Air quality permits

Public comment period:  Aug. 1, 2025, midnight – Sept. 2, 2025, 11:59 p.m.

We propose a draft 2026 budget and fee schedule for some air permits. A business in our jurisdiction pays an hourly fee or a complexity-based fee for an air permit. Our jurisdiction covers counties that don't have a local clean air agency, specifically:  Adams, Asotin, Chelan, Columbia, Douglas, Ferry, Franklin, Garfield, Grant, Kittitas, Klickitat, Lincoln, Okanogan, Pend Oreille, Stevens, Walla Walla, and Whitman counties.

We can update fees to cover costs of writing and reviewing permits, according to WAC 173‑455‑031.

The fees we propose to change are in WAC 173‑455‑120:

• Notice of construction permits (Table 1)
• Changes to existing permits (Table 3)
• SEPA review for general order permits (Table 4)
• Relocation of portable sources of emissions (Table 5)
• Establish voluntary emission limit (Table 6)
• Change emission control technology without emissions increase (Table 7)
• Prevention of Significant Deterioration-related fees (Table 8)
• Nonattainment area major new source review (Table 9)
• Review of plant-wide applicability limit (Table 10)
• Other fees, including toxics review (Table 11)

Information for review:

• Draft budget
• 2026 fee schedule (updating 2023 fee tables in WAC 173-455-120)
  • Hourly rate – $141 (increased from $119 in 2023)
  • Flat fee – 18.5% increase from 2023 flat fee
    This shows the increase in the hourly rate to $141 from $119.

How to comment:

• Comment online.
• Mail comments to:
    Andrew Contreras
    Washington Department of Ecology
    Air Quality Program
    P.O. Box 47600
    Olympia, WA 98504-7600

For more information, contact Andrew Contreras at 360-485-7648.