The San Luis Obispo County Air

What The San Luis Obispo County Air does

The San Luis Obispo County Air Pollution Control District (SLO County APCD) is a local government regulatory agency established in 1970 under the federal Clean Air Act, operating as one of 35 California air pollution control districts. The agency's core function is to monitor, regulate, and protect ambient air quality across San Luis Obispo County through a network of nine permanent monitoring stations that collect 24/7 data on ozone (O3), particulate matter (PM10, PM2.5), nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur oxides (SOx), and carbon monoxide (CO). It also operates a 6-day air quality forecast, the AirAware text alert system, and the EPA Enviroflash daily email forecast service for county residents.

SLO County APCD operates as the sole permitting authority for stationary emission sources within the county, with engineering and compliance staff processing applications for industrial plants, gas stations, dry cleaners, autobody shops, agricultural burns, and asbestos demolitions under Rule 302 fee structures. The agency is governed by a 12-member Board (five County Supervisors plus one council representative from each of seven incorporated cities) and operates three divisions: Fiscal & Administrative, Engineering & Compliance, and Planning, Monitoring & Grants. Revenue is generated exclusively through permit fees (application, evaluation, renewal, prescribed-burn tiered from $125 to $250, and asbestos NESHAP notifications), state and federal grant funding (transportation alternatives, clean fuels, climate action), and regulatory assessment fees; no commercial revenue streams exist.

The agency maintains active partnerships with the California Air Resources Board, US EPA, California State Parks (on Oceano Dunes PM10 mitigation under Stipulated Order of Abatement 17-01), Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and the Cities for Climate Protection Program, while running community programs including the Blue Whales Blue Skies vessel speed reduction initiative, the Don't Light Tonight advisory program, and incentive programs such as the Lawn & Garden Electrification Program and the Old Car Buy Back. In 2024, the agency adapted to the EPA's tightened PM NAAQS threshold, and in 2025 Karl Tupper was appointed Executive Director and Air Pollution Control Officer alongside Dora Drexler as Deputy Air Pollution Control Officer.

Name

The San Luis Obispo County Air

Legal name

San Luis Obispo County Air Pollution Control District

Website

https://slocleanair.org

Company type

Public

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The San Luis Obispo County Air Pollution Control District is a local government agency established in 1970 that monitors ambient air quality, regulates stationary emission sources, and issues permits across SLO County, serving approximately 283,000 county residents and regulated businesses through nine permanent air monitoring stations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Air Quality Management and Environmental Regulation

NAICS

Administration of Air and Water Resource and Solid Waste Management Programs (924110), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (924)

SIC

Electric, Gas & Sanitary Services (4900)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental Data Management Platforms (EHS/EMS, LIMS, ELN, Compliance Data Hubs) (EUAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Community Right-to-Know (EPCRA) & Emergency Planning Liaison Support (EUAHALAK)

Keywords

• Air quality monitoring
• Regulatory permitting services
• Emissions compliance
• Ambient air monitoring
• Air pollution control

Headquarters

HQ city

San Luis Obispo

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Permit and Fee Revenue: The district generates revenue through permit fees for various regulated activities including equipment permits, asbestos demolition/renovation notifications, burn permits, and stationary source fees. Fees cover application filing, evaluation, renewal, and periodic inspections.
2. Grant Funding: The district receives grant funding from state and federal agencies for air quality improvement programs, transportation alternatives, clean fuels, and climate action initiatives.
3. Regulatory Assessment Revenue: As a public agency, the district operates under California Air Resources Board and EPA regulatory frameworks with funding derived from regulatory compliance programs and fee-based services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

SLO County APCD is a local government agency that operates a network of nine permanent air monitoring stations across San Luis Obispo County, issues permits and enforces regulations on stationary sources of air pollution, processes public complaints, and provides air quality forecasts, alerts, and public education to protect county residents' health. It also administers grant and incentive programs for emission reductions and operates voluntary advisory programs such as Don't Light Tonight and AirAware.

Product overview

SLO County APCD is a government air quality management agency offering regulatory and public services rather than commercial products. The core service portfolio centers on air quality monitoring through a network of nine monitoring stations, supported by 6-day forecasting, real-time NowCast AQI reporting, and the AirAware mobile alert system. The agency provides regulatory services including burn permits (backyard and agricultural), air quality complaint processing, permit review for stationary sources, and compliance assistance. Public-facing programs include grants for vehicle retirement and lawn/garden electrification, public information resources, and community education on air quality and health. These services work together as an integrated air quality management system serving San Luis Obispo County residents.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Blue Whales Blue Skies: A voluntary Vessel Speed Reduction (VSR) verification and recognition program that reduces ship strike risk to endangered whales, underwater noise, regional greenhouse gas emissions, and air pollution by encouraging ships to transit at 10 knots or less.
• AirAware
• Don't Light Tonight
• SLO County APCD

Products and services

• Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Services Continuous operation of nine permanent air monitoring stations across San Luis Obispo County collecting 24/7 data on ozone (O3), particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur oxides (SOx), and carbon monoxide (CO), with all data reported to EPA's national database.
• Air Quality Index (AQI) Forecasting Daily-updated 6-day air quality forecast reporting official daily AQI values for eight San Luis Obispo County regions (Atascadero, Carrizo Plain, Morro Bay, Nipomo-CDF, Nipomo-Mesa, Nipomo-NRP, Paso Robles, Red Hills, San Luis Obispo) to help residents make health-based decisions.

Quantifiable outcome

• Achieved reduction of up to 35% in PM10 at CDF monitoring station and 20% at Mesa 2 through Oceano Dunes dust mitigations, preventing approximately 10 federal and more than 170 exceedances of the California state standard
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• California Air Resources Board (CARB)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020CARB is the state regulatory agency that sets air quality standards. APCD receives monitoring data from SLO County and coordinates on exceptional events demonstrations (wildfire impacts), regulatory determinations, and implementation of state air quality programs.
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEPA establishes National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). APCD reports all monitoring data to EPA's national database and coordinates on exceptional events demonstrations for regulatory compliance.
• California Office of Planning and ResearchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOPR develops CEQA Guidelines including greenhouse gas emissions requirements. APCD implements CEQA review processes for land use projects in coordination with OPR guidelines.
• Blue Whales Blue Skies ProgramminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVoluntary Vessel Speed Reduction program that reduces ship strike risk to endangered whales, underwater noise, greenhouse gas emissions, and air pollution. APCD supports this coastal air quality initiative.
• Cal Poly San Luis ObispominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership developed for addressing climate change at the local level, including collaboration on climate action plans and sustainability initiatives.
• Cities for Climate Protection ProgramminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of government agencies meeting regularly since 2005 to discuss implementation of GHG initiatives. The group has developed GHG inventories, climate action plans, and implementation plans through information exchange and collaboration.
• California State ParkscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState Parks operates the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area (ODSVRA), which generates particulate matter impacts downwind. APCD works with State Parks on dust mitigation measures through Stipulated Order of Abatement 17-01 and Annual Report and Work Plans.
• Scientific Advisory Group (SAG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndependent scientific advisory body providing recommendations on Oceano Dunes dust mitigation modeling, emissivity assumptions, and progress assessment. Members include Dr. Jack Gillies from Desert Research Institute.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Placer County Air Pollution Control District: Single-county California APCD with a comparable mix of stationary-source permitting, ambient monitoring, and grant-funded incentive programs serving a similarly sized population.
• Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District: Metropolitan-scale California AQMD operating ambient monitoring, permitting, and rulemaking across Sacramento County with a directly comparable mandate, fee structure, and state/federal grant model.
• Monterey Bay Air Resources District: Multi-county air resources district covering Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Cruz counties with similar air monitoring, permitting, and burn program functions as SLO County APCD.
• Antelope Valley Air Quality Management District: Two-county AQMD in the Mojave Desert region running ambient monitoring, permitting, and public outreach programs analogous in scope and governance to SLO County APCD.
• Yolo-Solano Air Quality Management District: Two-county AQMD in Northern California operating an air monitoring network, permitting, and incentive grant programs similar in design and scale to SLO County APCD.
• Ventura County Air Pollution Control District: County-level California APCD with comparable jurisdiction, governance by county supervisors and city representatives, and similar mix of permitting, monitoring, and grant-funded programs — directly comparable in scope and scale to SLO County APCD.
• San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District: Large multi-county APCD covering the San Joaquin Valley with similar regulatory authority, ambient monitoring network, agricultural burn program, and grant-funded incentive programs.
• Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District: Neighboring county-level APCD along California's Central Coast with similar regulatory mandate, monitoring station network, and permitting structure, serving a comparable population and economic mix.

Broad incumbents

• Bay Area Air Quality Management District: The largest California AQMD by population, covering nine Bay Area counties with a much broader regulatory and monitoring footprint but operating the same kind of state-delegated air quality authority as SLO County APCD.
• South Coast Air Quality Management District: The largest AQMD in the United States, serving a four-county Southern California region with an extensive monitoring and permitting apparatus; broader in scale but operates an analogous delegated state authority model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SLOCleanAir

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The San Luis Obispo County Air