The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) periodically performs an audit of the Allegheny County Health Department’s Air Quality program. The most recent was an audit of its Title V operating permit process(PDF, 2MB) in August of 2017.
One area of concern in the 2017 audit was the Title V permit backlog (defined as any unissued permit with an application older than 18 months). At the time of the audit, the Title V permit backlog was 34%. As of January 1, 2026, the backlog is 13.8% and all backlogged permits have been through the public comment period at least once.
ACHD has increased permit application, maintenance, and emissions fees in response to the EPA Audit. See the tab “Air Quality Program Fee Schedule” on this page for more information.
To address the EPA audit findings, in 2018, ACHD hired a consultant to evaluate staffing and IT, and to provide an overall assessment of the workflow process in the Air Quality Permitting. ACHD has addressed the staffing needs outlined in the evaluation and has implemented the Regulated Entities Portal (REP). REP streamlines the permitting process by allowing facilities to efficiently track, manage, and submit required reports and renewal applications into one centralized system.
For more information on the Title V program, including the status of backlogged permits, bookmark and revisit our Title V & Public Interest Permits page.