Stratospheric Ozone Protection Annual Operating Permit

Sections 24-41.11 and 24-18, Miami-Dade County Code (the Code), establish that an operating permit is required for activities occurring in Miami-Dade County that involve the purchase, sale, distribution, recovery, and/or recharge of refrigerants used in refrigeration systems that contain ozone-depleting compounds. Pursuant to section 24-5 of the Code, the terms “ozone-depleting compound”, “refrigerant” and “refrigeration system” have the following meaning:

• Ozone-depleting compound means any of the substances identified in Section 602(a) and Section 602(b) of Title VI of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 by the United States Environmental Protection Agency as contributing to the depletion or destruction of the stratospheric ozone layer of the Earth
• Refrigerant means any substance containing any ozone-depleting compound which is utilized in any refrigeration system
• Refrigeration system means any refrigerator, freezer, chiller, cold storage warehouse, refrigeration unit, or any kind of air conditioner (mobile, portable, stationary, motor vehicle)

These operating permits are issued and managed by the Stratospheric Ozone Protection Program of the Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources (RER). Examples of refrigerants regulated by this program include, but are not limited to, R-12, R-22, halon, and other compounds defined by the United States Environmental Protection Agency as having ozone-depleting potential.

An operating permit is not required for any of the above-listed activities if the refrigerants handled do not contain ozone-depleting compounds. For further assistance regarding the applicability of this permit to a specific type of refrigerant, please contact RER's Environmental Permitting Section at 305-372-6600 or email [email protected].