AirPermit
Search your equipment. Get the SCAQMD rules that apply, the limits you must meet, and a compliance checklist — in 30 seconds.
Try: Coffee roaster · Diesel generator · Boiler
"I just want to know if I need a permit for this roaster. Why do I have to read 40 pages to find out?" — Facilities Manager, Food Manufacturing
"Where do I even start? I've got six PDFs open and I'm still not sure if this rule applies to my equipment or not." — EHS Coordinator, Regional Manufacturer
"I don't need to understand the regulation. I need someone to tell me: what do I actually have to do?" — Plant Manager, Coffee Roasting Company
In 2018, SCAQMD's permitting teams had experienced engineers — people who knew the rules cold, who could tell you in five minutes if something needed a permit.
Today, 94% of their engineers have less than 5 years of experience. The agency's own data shows every single team is in "red" status for expertise levels. They've been trying to fix this for 25 years.
It's not just the agency. Consulting firms are watching their senior people retire — and bringing them back as part-time contractors because no one else can answer the questions.
One firm told us: "All of our technical permitting knowledge goes through one person who retired and is part-time. The next person wants to retire too."
Meanwhile, facilities are installing equipment without knowing what rules apply. 955 permit applications are stuck right now because someone built first and asked questions later.
The agency is getting serious. They're talking about permit denials — meaning that $50K piece of equipment you just installed? Worthless.
AirPermit searches all 170+ SCAQMD rules and tells you exactly which ones apply to your equipment — with the actual limits, thresholds, and citations.
You don't need to read 40 pages. You don't need to wait for a senior engineer who might not call you back. You don't need to guess and hope you got it right.
One search. The rules that apply. A checklist you can hand to your maintenance team or show to an inspector.
We pulled this from SCAQMD's Permit Streamlining Task Force presentations.
In 2018, teams had 44-74% expert-level staff. By 2023, it dropped to 6-29%. Every team is now in "red" status.
Source: PSTF January 2024, Slide 8
Facilities that installed or modified equipment without getting a permit first. Now stuck in the backlog.
Source: PSTF December 2025, Slide 13
"Staffing is expected to be a challenging issue for the next 3-5 years." That was in January 2024.
Source: PSTF January 2024, Slide 8
The Permit Streamlining Task Force has been meeting since 1999. The problem keeps getting worse.
Source: PSTF Archive
Tell us what you have: "coffee roaster, 1.5 MMBtu, natural gas" — just like you'd describe it to a colleague.
We search all 170+ SCAQMD rules and show you exactly which ones apply — with actual limits, thresholds, and citations.
A plain-English compliance schedule: what to inspect, what to record, what to report — ready for your CMMS or maintenance team.
Search for your equipment and get applicable rules instantly.
Searching 170+ SCAQMD rules...
Want the full compliance checklist?
Get a CMMS-ready task list with frequencies and citations — free.
Know if you need a permit before you install. Don't be one of the 955 applications stuck in limbo.
Stop spending hours researching every question. Get citations you can defend to inspectors.
SCAQMD wants complete applications with rule analyses. AirPermit helps you deliver — without calling a retiree.
"My boss doesn't have an issue with me going to a training class. He has an issue with having me out of the office." — EHS Coordinator
Get answers at your desk, not in a hotel conference room.
Every search teaches you something. No cramming, no forgetting.
Not 90. The tool fills the gap left by retiring seniors.
When you're stuck on an application and the senior consultant isn't calling back.
Would you show ChatGPT's answer to an inspector? Would you bet $10,000 on it?
| ChatGPT | AirPermit | Consultant | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Source of information | Training data (maybe outdated) | Actual SCAQMD rules | Experience + rules |
| Citable to an inspector? | No | Yes — Rule 1153.1(d)(1) | Yes |
| Knows when rules changed? | No | Yes — updated monthly | Sometimes |
| Compliance checklist? | Generic advice | CMMS-ready tasks | Custom (expensive) |
| Time to answer | Instant | 30 seconds | Days to weeks |
| Cost | $20/mo | $49/mo | $250+/hour |
The December 2024 Task Force presentation made it clear: the agency wants CPPs to submit "complete and accurate evaluations, emission calculations, rule analyses, draft permits and conditions."
If you get it wrong, you get off-ramped. If you get it right, you skip straight to senior review.
AirPermit gives you the rule applicability in 30 seconds — so you can focus on the analysis, not the research.
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955 facilities are stuck because they didn't know what rules applied. One search could have told them.
No credit card required. Citations you can show an inspector.