Last updated on July 23, 2025
Learn about Philadelphia air quality policy, who enforces it, and how to contact them.
Federal Level Air Quality Laws
The Clean Air Act (passed in 1963 and last amended in 1990) was the first major act passed to regulate air quality on the federal level. This law defined criteria air pollutants and set concentration standards known as the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) above which human health impacts may occur. Each area in the US must follow these standards, ie. must be in attainment, and if not must develop a plan to remedy their poor air quality. It is up to each state to develop these nonattainment plans and get them approved by the EPA.
Read about the standards for each criteria air pollutant here and find nonattainment areas for each pollutant here.
State Level Air Quality Laws
There are three types of pollution sources, and each have different regulations under state and local law
- Stationary Sources – factories, facilities, and buildings
- Mobile sources – vehicles
- Air pollution events – wildfires, accidental spills, etc.
Pennsylvania requires all stationary sources of air pollution to have construction and operating permits. The regulations must be at least as strict as the Clean Air Act. These include incinerators and combustion units, as well as the release of air pollutants as by-products from facilities.
Pennsylvania has regulations for emissions from mobile sources that are very similar to those of California. All car models post 2008 need to follow strict emissions guidelines that account for fuel efficiency and all diesel-powered vehicles must follow diesel specific regulations. Pennsylvania also prohibits excessive idling.
During times of harmful air quality, state law requires emergency messages to go out to all residents. Additionally, certain activities that worsen air quality, such as burning of waste, are prohibited during these times.
Philadelphia Air Quality Laws
The Air Pollution Control Board, which is in charge of Air Management Services, and reports to the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, enforces all air quality regulations. All pollution emitting sources must be in contact with the Air Pollution Control Board and be in compliance with their regulations.
Philadelphia’s air quality laws must be at least as strict as Pennsylvania’s laws, and in many cases are stricter. This includes harsher idling laws, especially for diesel-powered vehicles, no open burning, and no pollutant emissions aside from uncombined water, except for incinerators which are regulated differently. Additionally Philly regulates dust and debris from construction sites, requiring them to notify neighbors and get permits before construction.
Contact Air Management Services through their phone line: (215)685-7580 during business hours or email: dphams_service_requests@phila.gov 24/7. These lines are for industrial and construction air and noise pollution, so be sure to provide a probable source of pollution when reporting bad air quality readings.
All of these federal, state, and local laws work together to keep residents safe, but they are not enough in many cases. Most permits operate independently of other activities in the area, meaning that if a company files a permit their case is judged without considering the existing polluters in the area. This can leave residents feeling the impacts of all polluters, without the cumulative impacts being considered in permits.
This blog post was created in conjunction with The Network for Public Health Law.
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