Small Business Assistance - Permit Primer

Material Handling

The Material Handling category of emission sources includes sand and gravel operations, grain dryers, incinerators, and certain storage tanks to name a few. gravel plant - image

You need to determine if you are exempt

Most of the exemption levels for the material handling operations would require you to determine your maximum raw material usage for any one of the operations listed below. Some use actual production rates. The following measurements are usually used to determine the throughput:

1. Actuals:

quantity of raw materials used and handled for each process - which you may find using purchase records, inventory tracking or similar recordkeeping procedures you might have, and
hours of operation for the year.

2. Maximum:

manufacturer's specifications on the process equipment (in units like "tons per hour") to document the full operating capacity (100%), and
maximum hours you can operate in a year - some processes may need specific periods of down time for maintenance, or some industries only operate during certain times of the year (asphalt plants assume 6600 hours per year for construction season - grain operations may be allowed similar restrictions for the growing season); if you have no restrictions like that, it will be 8760 hours per year.

Any information used to show a restriction on 100% of the operating capacity or hours must be documented for DNR.

Each process in the list below has a certain exemption level (listed in the drop-down definition box that appears when clicking on each one) that your process must be less than to be exempt. If your process is not below those levels, or you cannot substitute materials or modify the process to bring it below those levels then you are not exempt and will need to apply for a construction permit.

(Click on the drop-down topic below to review the exemption level, then refer to the facts sheets that follow)

Topics with Clickable, Drop-down Exemption Levels

If you've determined you are not exempt, please continue by clicking the "Not Exempt" button below. This link will take you to a pollution prevention option web page.