Philly’s hottest new municipal office is… well, an office that’s been around for ages: Air Management Services! For whatever reason, we’ve heard a lot of chatter lately about AMS from contractors and developers. They pass harrowing tales of between themselves, each builder muttering of the dark magic buried deep within the Philadelphia Department of Public Health. (I might be exaggerating because I just re-watched The Lord of the Rings. The point is that the people are shook.)
And it’s understandable! The problem with Air Management Services is pretty simple: it’s really hard to figure out how to apply for one of their permits without actually applying for one of those permits.
The AMS website has links to dozens of documents, but the PDF forms linked in the site don’t always line up with the online application forms. The online application forms, in turn, are housed in a web portal that’s hilariously difficult to navigate: it looks simple enough, but when you click a link for permit requirements, you might find a template document from the town of “Buena Vista.” (Really! Here’s the PDF you get if you click the “Building Permit Overview” in the AMS portal section on “Submittal Requirements.”)
The web portal and general information website also fail to provide clear, easily accessible information about processing times, when or how you’ll be notified of approval, or which section of their website to look in for your specific permit. Within the web portal, there are even links that might be for some kind of application, but ultimately just take you back to Buena Vista (or worse, Somerville!). It’s enough for anyone to feel lost in the dark, talking endlessly to themselves, reeking of the raw fish they’ve been eating (I am so sorry; I will keep it together from here on out).
That’s the bad news. The good news is that we here at Permit Philly have been pulling Air Management Services permits for years, and keep the receipts on hand to let you know what we need to apply – outside of internal AMS memos, we might just have the only set of intelligible instructions for AMS applications in the world! (I mean, in the greater Philadelphia area, but that counts for these purposes.) So if you need an Air Management Services permit and don’t know where to start, get in touch!
And if you want to understand when you might have to go hunting for AMS approval, read on.
The Purpose and Organization of Air Management Services
Air Management Services is an office within the Philadelphia Department of Public Health – specifically within the Environmental Health Services unit. Air Management Services does what it says on the label: they monitor and grant permits for any machinery or construction process that could pollute the air.
This authority covers a lot of equipment and operations, and AMS approval comes in different forms: sometimes it’s signoff attached to a building permit, and sometimes it’s a permit or license issued by AMS itself. Despite all these different types of review, all Air Management Services approvals basically fall into three categories:
- Installation and operation of air-polluting equipment
- Operation of air-polluting businesses
- Construction processes that pollute the air
Common Types of Equipment Regulated by Air Management Services
Generators
You need Air Management Services permits to install and operate generators powered by gas, propane, or diesel.
Gas pumps
AMS reviews all work on fuel dispensers – whether new installations or replacements; whether gas or diesel.
Common Types of Businesses Regulated by Air Management Services
Gas stations
This follows from the gas pump approvals: AMS regulates not only the equipment dispensing potentially hazardous material, but also the operation of businesses that store and transport this material.
Dry cleaners
Most dry cleaners use an air pollutant, so dry cleaners have to either prove they don’t use that pollutant, or submit paperwork to AMS for operating approval.
Autobody shops
AMS specifically reviews paint shops: if your business has a spray booth for cars, trucks, or other vehicles, you need to register that business with AMS.
Power and manufacturing plants
Now we get to the more obvious ones: of course the government has to monitor the potentially toxic emissions from industrial facilities! While they’re enforcing Federal standards in these cases, Air Management Services is still the local body that reviews, authorizes, and monitors emissions from factories and power plants in Philadelphia.
Construction Processes Regulated by Air Management Services
Demolition
For most demolitions, Air Management Services requires a plan to control dust, and Licenses and Inspections won’t release a demo permit without AMS approval of that plan to control dust. This is for the obvious reason: The City of Philadelphia doesn’t want people covered in haze from nearby construction. The only buildings you can demo without AMS signoff are those three or fewer stories tall, and/or a maximum of 40 feet tall, and/or a maximum of 10,000 square feet in floor area – and even for those buildings, you still need to submit a dust control plan to demolish by implosion.
Earth Disturbance (over 5,000 Square Feet)
If you dig up more than 5,000 square feet of area – whether excavating or simply grading – you need to submit the exact same dust control plan required for a full demolition. This one went into effect in 2019, so if you haven’t worked in Philly in the last six years, look alive!
Asbestos abatement
Almost every demo or renovation of a building built before 1981 requires an asbestos inspection (the exceptions are renovations of single-family homes and duplexes, and renovations that don’t cost more than $50,000). Asbestos inspection reports are submitted to Air Management Services for review. If no asbestos is found, great! If some asbestos is found, you will either notify AMS when you’re about to start work and tell them how you plan to deal with the asbestos (for a little bit), or you will have to apply for a new AMS permit to deal with the asbestos (for a lot).
So if you find yourself stuck in a construction project because you need something from Air Management Services, hopefully now you understand why. And if you can’t figure out how to get the approval you need, you know where to find us! (It’s this link. That’s where to find us.)