Air Cleaner Information for Manufacturers

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Air Cleaners Are Regulated In California

CARB adopted a regulation in 2008 to limit the amount of ozone emitted from indoor air cleaning devices in order to protect public health. All air cleaning devices sold in the California, including over the internet, must meet the regulation requirements. 

According to the regulation, an “indoor air cleaning device” is an energy-using product whose stated function is to reduce the concentration of airborne pollutants from the air inside an enclosed space, including but not limited to allergens, microbes (e.g., bacteria, fungi, viruses, and other microorganisms), dusts, particles, smoke, fumes, gases or vapors, and odorous chemicals. Such devices include, but are not necessarily limited to: 

  • portable devices of any size intended for cleaning the air nearest a person, in a room of any size, in a whole house or building, or in a motor vehicle;
  • stand-alone devices designed to be attached to a wall, ceiling, post, or other indoor surface;
  • electronic in-duct air cleaners.

The regulation states that all air cleaners sold to people or businesses in California must be CARB certified for electrical safety. Electronic portable and in-duct air cleaners must also be tested for ozone emissions, which must be no higher than 50 parts per billion (ppb).  

There are exemptions in the regulation for the sale of uncertified ozone-producing air cleaners that are used for specific industrial use applications that are listed in the regulation. These specific exempted uses are listed in section 94801(a)(19) of the regulation.  If you have questions about whether an air cleaning device meets the industrial use exemption, please contact CARB at aircleaners@arb.ca.gov.

Additionally, there are specific requirements that must be met by manufacturers and online sellers of uncertified ozone-producing air cleaning devices. These requirements are listed in section 94803(a) of the regulation. 

Manufacturers and distributors of air cleaning devices are responsible for becoming familiar with the regulation and meeting its requirements. Below you will find materials and the information needed to comply with the regulation.

Note:CARB amended the regulation and those changes went into effect on October 1, 2020. A brief description of changes to the regulation is found here: California's Air Cleaner Regulation (AB 2276). 

Companies selling uncertified air cleaning devices in California are subject to enforcement action by CARB, including fines.

Air Cleaner Certification Process

There are 4 steps to getting an air cleaner certified by CARB, plus a labeling requirement for certified devices being marketed and sold:

  1. Fill-in and submit an Application Number Request Form and we will issue you a number to use on your application form. Send it to: aircleaners@arb.ca.gov. 
  2. Download and complete an Application, which can be opened by right-clicking on it after saving it to your computer desktop.  Put the application number in the right upper corner of the application.
  3. Have the device tested by a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) for electrical safety. If the device is subject to the ozone test requirement, have it tested for ozone emissions by a CARB-approved laboratory. Please see the subsections below for information about test requirements and NRTLs.
  4. Submit the application and supporting documents to CARB via email at aircleaners@arb.ca.gov. Include the complete electrical safety report (CDR), ozone test report (where applicable), Authorization to Mark (ATM), owner's or operations manual, online laboratory directory listing, and an exploded parts diagram labeled in English with the brand name and model number listed. Once all documents have been received, CARB typically completes the review and certification within 30 days.  It can take longer depending on the number of applications we currently have to review.

Labeling Requirement: Once your device is certified, the packaging is required to be labeled: 

  • Labels for certified air cleaning devices must be at least 1 inch by 2 inches in size, easily readable, and shall state 'Meets California ozone emissions limit: CARB certified' in bold type whose uppercase letters are not less than 3 mm high. This label should be printed on the package in a location other than the bottom of the packaging. Labels for medical devices shall be in compliance with federal law, including Section 801.415 of Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations and shall also state "CARB certified." Sample Label.
  • Air cleaners must also bear the listing mark or certification mark for ANSI/UL Standard 507, 867, or other appropriate standard as specified in the regulation, consistent with the requirements of the appropriate authorizing NRTL.

CARB Certification Testing Requirements

Air cleaners that use only mechanical filtration, and/or use UVGI lamp(s) that only emit light above 240 nm in wavelength, as determined by test standard UL223.2, and generates no measurable ozone, must be tested for electrical safety to UL507.  Such testing can be conducted by most NRTLs.

Portable electronic air cleaners must be tested for electrical safety and ozone emissions to the UL867 standard.  CARB approved ozone testing laboratories are listed below.  Dual-function portable devices that include an air cleaning function must be tested to the applicable test standard. 

Electronic in-duct air cleaners are required to be tested for electrical safety. They are also required to be tested for ozone to CSA Standard for Electrostatic Air Cleaners, CSA C22.2 No.187:20. However, some electronic in-duct devices may be tested to Standard UL867, if deemed appropriate by CARB staff.  In cases where an air cleaning device can be used either inside or outside an HVAC duct, it is usually most appropriate to test the device using the UL867 test method.  Contact CARB for guidance, if needed.  

Contact information for laboratories approved by CARB to test electronic air cleaning devices for ozone emissions is shown below. Please contact them directly to request testing. In order to conduct testing of the device, the laboratory will need the completed CARB application form with CARB application number. 

  • Blue Heaven Technologies - USA (for ozone testing of in-duct air cleaners only)
    • Please note that any NRTL can conduct electrical safety testing on in-duct air cleaning devices but an in-duct ozone test report from Blue Heaven Technologies must include a cover letter from Intertek.
    • 2820 S. English Station Road, Louisville, KY 40299
    • Bobby Singer, President
  • CSA Group - USA
    • 8501 East Pleasant Valley Road, Cleveland, Ohio 44131-5575
    • James Sekerak, Team Lead - Gas Accessories 
  • Intertek Testing Services - USA
  • Intertek Testing Services - China
    • Chamber 1:  Block E, No. 7-2 Guang Dong Software Science Park, Caipin Road, Guangzhou, China  
    • Chamber 2:  Block F,  No. 7-2 Guang Dong Software Science Park, Caipin Road, Guangzhou, China
    • Gary Zhou, Senior Operation Manager, Intertek Testing Services Shenzhen Ltd. (Guangzhou Branch)
      • Phone: 86208213958
  • SGS-CSTC Standards Technical Services Co., Ltd. - China
    • 3/4F, 1 Building, LIANDO U VALLEY, No.200 Xing Pu Road, SIP, Suzhou, China
    • Colin Xie, Lab manager
  • UL LLC - Underwriters Laboratories Inc. - USA 
  • UL LLC - Underwriters Laboratories Inc. - China
    • UL Verification Services (Guangzhou) Co., Ltd.
    • 1F, 2F, 3F & 5F, Building A1, Nansha Science and Technology Innovation Center, No. 25; South Huanshi Avenue, Nansha District, Guangzhou 511458, China
    • Mystery Ma, Business Development Manager
      • Phone: 860202866718

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about complying with the regulation.

If you have any additional questions regarding the application process, please contact aircleaners@arb.ca.gov.

Air Cleaners and Ozone-Producing Air Cleaning Devices: Industrial Use Exemption Requirements

Manufacturers of uncertified ozone-producing air cleaning devices manufactured, supplied to, offered for sale, introduced into commerce, or sold to people or businesses in California, in accordance with the industrial use exemptions outlined in section 94803(a) of the regulation, must:

A) Label air cleaners marketed solely for the exempted industrial purposes with an advisory that reads: 'For industrial use only. Use only in unoccupied spaces. Health hazard: Emits ozone.' This advisory must be clearly visible and placed near the power switch or electrical connection on the device.

B) Submit documentation to CARB that the manufacturer has provided -- to all of their known distributors, retailers, and sellers who supply, offer to sell, or sell in California -- notification of California's air regulation, including a copy of the regulation itself:

  1. Sample Notification Letter 
  2. California's Regulation for Limiting Ozone Emissions from Air Cleaning Devices

Documentation of compliance with notification requirement must be submitted to CARB annually and include:

  • A copy of the notification letter, materials, and/or other correspondence that was mailed/distributed
  • The associated mailing list, with complete contact information for each California business address

This documentation should be submitted either to:

  • CARB Executive Officer, P.O. Box 2815, Sacramento, CA 95812, Attn: Indoor Air Cleaning Device Certification
  • aircleaners@arb.ca.gov

An email notification from CARB will serve to notify manufacturers that the submitted documentation has been accepted. Such information may be kept confidential upon request as specified in Sections 91000 et seq. of title 17, chapter 1, subchapter 4 (Disclosure of Records) of the California Code of Regulations. 

Required notifications about the regulation must be updated annually as new distributors, retailers, and sellers are added. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about complying with the regulation.

Uncertified Air Cleaners and Ozone-Producing Air Cleaning Devices: Manufacturer and Online Retailer Requirements

Any indoor air cleaning device that is not for exempted industrial use, and that is advertised or sold via the Internet -- but has not been certified by CARB -- must display the following advisory in a prominent place on the primary advertising page: 'Does not meet California air cleaner regulation requirements: cannot be shipped to California'. This information should be provided to the consumer prior to entering their purchase information.

It is the responsibility of the manufacturer, retailer, and distributor to block sales of uncertified air cleaners to people or businesses in California.

Additional CARB Resources

External Resources

How to Stay Updated

CARB encourages those interested in this regulation to subscribe to the Air Cleaner Regulation topic, in order to receive email notification of all notices given and actions taken related to the implementation of this regulation. If you have further questions, contact aircleaners@arb.ca.gov.