Coffee bean roasting facilities range from small gourmet coffee shops to medium-sized commercial operations with locally distributed products to large facilities with national product distribution. Coffee roasting refers to any operation involving the processing of unroasted coffee beans into roasted coffee beans. There are generally two types of coffee bean roasters, drum-type and floating bed-type roasters. Drum-type coffee bean roasters are the most common type used in the coffee bean roasting industry. The floating bed coffee bean-type roasters typically have a shorter roast time. The majority of coffee bean roasters are equipped with natural gas-fired burners to provide heat for the roasting process. The various types of equipment used in these coffee bean roasting operations include: hoppers, chaff collectors, screens, roasters, cooling trays, cyclones, and thermal oxidizers.
Who Needs a Permit?
Coffee roasters equipped with natural gas-fired burners to provide heat for the roasting process rated equal to or greater than 1 million BTU/hour will need a separate permit and application for the burner, see Afterburner/Vapor Incinerator.
For these smaller roasting operations (burner rated less than 1 million BTU/hour) the permitting criteria is based on two parameters: roaster type and batch capacity of the roaster.
Drum-type coffee bean roasters with a cyclone require a permit if drum capacity > 18 lbs unroasted coffee beans/batch, or combined heat input for the roaster burners plus thermal oxidizer ³ 1 million BTU/hour.
Floating bed type coffee bean roasters with a cyclone require a permit if batch capacity > 12 lbs unroasted coffee beans/batch, or combined heat input for the roaster burners plus thermal oxidizer ³ 1 million BTU/hour
Permit Fees
New Installations:
- Use Schedule 2 (see Rule 301, Section 308.3). Fees are based on the size of the electric motor. Use the Initial Permit Fee column for new installations or equipment not previously permitted.
Modifications:
For modifications of permitted equipment resulting in an increase in boiler rating, the fee is assessed in accordance with fee schedule 2 (see Rule 301, Section 308.3) based on the incremental increase in horsepower resulting from such change.
For modifications resulting in no increase in rating, the fee will be based on Rule 301, Section 306.2.
Equipment Installed Without an Authority to Construct:
- As per Section 302.1 of Rule 301, any person installing/operating regulated equipment without obtaining a permit from the Sac Metro Air District will be required to pay permit renewal back fees for each year of unpermitted operation, to a maximum of 3 years, in addition to the initial permit fee.
Permit Application Completeness Determination
An application will not be accepted for processing until it is deemed complete. The following will be required in order for the Sac Metro Air District to make a completeness determination.
Completed application Forms G100, G101, FF100, and HRA100 with the original signature of the owner/proprietor or responsible officer of the company.
The applicable permit fee in accordance with Rule 301.
Any additional information that may be requested in order to perform a health risk assessment or to better understand the process or the applicability of regulations.
