Georgia Permittees (Major, Minor, and Synthetic Minor): Permit Application Fees are in Effect

Last year ALL4 published a blog post covering the proposed amendments to Georgia Administrative Code (G.A.C.) 391-3-1-.03(9), which addressed Georgia’s proposed air permit application fees.  The permit application fees were adopted into rule in April 2018 and officially went into effect on March 1, 2019.  Now that the permit application fees are in effect, here are five important things that facilities should be aware of.

1. Permit application fees vary by permit type.

Permit application fees range from $0 up to $7,500 depending on the type of permit application.  The Georgia Environmental Protection Division (GEPD) has published a list of all permit application types and associated fees on the Air Permit Fees website and within the most recent Air Permit Fee Manual (For Fees Due Between July 1, 2019 and June 30, 2020).  In addition, Section 2.3 of the Air Permit Fee Manual characterizes each type of permit application and associated permit application fee.

2. The applicant is responsible for determining the applicable fee(s).

Using Section 2.3 of the Air Permit Fee Manual, the applicant is expected to determine the applicable permit application fee(s) for each permit application.  In the case where a permit application falls under multiple permit types, the applicant is expected to pay the greater of the fees.

3. Payment is due within 20 days of permit application acknowledgement.

Following submittal of a permit application, a staff member of the GEPD Air Protection Branch should provide the applicant with acknowledgement that the permit application has been received.  The applicant must submit the permit application fee payment within 20 days of the acknowledgement.

4. Invoices are generated via the Georgia Environmental Connections Online (GECO) system.

Permit application fee invoices are generated via the GECO system, similar to how annual emissions fees invoices are generated.  The preferred payment method for permit application fees is by check and all permit application fees are non-refundable.

5. How do permit application fees factor into project planning?

Facilities will now need to factor the cost of permit applications into overall project budgets and annual facility planning.  Knowing whether a project will require a Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) or Title V Significant Modification with Construction permit application at the outset of the project will be important for facility planning purposes.  The difference in these permit application fees alone can differ by $5,500.

If you have any questions concerning Georgia’s new permit application fees, please reach out to me at 678.460.0324 x213 or sarner@all4inc.com. Thanks for reading!