Arizona's environmental regulations strive to protect and enhance public health while facilitating economic growth in environmentally responsible ways. To support these regulations, ADEQ issues permits and inspects facilities to ensure they operate within the permit's terms. 

ADEQ requires that facilities are legally built, operated and monitored so that discharges to the air, water and soil are within acceptable standards that protect human health and the environment. When issuing a permit, ADEQ staff determines the operation's environmental impact and establishes operating conditions that, when complied with, will not adversely affect the environment. 

Permits inform facilities of legally enforceable conditions for operation, as well as provide any reporting requirements and pollution monitoring or testing requirements. The process also enables citizens to stay informed and involved as decisions are made about proposed activities affecting the environmental quality of their community.

General Permits (GP)

GPs are available for the regulation of numerous, very similar, and generally smaller facilities and sources that have similar emissions and discharges. For example, with respect to permitting requirements, one dry cleaning business is like most others, just as sand and gravel pits are all about the same. As long as the applicant agrees to conduct its proposed activities under the pre-set limits established by the permit, it will be able to operate under any general permit for which it is eligible.

Individual Permits (IPs)

IPs are those permits issued on a case-by-case basis and are specific to each applicant facility. Individual permits usually are most appropriate for the regulation of large or complex facilities and sources.

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