditions” means a gas temperature of 68 degrees 

Fahrenheit (20 degrees Celsius) and a gas pressure of 14.7 pounds per square inch (760 

mm. Hg) absolute. Results of all analyses and tests shall be calculated and reported at 

this gas temperature and pressure unless otherwise called for. (Revised 4/13/04) 

Startup. “Startup” means the setting in operation of an affected facility for any purpose. 

(Added 5/23/72) 

Stationary Source. Any building, structure, facility, or installation which emits or may 

emit any affected pollutant directly or as a fugitive emission. 

“Building, structure, facility, or installation” means all pollutant emitting activities, 

including activities located in California coastal waters adjacent to the District 

boundaries, which: 

1. belong to the same industrial grouping, and 

2. are located on one or more contiguous or adjacent properties (except for activities 

located in coastal waters), and 
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3. are under the same or common ownership, operation, or control or which are 

owned or operated by entities which are under common control. 

Pollutant emitting activities shall be considered as part of the same industrial grouping if 

they belong to the same two-digit Standard Industrial Classification code, or if they are 

part of a common production process. (Common production process includes industrial 

processes, manufacturing processes, extractive processes, and any connected processes 

involving a common raw material or product.) 

“California Coastal Waters” means that area between the California coastline and a line 

starting at the California-Oregon border at the Pacific Ocean 

thence to 42.0 north, 125.5 west 

thence to 41.0 north, 125.5 west 

thence to 40.0 north, 125.5 west 

thence to 39.0 north, 125.0 west 

thence to 38.0 north, 124.5 west 

thence to 37.0 north, 123.5 west 

thence to 36.0 north, 122.5 west 

thence to 35.0 north, 121.5 west 

thence to 34.0 north, 120.5 west 

thence to 33.0 north, 119.5 west 

thence to 32.5 north, 118.5 west 

and ending at the California-Mexico border at the Pacific Ocean. (Added 1/10/84) 

“Cargo Carriers” includes trains dedicated to a specific source, and marine vessels. The 

emissions from all marine vessels which load or unload at the source shall be considered 

as emissions from the stationary source while such vessels are operating in District 

waters and in California coastal waters adjacent to the District. The emissions from 

vessels shall include reactive organic compound vapors that are displaced into the 

atmosphere; fugitive emissions; combustion emissions in District waters; and emissions 

from the loading and unloading of cargo. The emissions from all trains dedicated to a 

specified stationary source, while operating in the District, including directly emitted and 

fugitive emissions, shall be considered as emissions from the stationary source. (Added 

1/10/84) 

“Common operations” includes operations which are related through dependent 

processes, storage, or transportation of the same or similar products or raw material. The 

emissions within District boundaries and California coastal waters from cargo carriers 

associated with the stationary source shall be considered emissions from the stationary 

source. 

“Contiguous Property” means two or more parcels of land with a common boundary or 

separated solely by a private roadway or other public right-of-way. (Added 1/10/84) 
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“Fugitive emissions” means those emissions which could not reasonably pass through a 

stack, chimney, vent or other functionally equivalent opening. 

(Added 5/23/72, Revised 6/20/78, 6/19/79, 1/10/84, 11/19/85, 10/22/91) 

B. Except as otherwise specifically provided in these Rules and except where the 

context otherwise indicates, abbreviations used in these Rules are as follows: 

B.T.U. - British Thermal Unit(s) 

cal. - calorie(s) 

c.f.m. - cubic feet per minute 

CO - carbon monoxide 

CO2 - carbon dioxide 

g. - gram(s) 

gr. - grain(s) 

Hg. - mercury 

H2S - hydrogen sulfide 

hr. - hour 

in. - inch(es) 

l. - liter(s) 

lb. - pound(s) 

mg. - milligram(s) 

min. - minute 

ml. - milliliter(s) 

mm. - millimeter(s) 

NO - nitric oxide 

NO2 - nitrogen dioxide 

NOx - oxides of nitrogen 

% - percent 

ppm - part(s) per million 

s.c.f. - standard cubic feet 

s.c.f.m. - standard cubic feet per minute 

SO2 - sulfur dioxide 

vol. - volume 

M or K - thousand(s) 

MM - million(s) 

(Adopted 5/23/72, Revised and Renumbered 11/21/78)