AB 2276 Air Cleaner Regulation

This page updated October 13, 2010

In accordance with California Assembly Bill 2276 (2006, Pavley), the Air Resources Board (ARB) developed and adopted a regulation in September 2007 to limit the ozone emitted from indoor air cleaning devices in order to protect public health. All air cleaning devices sold in California must meet the regulation requirements by October 18, 2010, the full compliance date. Information on the regulation, certification process, and recent amendments to the regulation are available below.

A new page has been developed for manufacturers and distributors with links to certification and notification requirement information. NEW!!!

     Information for Manufacturers of Indoor Air Cleaning Devices
  

15-day Public Review Period for the Third UL Clarification to the Test Method and Minor Changes to the Proposed Amendments- NOW CLOSED!!!

The addition of OSHA NRTL Satellite Notification and Acceptance Program, or "SNAP", (Supplemental Program 10) to the list of accepted testing facilities for conducting electrical safety testing required by the air cleaner regulation is now available for review. The third Certification Requirement Decision issued by Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. to clarify the ozone test method in ANSI/UL Standard 867 is also available for public review for 15 days, along with a few minor changes to the proposed amendments to ARB's regulation. Please review the documents and make comments. Inquiries concerning the amendments may be directed to Mr. Jim Behrmann at (916) 322-8278.

15-day Public Review Period for the Third UL Clarification to the Test Method and Minor Changes to the Proposed Amendments - NOW CLOSED!!!

The third Certification Requirement Decision issued by Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. to clarify the ozone test method in ANSI/UL Standard 867 is now available for public review for 15 days, along with a few minor changes for the proposed amendments to ARB's regulation. Please review the documents and make comments.  Inquiries concerning the amendments may be directed to Ms. Peggy Jenkins, Manager of the Indoor Exposure Assessment Section at (916) 323-1504 or Mr. Jim Behrmann at (916) 322-8278.

Board Approves Amendments to the Air Cleaner Regulation

The Air Resources Board approved all of the proposed amendments to the Air Cleaner Regulation on December 9, 2009 in Sacramento. Air cleaners must still be tested and certified by October 18, 2010; however, the package labeling requirements will not have to be met for an additional year, and adhesive labels (rather than printing on the package) will be allowed for two years. Other amendments will: (1) allow air cleaners to be tested for electrical safety at additional facilities; (2) incorporate into the regulation three clarifications to the ozone test protocol issued by UL; (3) allow devices that include an air cleaner component but whose main purpose is something other than air cleaning to be tested for electrical safety under their applicable ANSI/UL electrical safety test; and 4) refine the definition of “mechanical filtration only” to reference all pollutants (not just particles) to be fully consistent with the rest of the regulation. The public notice, staff report, and proposed language changes that discuss the amendments in detail can be accessed from our website. (Note that the period for written comments has passed.)

The next step in the regulation amendment process is a 15-day public review period for the third UL clarification to the test method (please see below), followed by formal approval of the amendments by the State Office of Administrative Law. The amendments are expected to complete the approval process and become effective in Spring 2010. Inquiries concerning the amendments may be directed to Ms. Peggy Jenkins, Manager of the Indoor Exposure Assessment Section, at (916) 323-1504 or  Mr. Jim Behrmann at (916) 322-8278.

UL Clarifications to the Ozone Test Protocol

Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. has released the third Certification Requirement Decision (CRD) that clarifies the ANSI/UL Standard 867 ozone emission test method used in ARB’s air cleaner regulation. This CRD and two previously released CRDs are posted below. The new CRD will be posted on ARB's official regulation website in January 2010 for a 15-day public comment period. A listserve notice will be sent out when that comment period begins.

UL CRD - Filter Test Iterations (PDF, 242KB)  NEW! 
UL CRD - Chamber Setup (PDF, 10KB)
UL CRD - Definition of Steady State at Hours 7-8 (PDF, 10KB)

If you have any questions on the UL CRDs, please contact Ms. Peggy Jenkins at 916-323-1504.

Instructions to Manufacturers for Notifying DIstributors, Retailers, and Sellers - October 18, 2009 Deadline

According to Section 94807 of California’s regulation to limit the amount of ozone produced from indoor air cleaning devices, manufacturers are required to notify their distributors, retailers, and sellers about the regulation, and to provide a copy of the regulation to them. Manufacturers also must submit documentation of such notification to the ARB.  Both the notification and the submittal of documentation to the ARB are required to be completed by October 18, 2009. Detailed instructions for submittal of the documentation, a cover form that should accompany the documentation, an updated Sample Notification Letter, and a link to the final regulation order are provided below.

Instructions for Documentation of Notification Requirement (PDF, 48KB)
Cover/Transmittal Form for Documentation of Notification Materials (PDF, 152KB)
Updated Sample Notification Letter  (Word, 41KB ) (PDF, 14KB)  Updated 10-04-10!
Final Regulation Order, with amendments as approved by Office of Administrative Law (PDF, 48KB) Updated 09-09-10! 

Air Cleaner Regulation Fact Sheet for Consumers

A fact sheet on the Air Cleaner Regulation developed for consumers is now available.

Air Cleaner Regulation Fact Sheet

Translations for Air Cleaner Regulation, Certification Application Instructions and Frequently Asked Questions

Key air cleaner regulation documents are provided at the link indicated below in Korean and Chinese (simplified and traditional) translations to help Korean- and Chinese-speaking stakeholders understand the requirements of the regulation. However, these translations have no legal effect and do not control or influence the interpretation, administration or enforcement of the regulation. The official English version of the regulation is the controlling authority and must be consulted to resolve any questions regarding the requirements of the regulation. To view the translated documents, please visit: 

Translation Webpage

Additional Responses to Questions Received

Additional Responses Added July 23, 2009 (PDF, 25KB)
Responses Added January 15, 2009 (PDF, 22KB)

Sample Letter and Label Now Available

A sample letter that manufacturers may use to notify their distributors and retailers about our regulation, as required in Section 94807, and a sample label that would meet the requirements of Section 94806 of the regulation, are both posted to assist with meeting the requirements of our regulation. Manufacturers are not required to use these samples; any letter or label that meets the requirements of the regulation is acceptable.

Updated Sample Notification Letter  (Word, 39KB ) (PDF, 15KB)
Sample Label  (PDF, 28KB)

Additional Materials Available from the June 12, 2009 Workshop on Possible Amendments

A workshop was held Friday, June 12, 2009 to discuss possible amendments to the air cleaner regulation. A video of the workshop and copies of comments received are now available.

  Video of June 12, 2009 workshop (339,573 KB (flv))
Comments received on possible amendments to the regulation

Workshop Materials

   OSHA Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratories (NRTLs) Program information.
- Program description
- Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratories; Clarification of the Types of Programs and Procedures - Federal Register 60:12980-12985, March 9, 1995

  Presentation (includes the speaking notes used during the presentation and a corrected slide)
  Workshop Agenda
  Workshop Notice 

List of California Certified Air Cleaning Devices

A list of air cleaning devices certified by ARB for sale in California is linked below. We will update the list as other air cleaners are certified.  

  List of California Certifed Air Cleaning Devices

Key Air Cleaner Regulation Materials

Final Regulation Order, as approved by Office of Administrative Law (PDF, 49 KB)
 Certification Application and Instructions
 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) sheet  (PDF, 113 KB) Updated 06-17-10!
Final Statement of Reasons (FSOR) (PDF, 545 KB) (including responses to comments received during the development of the regulation.)

Final Regulation Has Been Approved 

The Office of Administrative Law (OAL) has approved the Regulation to Limit Ozone Emissions from Indoor Air Cleaning Devices and filed it with the Secretary of State on September 18, 2008. The regulation became effective on October 18, 2008. Please view the Final Regulation Order as approved by OAL.

Manufacturers have two compliance dates to meet.  First, as required by Section 94807, manufacturers must notify their distributors, retailers, and sellers about the regulation, and provide copies of the final regulation to them.  They must provide documentation to the ARB that this has been accomplished by October 18, 2009. Second, all air cleaner models marketed or sold in California must be tested, certified, and labeled as required by the regulation by October 18, 2010.

Air Cleaner Testing and Certification Application 

To download a copy of the application and the instructions for completing it, and for information on approved testing laboratories, please visit our "Air Cleaner Testing and Certification" webpage.  Also, as instructed in that webpage, please be sure to obtain an application number for each model to be tested.

Formal Regulation Webpage

For the final regulation and other information, including the comments received and formal actions taken, please visit

   Formal Regulation Webpage

Board Hearing Archive

The materials previously located here related to the September 27, 2007 Board Hearing have been moved to another page.

    Board Hearing Materials

Workshop Archive

ARB staff held three public workshops to obtain input from interested stakeholders and members of the public during the development of the Air Cleaner Regulation. We also held an informational Web-based teleconference on December 4, 2008 to discuss implementation of the regulation and to respond to questions. Materials related to each of the workshops are now available by clicking on the following link.

    Workshop Archive - all workshops

Other Information

View additional information on air cleaners, including ARB's report "Evaluation of Ozone Emissions from Portable Indoor Air Cleaners That Intentionally Emit Ozone" (May 2006).

How to Stay Updated

The ARB invites those interested in this regulation to join a listserve, the Air Cleaner Regulation Listserve, to receive email notification of all notices given and actions taken related to the development of this regulation. Please consider subscribing to our air cleaner listserve.  If you have questions that are not answered in the web updates or other information provided here, please contact Susan Lum at 916-445-0753.