Air & Noise Certificates of Approval

Facilities that will release contaminants into the air or create noise, could require a Certificate of Approval.

Examples of processes, equipment or modifications to industrial processes that require approval  include, but are not limited to:

• Construction of a new manufacturing operation;
• Addition of a second welding line to an existing facility;
• Raw material changes that affect the emissions from a facility; etc.

The definition of a contaminant is very broad. Examples include particulate emissions from a process, solvent emissions from a painting line, nitrogen oxides from combustion sources, or sound from an emergency generator.   Unless explicitly exempted, most industrial processes and equipment require approval.
 
An application for an Air & Noise Certificate of Approval will generally fall into the following categories:

• A minor amendment to an existing approval such as a name change or a correction that does not require technical review
• Streamlined approvals for equipment that has known and predictable environmental impacts as outlined in the following list:
• Automotive Paint Spray Booths
• Emergency Generator Sets installed at commercial, institutional and municipal facilities
• Combustion Equipment installed at commercial, institutional and municipal facilities
• Cooling Towers installed at commercial, institutional and municipal facilities
• All other applications requiring technical review

Information Required when Applying for an Air & Noise Certificate of Approval

The following information must be included with your application if it requires a technical review. 

• A completed "Application for Approval (Air & Noise)" form, signed by the applicant.  For more information about this form, please see the "Guide to Applying for Approval (Air & Noise)".
• The applicable fee and completed "Costs for EPA s.9 Applications - Supplement to Applications for Approval" form.  More information about fees for Air & Noise applications is available in the "Guide: Application Costs for Air Emissions"
• An Emission Summary and Dispersion Modelling Report.  Additional information is available in "Procedure for Preparing an Emission Summary and Dispersion Modelling Report" 
• If the application is for equipment that has the potential to generate noise and/or vibration, or is for an amendment to an existing approval that has the potential to change the noise and/or vibration emissions for a facility a "Noise Screening Process for S.9 Application, Supplement to Application for Approval" form should be completed, and
• A completed "Supporting Information Worksheet, Supplement to Application for Approval" form.

You may need to include additional information depending on the type of application you are submitting.  For more information about application requirements, please refer to the "Guide to Applying for Approval (Air & Noise)".  A full listing of forms and publications relating to Air & Noise approvals is available on the Forms, Manuals and Guidelines page.

Read more about Air & Noise Certificates of Approvals

Streamlined Approvals - Air & Noise

Paint Spray Booths for Automotive Refinishing Operations

The anticipated contaminants emitted to the atmosphere from a paint spray booth are paint over-spray, solvent components, and noise.  Impacts from paint solvent emissions are required to comply with contaminant-specific limits at a point of impingement (Ontario Regulation 419/05: Air Pollution – Local Air Quality), where a typical point of impingement location is interpreted to be a nearby air intake and/or a property line.

However, in addition to compliance with the point of impingement limits, Section 14 of the Ontario Environmental Protection Act prohibits the causing of an adverse effect, such as an odour.  It is also expected that the operation of an approved paint spray booth will include efforts to avoid adverse effects through consideration of effective dispersion of the contaminants (i.e., appropriate stack location and exit velocities) and consideration of neighbours in the vicinity of the paint spray booth.

At a minimum, all applications for an Air & Noise Certificate of Approval relating to a paint spray booth for an automotive refinishing operation should include the following:

• A completed "Application for Approval (Air & Noise)" form, signed by the applicant.  For more information about this form, please see the "Guide to Applying for Approval (Air & Noise)".
• The applicable fee and completed "Costs for EPA s.9 Applications - Supplement to Applications for Approval" form.  More information about fees for Air & Noise applications is available in the "Guide: Application Costs for Air Emissions".
• A completed "Paint Spray Booth Data Form - Supplement to Application for Approval (Air & Noise) for Automotive Refinishing Operations" and
• A completed "Supporting Information Worksheet, Supplement to Application for Approval" form.

You may need additional information and documents depending on the type of application. For more information about application requirements, please refer to the "Guide to Applying for Approval (Air & Noise)"

Emergency Generators

All applications for an Air & Noise Certificate of Approval relating to Emergency Generators should include the following:

• A completed "Application for Approval (Air & Noise)" form, signed by the applicant.  For more information about this form, please see the "Guide to Applying for Approval (Air & Noise)".
• The applicable fee and completed "Costs for EPA s.9 Applications - Supplement to Applications for Approval" form.  More information about fees for Air & Noise applications is available in the "Guide: Application Costs for Air Emissions".
• A completed "Emergency Generator Data Sheet" and
• A completed "Supporting Information Worksheet, Supplement to Application for Approval" form.

You may need additional information and documents depending on the type of application. For more information about application requirements, please refer to the "Guide to Applying for Approval (Air & Noise)"

Combustion Equipment

All applications for an Air & Noise Certificate of Approval for combustion equipment should include the following:

• A completed "Application for Approval (Air & Noise)" form, signed by the applicant.  For more information about this form, please see "Guide to Applying for Approval (Air & Noise)".
• The applicable fee and completed "Costs for EPA s.9 Applications - Supplement to Applications for Approval" form.  More information about fees for Air & Noise applications is available in the "Guide: Application Costs for Air Emissions".
• A completed "Combustion Equipment Data Sheet" and
• A completed "Supporting Information Worksheet, Supplement to Application for Approval" form.

You may need additional information and documents depending on the type of application. For more information about application requirements, please refer to the "Guide to Applying for Approval (Air & Noise)"