District of Columbia Air Permitting Issues

Written October 17, 2019

The District does have a Title V permit program in place. Sources with the potential to emit more than 100 tons of VOC per year, or 10 tons of one hazardous air pollutant (HAP) or 25 tons of a combination of Hazardous air pollutants are required to apply for a Title V permit. The District's program does not contain provisions for a synthetic minor designation. Synthetic minors are those facilities that agree to federally enforceable limits that restrict their potential to emit to less than the major source threshold.

The District's program does contain the provision for general permits for groups of similar sources. If a facility meets the above requirements, then it must apply for a Title V permit. In addition, the District operates its own permitting program for facilities not required to obtain a Title V permit. A facility is required to obtain a permit prior to any construction and/or modification activities. All stationary sources, which includes screen printing operations, must have an operating permit.