North Coast Unified Air Quality Management District

What North Coast Unified Air Quality Management District does

North Coast Unified Air Quality Management District is a Special District of the State of California functioning as a regional air quality regulatory agency. It enforces local, state, and federal air quality regulations for stationary sources across Humboldt, Del Norte, and Trinity counties in Northern California, operating from a single headquarters at 707 L Street, Eureka. The organization issues burn permits, runs compliance and enforcement activities, performs ambient air monitoring, and administers state-funded grant programs including Carl Moyer (cleaner-than-required engines), FARMER (agricultural equipment replacements), the Rural School Bus Pilot Project, and the Woodsmoke Reduction Pilot Program. It manages complaints, asbestos NESHAP compliance, CEQA planning review, and mobile source/vehicle regulations, while coordinating with CAL FIRE on wildfire-driven burn suspensions.

The underlying technology stack is conventional government IT, comprising proprietary Microsoft SQL Server and Access databases for permit management, complaints, and timekeeping; Envidas/Envista data acquisition systems for hourly ambient air monitoring; and CARB enterprise systems (CARL, FARMER SAP, HARP EI Module, PERP, PFIRS) for grants, emission inventories, and prescribed-fire reporting. The Online Air Quality Burn Permit Portal (portal.ncuaqmd.org) is the primary self-service digital channel; ancillary tools include Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, QuickBooks, DocuSign, Google Earth Pro, SmartSheet, Click2Mail, Canva, and the CalEPA Complaint Portal. No AI/ML systems are deployed.

Revenue is generated through three mechanisms: permit fees paid by businesses and industries that emit air pollution (the primary funding source), the state vehicle clean air surcharge, and grant administration fees/oversight for Carl Moyer, FARMER, Woodsmoke Reduction, and Rural School Bus Pilot programs. The District holds public budget hearings with a 30-day comment period and is governed by a publicly accountable Governing Board rather than private shareholders. Specific revenue figures are not publicly disclosed. Customer segments are statutory and include residential burn-permit applicants, agricultural operations, rural school districts, and permitted industrial/commercial emitters.

Name

North Coast Unified Air Quality Management District

Legal name

North Coast Unified Air Quality Management District

Website

https://ncuaqmd.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

North Coast Unified Air Quality Management District is a California Special District that regulates stationary-source air pollution across Humboldt, Del Norte, and Trinity counties via permitting, compliance enforcement, ambient air monitoring, and state-funded emission-reduction grant administration.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Air Quality Regulatory Services

NAICS

Administration of Air and Water Resource and Solid Waste Management Programs (92411), Administration of Air and Water Resource and Solid Waste Management Programs (924110)

akta.pro primary industry

Air Quality & Emissions Health Regulators (HLAJAFAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wildfire Fuel Reduction & Prescribed Burning (AFAMAAAF), Wildfire Risk Assessment, Prevention & Suppression Services (IMAMAJAG)

Keywords

• Air quality regulation
• Burn permit issuance
• Environmental compliance enforcement
• Emission reduction grants
• Ambient air monitoring

Headquarters

HQ city

Eureka

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Permit Fees: Primary funding source from permit fees paid by businesses and industries that emit air pollution. Annual budget approved with 30-day public comment period.
2. State Vehicle Clean Air Surcharge: State vehicle clean air surcharge provides ongoing funding for district operations.
3. Grant Funding Administration: Administrative fees and oversight for grant programs including Carl Moyer, FARMER, Woodsmoke Reduction Pilot, and Rural School Bus Pilot programs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

North Coast Unified Air Quality Management District is a regional environmental regulatory agency that issues burn permits, enforces local, state, and federal air quality regulations on stationary sources, monitors ambient air quality, and administers grant programs for emission reductions in agricultural, transportation, and residential heating applications. It operates across Humboldt, Del Norte, and Trinity counties in Northern California as one of 35 California air districts.

Product overview

North Coast Unified Air Quality Management District operates a portfolio of regulatory and service-oriented products organized around air quality monitoring, burn permit management, and environmental grant programs. The core offerings include the Online Air Quality Burn Permit Portal for digital permit applications and renewals, Current Air Quality Maps & AQI providing real-time and forecast air quality data, and Wildfire Smoke AQI services. Burn permit services span Standard Burn Permits, Non-Standard Burn Permits, Smoke Management Plans, Fire Training Burn Permits, and Prescribed Burning coordination. The district administers several environmental grant programs including the Carl Moyer Grant Program, FARMER Grant Program (agricultural equipment), Rural School Bus Pilot Project (zero-emission school buses), and Woodsmoke Reduction Pilot Program (residential heating device replacements). Regulatory services include Compliance & Enforcement, Planning & CEQA review, Mobile Sources & Vehicles regulations, Asbestos NESHAP compliance, Permitted Sources oversight, Facility Emission Inventories, Air Toxics monitoring, and Regional Radiation Information. The district operates as a Special District of the State of California with jurisdiction over Humboldt, Del Norte, and Trinity counties in Northern California.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Online Air Quality Burn Permit Portal A web-based portal enabling residents to apply for and renew burn permits online, providing access to burn day status, permit applications, and smoke management plans for Humboldt, Del Norte, and Trinity county residents.
• Standard Burn Permits Permits for burning natural vegetation for disposal purposes in designated areas of Del Norte, Trinity, and Humboldt counties.
• Non-Standard Burn Permits Permits for burning activities that do not meet standard burn permit criteria, requiring additional review and approval.
• Smoke Management Plans Plans required for larger-scale burning operations that include smoke dispersion requirements and monitoring protocols.
• Prescribed Burning Controlled burning programs for land management purposes, with scheduling and coordination services for land managers.
• Current Air Quality Maps & AQI Real-time air quality monitoring providing current Air Quality Index (AQI) data, forecasts, and maps for Humboldt, Del Norte, and Trinity counties.
• Wildfire Smoke AQI Forecasts & Maps Specialized forecasting and mapping services for wildfire smoke air quality conditions, including guidance for schools and OSHA compliance information.
• Compliance & Enforcement Enforcement of local, state, and federal air quality regulations including investigation of complaints and issuance of violations.
• Planning & CEQA California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review services for development projects and planning activities.
• Asbestos NESHAP & NOA Regulations Regulations controlling asbestos emissions from construction, renovation, and demolition activities.
• Carl Moyer Grant Program Incentive grants for cleaner-than-required engines, equipment, and other sources of pollution, administered through local air districts in California.
• FARMER Grant Program Funding for Agricultural Replacement Measures for Emission Reductions (FARMER), providing funding for agricultural harvesting equipment, heavy-duty trucks, agricultural pump engines, tractors, and other agricultural equipment.
• Rural School Bus Pilot Project (RSBPP) Grant program accelerating the turnover of California school bus fleets to lower carbon transportation choices, particularly in rural school districts.
• Woodsmoke Reduction Pilot Program Financial incentives for homeowners to replace old, inefficient, and highly polluting wood stoves, wood inserts, or fireplaces with cleaner-burning and more efficient home heating devices.

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration18 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Placer County Air Pollution Control District (Placer Co APCD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdminister the FARMER (Funding Agricultural Replacement Measures for Emission Reductions) program through a Shared Application Pool (SAP) administered by Placer Co APCD for air districts throughout California.
• California Air Resources Board (CARB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with CARB to administer the Rural School Bus Pilot Project and Woodsmoke Reduction Program. CARB provides program guidelines and California Climate Investments funding.
• California Climate InvestmentscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStatewide cap-and-trade program providing funding for the Woodsmoke Reduction Pilot Program, which offers financial incentives for homeowners to replace polluting wood stoves with cleaner-burning heating devices.
• Senator Mike McGuirecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Senator Mike McGuire to administer the Rural School Bus Pilot Project for the State of California, focused on accelerating school bus fleet turnover in rural districts.
• California Air Resources Board (CARB) - FARMER ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFARMER Program guidelines and Shared Allocation Pool administered through CAPCOA with press releases about application submittal periods from CARB.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District: California air district covering Sacramento County with burn permitting, grant administration, and ambient air monitoring. Direct peer to NCUAQMD as a same-state regional air regulator with overlapping program structures (burn program, grants, CEQA review).
• Mendocino County Air Quality Management District: Adjacent California air district covering Mendocino County—part of the same North Coast Air Basin as NCUAQMD. Direct peer with overlapping wildfire smoke and prescribed burning responsibilities in the same geographic region.
• Feather River Air Quality Management District: Small Northern California rural air district (Sutter, Yuba, Colusa counties). Comparable to NCUAQMD as a similarly scaled rural Special District with the same burn permit, prescribed fire, and grant administration functions.
• Ventura County Air Pollution Control District: California air district covering Ventura County with the same statutory authority and program mix (permits, compliance, grants, monitoring). Comparable to NCUAQMD as a single-county-or-regional air regulator within the same state framework.
• Bay Area Air Quality Management District: One of California's 35 regional air districts enforcing local, state, and federal air quality regulations for stationary sources in the San Francisco Bay Area. Directly comparable to NCUAQMD as a peer California air district with statutory regulatory authority, permitting, grants, and monitoring functions.
• South Coast Air Quality Management District: The largest California air district covering Orange County and the urban portions of Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties. Direct peer operating the same statutory air quality regulatory model (permits, enforcement, grants, monitoring) as NCUAQMD, but at much larger scale.
• San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District: California air district covering eight counties in the San Joaquin Valley with extensive agricultural and stationary-source regulation. Comparable because of its large Carl Moyer / FARMER grant administration footprint—directly relevant to NCUAQMD's agricultural emissions grant work.
• Placer County Air Pollution Control District: Neighboring California air district and actual NCUAQMD partner administering the FARMER Shared Allocation Pool statewide. Direct peer given shared regulatory model, overlapping grant programs, and the documented SAP partnership.
• Great Basin Air Pollution Control District: Rural Nevada air district operating with a similar small-jurisdiction regulatory model (permits, monitoring, grants). Comparable as a peer rural air district in an adjacent state with analogous statutory authority and program mix.

Broad incumbents

• California Air Resources Board (CARB): Statewide regulatory authority that NCUAQMD partners with and that sets the framework all 35 California air districts implement. Comparable as the source of program guidelines and California Climate Investments funding that flow through NCUAQMD, though it operates at state rather than district level.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/north-coast-unified-aqmd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about North Coast Unified Air Quality Management District