The District charges fees to cover our costs for reviewing applications, issuing permits, and ensuring compliance. The information below provides more detailed descriptions on the fees, including why we charge fees, what fees to expect, what the fees cover, and when fees are due.

The fees are typically adjusted annually on July 1 to account for changes in the California Consumer Price Index.
For information on the District’s stationary source permit program, please visit the APCD Permit Process.

Our agency’s mission is to provide clean air for the residents of our community. Federal and State law requires us to implement our air pollution regulatory program and allows us to charge fees to recover our costs. The agency gets no money from property or general taxes collected by Santa Barbara County. Instead, the money to accomplish our mission and mandates comes primarily from fees we charge to businesses and other sources of air pollution.

1) Application Filing Fee
This is a flat fee which covers the initial review of your Authority to Construct (ATC) or Permit to Operate (PTO) application to determine if all required information has been included as well as related administrative paperwork activities. Payment must accompany each submitted application. The application filing fee is listed on the application form itself and it is listed in Rule 210, Schedule F.

2) Evaluation Fees
These fees are based on the number and type of equipment proposed for the project. The evaluation fees cover the technical processing and compliance inspections related to the ATC or PTO permit to determine if the project meets all local, state, and federal requirements. Schedule A in Rule 210 lists the fee rates per equipment type, and the invoice for the evaluation is sent when the permit is issued or the application is withdrawn.

There are some exceptions to the Schedule A fees by equipment type. Small projects may be assessed a minimum fee, and large or unique projects may be assessed on the Cost Reimbursement Basis (time and materials). The implementing provisions of the Cost Reimbursement Basis can be found in Section C of Rule 210.

3) Reevaluation Fees
For most permitted businesses, the operating permit is reviewed (reevaluated) and reissued every three years. The reevaluation fees cover the costs of updating the permit (as necessary) and the associated inspections and compliance monitoring for the 3-year period. Reevaluation fees are calculated in the same manner as the permit evaluation fees, and the invoice is sent when the final permit is reissued. 

1) Annual Emission Fee
Annual Emission fees are typically invoiced between January and June each year to all permitted stationary sources. The fee amount is based on the source’s actual emissions of criteria air pollutants (ROG, NOx, SOx, and PM) in the preceding year, as determined by the submitted data and operating records from the source’s throughput reports. For permitted businesses that emit less than 10 tons of criteria pollutants in a year, a flat fee is assessed. Facilities that emit more than 10 tons per year are assessed progressively higher fee rates in accordance with Rule 210, Schedule B. Annual Emission fees are used to fund District programs such as air monitoring, the emission inventory, business assistance, public education, and emergency response. 

2) Annual Air Toxics Fee
Similar to the Annual Emission fee described above, Air Toxics fees are assessed based on the emitted toxic air contaminants from a stationary source in the preceding year, as determined by the submitted data and operating records from the source’s throughput reports. Air Toxics fees are typically invoiced with the Annual Emission fee between January and June to permitted stationary sources. Sources that emit less than 2,000 pounds of toxic air contaminants are assessed a flat fee while larger sources of air toxics are assessed a higher fee rate. Annual Air Toxics fees are used for regulating air toxics and complying with Assembly Bill 2588.

3) Annual Air Quality Planning Fee
This fee only applies to large permitted sources — those with permitted or actual emissions greater than 10 tons per year. The Annual Air Quality Planning fees are issued every year in January, and they help fund the preparation of all mandated air quality plans necessary for the attainment and maintenance of state and federal ambient air quality standards.

4) Annual Review Fees
Effective July 1, 2024, Diesel-Fired Emergency Standby Engines and Gasoline Dispensing Facilities (with Phase II equipment) are subject to the Annual Review fees in Rule 210, Schedule B.¹ These equipment types do not go through the triennial reevaluation fee cycle. Instead, the Annual Review fees are tailored to the necessary work to ensure annual compliance. The invoices for these equipment types are anticipated to be issued every year in August.

^{1: Excluding Stationary Sources on the Cost Reimbursement Basis.}

1) Source Test Fee
Sources that require a compliance source test are assessed a fee for APCD staff to review source test plans, witness the test at the facility, and review the test results and report. An invoice is sent to the source after the source test has been conducted.

2) School Public Notices
California Health and Safety Code §42301.6 requires the District to issue a 30-day public notice prior to issuing a permit to construct to a stationary source that increases the emissions of toxic air contaminants within 1,000 feet of a K-12 school. Fees are assessed to the applicant to recover the expenses associated with preparing and distributing the 30-day public notice.

3) Air Toxics “Hot Spots” Program Fee
This fee partially supports the APCD’s Air Toxics Hot Spots Program which is required by Health and Safety Code §44300 et. seq. The fees were approved by the Air Resources Board and are based on both the risk and complexity of the stationary source. Outer Continental Shelf sources are not subject to the Air Toxics Hot Spots Program.

4) Confidential Handling Fees
California Government Code §6254.7 describes which information in a permit is a public record and which information can be considered a trade secret. Specifically, information pertaining to the emissions of a facility are public records, but trade secrets may be requested by the applicant to remain confidential. Confidential Handling Fees are assessed to perform the requested redactions and take additional measures to ensure confidential information is not released to the public.

Payment of the applicable filing fee shall be made at the time an application, petition, or notice is filed. The application shall not be accepted unless the required filing fee has been paid.

Payment of all District-issued invoices shall be made within thirty (30) calendar days of the invoice date. If payment is not received within sixty (60) calendar days of the invoice date, delinquency penalties (or “late fees”) will begin to be assessed in accordance with Rule 210.

1) If I didn’t use my permit last year, do I still have to pay the fees?
Yes. As long as the permit is active, all recurring fees will be assessed in accordance with Rule 210. Please contact the District’s Engineering Division if your permit is no longer needed and you would like it to be cancelled. Cancellation requests may be submitted electronically by sending an e-mail to [email protected].

2) Is there a specific date that I should request to cancel my permit by to stop any Recurring Fees from being generated (e.g. Annual Emission, Air Toxics, Air Quality Planning, and/or Annual Review fees)?

To be excluded from the annual billing cycle, the source must submit a request to cancel their permit, in writing, prior to July 31.

Example #1: A permitted source requests to cancel their permit in November 2024. Based on the source’s throughput records, the District estimates that the source emitted 3 tons of particulate matter emissions in calendar year 2024 before being shutdown. The permitted source will be assessed an annual emission fee and an air toxics fee for the emissions occurring in 2024.

Example #2: A permitted source requests to cancel their permit in April 2024, and the source has already paid the annual fees for the 2023 calendar year. No recurring fees are assessed for the emissions occurring in the 2024 calendar year.

3) How much are the delinquency penalties (or “late fees”) for not paying an invoice on time?
The delinquency penalties have a progressive structure where a 10% penalty is assessed when the invoice is more than 30 days overdue, an additional 20% penalty is assessed when the invoice is more than 60 days overdue, and an additional 30% penalty is assessed when the invoice is more than 90 days overdue. This results in an aggregated 60% penalty when the invoice is more than 90 days overdue.