Industry Self-Inspection Program

The Industry Self-Inspection program – known as INSPECT – was developed by the San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District (Valley Air District) in partnership with business and industry leaders to improve compliance with air quality regulations and streamline the District’s inspection program.

Through the INSPECT program, the Valley Air District assists businesses in developing self-inspection programs for their facilities. This helps each business operator to implement routine inspections of their equipment and promptly correct any deficiencies that may be discovered. In return, the Valley Air District will eliminate penalties for many self-reported violations and reduce penalties for others.

The INSPECT program represents the newest effort in the District’s compliance assistance program, which focuses on education, prevention, and cooperation. Anyone wishing to receive more details about the INSPECT program may call the District at (559) 230-5950.

Facilities that wish to participate in the INSPECT program should contact the District Compliance Assistance Section. District staff will then explain the requirements of the program. When all program application requirements are completed an agreement will be prepared and the facility will be admitted into the program.

Under direction from the District, facilities will be required to develop self-inspection forms for each permitted operation. Forms must be approved by the District prior to use.

The facility and the District will determine the frequency of self-inspection for each facility. Frequency of self-inspection may range from daily to quarterly, depending on the type of operation. The results of self-inspections must be kept on file by the facility for three years and must be available for review by the District at any time.

District inspections will be streamlined wherever possible. More comprehensive inspections will be conducted when required by law or if the District identifies discrepancies between the self-inspection reports and the actual condition of the facility.

Reporting of violations to the District is optional. If you choose to document and report violations that are identified as a result of self-inspections the following procedures must be followed:

  • Category I violations, those which result in no excess emissions or excess emissions of 10 pounds per day or less which have not already resulted in total excess emissions of more than 500 pounds, need only be documented in a self-inspection report to qualify for penalty reductions. The report must describe the violation and the date of discovery. Written documentation of the date compliance was achieved and what corrective measures were taken must be attached to or noted on the self-inspection report
  • Category II violations, those which result in excess emissions of more than 10 pounds per day or have already resulted in excess emissions of more than 500 pounds, must be documented in a self-inspection report and officially reported to the District to qualify for penalty reductions. These violations must be reported to the Compliance Division by telephone or fax within 2 working days of discovery and must include the facility name, the nature of the violation, and time of discovery. Written documentation of the date compliance was achieved and what corrective measures were taken must be sent to the District and attached to the self-inspection report.

If the violation is the result of a breakdown, the breakdown must be reported using standard procedures (Rule 1100).

There will be no penalties for Category I violations, which are documented in a self-inspection report and come into compliance within 10 days.

There will be a 50% reduction in penalties for Category II violations, which are reported to the District, come into compliance within 10 days, and result in total excess emissions of no more than 2,000 pounds. Sources will be required to take appropriate corrective action. The District will support reasonable variance requests regarding self-reported violations.

There will be a 25% reduction in penalties for Category II violations which are reported to the District, come into compliance within 10 days, and result in total excess emissions of more than 2,000 pounds. Sources will be required to take appropriate corrective action. The District will support reasonable variance requests regarding self-reported violations.

Program participants will receive a 25% reduction in penalties for continuous emission monitor or source test exceedances, violations that are reported as required by Federal, State, or District regulations, or any violations which result in less than 2,000 pounds of excess emissions that are discovered by the District but were not reported.

Violations which are intentional, result in serious actual harm, create a public nuisance, involve toxic air contaminants, present an imminent and substantial endangerment to human health or the environment, or result in more than 2,000 pounds of excess emissions and were not reported to the District are not eligible for relief under this program.

A facility may cancel participation in the INSPECT program at any time by sending written notice to the District.

The District may terminate participation in the INSPECT program for any facility that fails to maintain an adequate level of compliance while participating in the program.