--- title: "BAAQMD 12-15 and How to Monitor It | Aethair" description: "Bay Area Air Quality Management District Regulation 12, Rule 15 (Petroleum Refining Emissions Tracking, adopted 2016) requires Bay Area refineries to…" url: https://aethair.io/standards/baaqmd_12_15/ --- Guidance · Bay Area Air Quality Management District # BAAQMD Regulation 12, Rule 15: petroleum refining emissions tracking Ambient air: refinery fenceline monitoring (Bay Area, California) Bay Area Air Quality Management District **Regulation 12, Rule 15** (Petroleum Refining Emissions Tracking, adopted 2016) requires Bay Area refineries to report annual emissions inventories and crude slate information, and to run **real-time fenceline air monitoring** with the data made public. It sets no concentration limit. Its Air Monitoring Guidelines require refineries to measure **benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX) and hydrogen sulfide** at the fenceline, using **open-path technology that measures in the parts-per-billion range**. Refineries must also consider sulfur dioxide, alkanes or other organic compound indicators, 1,3-butadiene, and ammonia, and give a rationale for any compound they leave out. [Schedule a call](https://calendly.com/d/ctdd-mkr-v9v/aethair-demo-website) [Configure BAAQMD 12-15 Monitoring](https://aethair.io/build/?params=btex,h2s,so2,nh3\&setting=outdoor) At a glance **Bay Area Air Quality Management District** Ambient air: refinery fenceline monitoring (Bay Area, California) 4 parameters [BTEX / speciated VOC](https://aethair.io/parameters/btex/) [Hydrogen Sulfide (H₂S)](https://aethair.io/parameters/h2s/) [Sulfur Dioxide (SO₂)](https://aethair.io/parameters/so2/) [Ammonia (NH₃)](https://aethair.io/parameters/nh3/) 1 device measures them all - **Thiamis** RAE Gas Detectors · Defiant Technologies Specialty Air Analyzers [Official text from Bay Area Air Quality Management District](https://www.baaqmd.gov/en/rules-and-compliance/rules/regulation-12-rule-15--petroleum-refining-emissions-tracking) Who it applies to ## Who It Applies to Petroleum refineries in the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, each under an Air Monitoring Plan the District approves. The rule has been amended since adoption, and a further amendment was under development in 2026. Monitoring ## How Monitoring Demonstrates Compliance The guidelines ask for data at a five-minute time resolution, displayed to the public. Quality assurance is set in each refinery's plan and includes at least 75 % hourly data completeness for 90 % of the time, assessed quarterly. Because the rule sets no limit, what it asks of monitoring is coverage and continuity: the right compounds, a complete record, and siting that represents the fenceline and the community downwind. [Customize this configuration](https://aethair.io/build/?params=btex,h2s,so2,nh3\&setting=outdoor) ### Who measures each parameter | Parameter | Aethair PRO | Aethair IAQ | External | | - | - | - | - | | [BTEX / speciated VOC](https://aethair.io/parameters/btex/) | — | — | [1 instrument](https://aethair.io/parameters/btex/) via Thiamis | | [Hydrogen Sulfide (H₂S)](https://aethair.io/parameters/h2s/) | H₂S cartridge | — | [4 instruments](https://aethair.io/parameters/h2s/) via Thiamis | | [Sulfur Dioxide (SO₂)](https://aethair.io/parameters/so2/) | MultiSense, SO₂ cartridges | — | [1 instrument](https://aethair.io/parameters/so2/) via Thiamis | | [Ammonia (NH₃)](https://aethair.io/parameters/nh3/) | — | — | [1 instrument](https://aethair.io/parameters/nh3/) via Thiamis | Devices ## Devices That Measure What BAAQMD 12-15 Relies On How much of this standard one Aethair monitor covers, followed by the third-party instruments in the sensor catalog that measure its parameters. Each connects to Environet through a Thiamis gateway, which adds whatever the monitor leaves out. Aethair monitors [**Aethair PRO** Built in + Aethair SO₂, Aethair H₂S 2 of 4: H₂S, SO₂](https://aethair.io/products/pro/) Covers part of it (combine on one Thiamis) [**RAE** Gas Detectors 3 of 4: H₂S, NH₃, SO₂](https://aethair.io/sensors/rae-gas-detectors/) [**Defiant Technologies FROG** Specialty Air Analyzers 1 of 4: BTEX / speciated VOC](https://aethair.io/sensors/defiant-technologies-specialty-air-analyzers/) [**TSI GM460** Gas Detectors 1 of 4: H₂S](https://aethair.io/sensors/tsi-gas-detectors/) [**RKI Instruments GX6000** Gas Detectors 1 of 4: H₂S](https://aethair.io/sensors/rki-instruments-gas-detectors/) [**AMETEK Brookfield Jerome** Specialty Air Analyzers 1 of 4: H₂S](https://aethair.io/sensors/ametek-brookfield-specialty-air-analyzers/) Solutions ## Solutions That Rely on BAAQMD 12-15 ### [Oil & Gas / Petrochemical](https://aethair.io/solutions/oil-gas/) Fence-line VOC, H₂S, and methane leak detection [All solutions](https://aethair.io/solutions/) Article Library ## Articles on BAAQMD 12-15 ### [Industrial Perimeter Air Quality Monitoring: Action Levels](https://aethair.io/resources/perimeter-air-quality-monitoring-guide/) What industrial perimeter monitoring requires at fenceline and construction sites: DER-10 CAMP action levels, EPA fenceline rules, and continuous records. ### [How to Choose an Air Quality Monitor: PRO, IAQ, or Thiamis](https://aethair.io/resources/choosing-aethair-monitoring-device/) Compare Aethair PRO, IAQ, and Thiamis to match the right device to your site, from commercial interiors to industrial and fenceline monitoring. [All articles](https://aethair.io/resources/) Questions ## BAAQMD 12-15 FAQ Does BAAQMD Rule 12-15 set fenceline concentration limits? No. It requires real-time [fenceline monitoring](https://aethair.io/solutions/perimeter-monitoring/) and public data, not compliance with a concentration limit. Which compounds must be monitored under Rule 12-15? Benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes, and hydrogen sulfide with open-path instruments measuring in the parts-per-billion range; sulfur dioxide, alkanes or other organic indicators, 1,3-butadiene, and ammonia are to be considered in each refinery's plan. How often must Rule 12-15 fenceline data be collected? The guidelines call for a time resolution of five minutes, with at least 75 % completeness on an hourly basis 90 % of the time, assessed by quarter.