Annual permit fee adjustments

The Air District's permitting program is not supported with tax dollars, therefore the District's permit fees must cover the cost of the program. To keep the program solvent most District permit fees are adjusted annually based on costs of operating the program. By law these annual adjustments cannot exceed the change in the California CPI factor.

Each spring as part of the budget process the Air Pollution Control Officer, in consultation with the Mendocino County Auditor, reviews the District's expenses from the prior year and sets the annual permit fee adjustment factor. This factor, and the factor from prior years, is then used to adjust the base fee tables in the District's regulations. The new rate becomes effective July 1 each year.

The general formula to calculate a permit fee is to adjust the base fee year by the cumulative adjustment factor since the regulation went into effect. For most District fees the base year is 2003. The base year for any given fee table is printed on the fee table.

Some smaller fees, like Burn Permits, only adjust every 5 years. Please contact the District if you would like information prior to 2002.

District staff are willing to assist permit holders in understanding the annual permit adjustments - Please contact the District with any questions.