FAQs • Shelby County Health Dept., TN • CivicEngage

What is an air contaminant source?: For construction permitting purposes, air contaminant sources typically are classified as major or minor sources depending on their potential to emit pollutants. Major sources generally are:

- Sources that are subject to New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) and have potential total facility emissions greater than 100 tons per year (tpy)
- Sources with potential total facility emissions greater than 250 tpy or more of the following criteria pollutants: carbon monoxide, particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and ozone

Minor sources are sources of air contaminants that are not major sources and are not exempt from construction permit requirements. Examples include concrete batch plants, medical waste incinerators, and small surface coating and printing operations.

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Air Pollution Control Permits

1. Who needs a construction permit?: Any person wishing to construct an air contaminant source or to modify an existing air contaminant source, is required to obtain a construction permit from the Pollution Control Section of the Shelby County Health Department. Examples of air contaminant sources include:

- Fuel-burning equipment such as boilers, gas- or oil-fired heaters, and coal-fired steam plants generating electricity
- Incinerators for medical and municipal waste
- Process emission sources such as printing presses, asphalt plants, and coating processes

Farming equipment, mobile sources, and other exempted air contaminant sources are not required to obtain a construction permit.

2. What is an air contaminant source?: For construction permitting purposes, air contaminant sources typically are classified as major or minor sources depending on their potential to emit pollutants. Major sources generally are:

- Sources that are subject to New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) and have potential total facility emissions greater than 100 tons per year (tpy)
- Sources with potential total facility emissions greater than 250 tpy or more of the following criteria pollutants: carbon monoxide, particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and ozone

Minor sources are sources of air contaminants that are not major sources and are not exempt from construction permit requirements. Examples include concrete batch plants, medical waste incinerators, and small surface coating and printing operations.

3. Who needs a Title V Operating Permit?: The answer to this question can be found on this page.

4. What information for Title V Permits must I provide?: All applicants must submit a Major Source Operating Permit Application. The following information is needed to complete the application:

- Certification of compliance with all applicable requirements
- List of compliance methods for demonstration of compliance with applicable requirements
- Description of processes and products
- Emissions of regulated air pollutants
- Facility identification information
- Fuels, fuel use, raw materials, production rates, and operating schedules
- Information on air pollution control systems

All existing Title V sources were required to submit Title V applications on or before August 28, 1997. Any source that becomes subject to this requirement must submit an application within the time specified on its construction permit.