Air Quality Compliance

The Air Quality Compliance and Enforcement Division is responsible for ensuring that facilities are in compliance with applicable regulations and permit conditions. The division annually conducts more than 10,000 inspections of various types, including construction sites and vacant lots for dust control, manufacturing facilities, fuel storage and distribution facilities, dry cleaners, vehicle refinishers, and a host of other sources of air pollution.

Complaint Investigations

Notice of Non-Compliance and Referrals

In the event an inspector issues a notice of non-compliance, the inspection file is referred to the division’s enforcement team. Referrals will typically include photographs, the inspection report with a narrative description of the violation(s), and additional supporting evidence. The enforcement activities of the department seek to deter future air quality violations and ensure a level the playing field among all regulated facilities so that none has a competitive advantage derived from non-compliance. 

Penalties 

The division's enforcement team has the authority, per Arizona Revised Statutes, to recover penalties up to $10,000 per day, per violation. When calculating penalties, the enforcement team uses the Penalty Assessment Policy. The Penalty Assessment Policy instructs enforcement officers to consider the items listed in A.R.S. § 49-513(C), which includes:

• The seriousness of the violation
• History of non-compliance
•  Any good faith efforts to comply with the applicable requirements
•  Duration of the violation
• Payment by violator of penalties previously assessed for the same violation