Ohio Code 3704.112 – Local air pollution control authority – powers and duties
For the purpose of fulfilling the duties and obligations imposed pursuant to a delegation agreement entered into under section 3704.111 of the Revised Code, a local air pollution control authority, in the name of the environmental protection agency, may do all of the following within the political subdivisions that it represents:
Terms Used In Ohio Code 3704.112
- Air pollution: means the presence in the ambient air of one or more air contaminants or any combination thereof in sufficient quantity and of such characteristics and duration as is or threatens to be injurious to human health or welfare, plant or animal life, or property, or as unreasonably interferes with the comfortable enjoyment of life or property. See Ohio Code 3704.01
- Ambient air: means that portion of the atmosphere outside of buildings and other enclosures, stacks, or ducts that surrounds human, plant, or animal life or property. See Ohio Code 3704.01
- Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Local air pollution control authority: includes all of the following unless terminated by the political subdivisions represented thereby:
(1) All of the following agencies representing the following political subdivisions, as those agencies existed on July 1, 1993:
(a) The Akron regional air quality management district representing Medina, Summit, and Portage counties;
(b) The Canton city health department representing Stark county;
(c) The Hamilton county department of environmental services, southwest Ohio air quality agency representing Butler, Warren, Hamilton, and Clermont counties;
(d) The city of Cleveland division of the environment representing Cuyahoga county;
(e) The regional air pollution control agency representing Darke, Preble, Miami, Montgomery, Clark, and Greene counties;
(f) The Lake county general health district representing Lake and Geauga counties;
(g) The Portsmouth city health department representing Brown, Adams, Scioto, and Lawrence counties;
(h) The city of Toledo division of pollution control representing Lucas county and the city of Rossford in Wood county. See Ohio Code 3704.01
- Person: means the federal government or any agency thereof, the state or any agency thereof, any political subdivision or any agency thereof, or any public or private corporation, individual, partnership, or other entity. See Ohio Code 3704.01
- Property: means real and personal property. See Ohio Code 1.59
- Rule: includes regulation. See Ohio Code 1.59
(A) Establish, maintain, and operate air quality monitoring stations and other devices designed to measure air pollution or ambient air quality;
(B) Enter upon public or private property, real or personal, at any reasonable time to make inspections, conduct tests, examine or copy records or reports, determine actual or potential emissions of air contaminants from a premises, and ascertain compliance with this chapter and any rules, orders, terms or conditions of permits or variances, or other determinations made or issued under it. If the entry or inspection authorized under this division is refused, hindered, or thwarted, an authorized representative of the local air pollution control authority may apply for, and any judge of a court of record may issue, an administrative inspection warrant under division (F) of section 2933.21 of the Revised Code, or other appropriate search warrant, to achieve the purposes of this chapter within the court’s territorial jurisdiction.
(C) Investigate or make inquiries into any alleged violation of this chapter or a rule, order, term or condition of a permit or variance, or other determination made or issued under it, or act of air pollution, upon the complaint of any person, the local air pollution control authority’s own initiative, or the request of the environmental protection agency;
(D) In accordance with Chapter 119 of the Revised Code and the rules adopted under section 3704.03 of the Revised Code governing open burning, grant or deny permission to conduct open burning to persons making application for permission to do so;
(E) Encourage, participate in, or conduct studies, investigations, research, and education and training programs, and collect and disseminate information, relating to air pollution;
(F) Accept and administer grants from the federal government and any other source, public or private, for the purpose of carrying out any function under this chapter.