The air at a green jobsite is as vital as the materials used. Focusing on air quality helps you build community trust and comply with regulations. However, these rules are often complex, poorly understood and changing. An excellent air quality permitting consultant allows you to move forward without regulatory surprises. The firms below provide air quality permitting services for sustainable construction, green building certification and long-term compliance, each standing out for a specific area of expertise.
1. All4
ALL4 is 100% focused on environmental, health and safety consulting. Air quality permitting is its core business, not a secondary activity. It provides New Source Review, Title V permitting, emissions inventories and air dispersion modeling on a national basis for construction and industrial work.
The brand excels at early involvement with owners, design teams and builders to address air permitting strategies at the outset of the project. Early integration of a permitting strategy in this manner leads to fewer redesigns and fewer conflicts with agencies. As such, ALL4 is particularly well-suited for projects where permitting risk, schedule certainty and sustainability are key concerns.
2. TRC
TRC brings scale and geographic reach to air quality permitting. The firm can support complex, multi-jurisdictional projects where consistency across state and local regulatory approaches is crucial.
The air quality teams help develop coordinated permitting strategies for infrastructure and other significant commercial developments. In situations where multiple sites are involved, TRC can help ease emissions modeling, permitting documentation, regulatory compliance and coordination across jurisdictions, reducing administrative friction and ensuring compliance.
3. AECOM
AECOM offers air quality permitting services complemented by engineering and design expertise. This is particularly helpful for projects where air compliance decisions affect the layout, building systems or construction schedule.
AECOM’s air quality professionals collaborate with engineering teams during the design development phase to discuss permits and other relevant requirements. This option is well-suited for implementing an air quality strategy in large-scale developments or infrastructure projects.
4. Ramboll
Ramboll approaches air quality permitting from a sustainability perspective. It supports emissions assessments, permitting and environmental impact assessment for construction projects seeking high ecological performance standards.
This entity often embeds air quality strategy into climate, health and resilience objectives. Ramboll performs best when air quality management is part of a broader narrative about sustainability or minimizing environmental impacts rather than just a technical exercise in compliance.
5. Verdantas
Verdantas provides practical air quality permitting solutions for commercial and industrial projects. It supports emissions inventories, modeling and permit applications that are operationally sensible and grounded in clear regulatory language.
Verdantas is well-suited for projects with ongoing permitting needs. However, it may not work as well for those requiring the scale, complexity or cross-border coordination typical of multinational developments.
Table Comparing Air Quality Permitting Capabilities at a Glance
To save time, the table below lists the unique advantages of each firm.
| Firm | Primary Strength | Best Fit | Emissions Modeling Approach | Green Building Support |
| All4 | Early stage permitting | Commercial and industrial projects on a tight schedule | In-house dispersion modeling | Integrated with certification planning |
| TRC | Multiple jurisdiction coordination | Large and multisite developments | Centralized modeling across regions | Supports certification when needed |
| AECOM | Integrates permitting with design | Large developments and infrastructure projects | Modeling aligned with engineering design | Indirectly supports through design teams |
| Ramboll | Sustainability-driven permitting | Projects highlighting key environmental goals | Modeling works alongside impact assessments | Aligns with sustainability frameworks |
| Verdantas | Regional execution | Commercial and industrial projects | In-house modeling supports permit approval | Limited ability but supports companies when necessary |
How These Air Quality Permitting Consultants Were Evaluated
Clean air permitting firms have an established track record of supporting air quality compliance for construction and development projects. Firms were selected based on their ability to impact permitting, sustainability and project timing.
Factors considered included depth of experience in air permitting work under Clean Air Act regulations, emissions modeling capabilities, experience working with construction and development teams, experience interfacing with state and local regulatory agencies, and experience with the green building community. They are partners for the duration of the planning and permitting process, and are not administrative processors of environmental permit applications.
Many state agencies request early coordination such as pre-application meetings, in which agencies discuss the project scope before preparing the environmental permit. An experienced consultant helps construction companies navigate input early in the process.
Skills an Air Quality Permitting Consultant Should Have
Air quality permitting has increasingly intersected with sustainability programs like the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. Green building consultants can help with emissions control plans, ventilation plans and building flush-out procedures to earn credits. The goal is to avoid duplicating testing and documentation while still keeping sustainability targets on track.
Knowledge of Construction Specific Permitting
For construction, other standard permits include New Source Review for modifications to existing facilities that increase emissions and Prevention of Significant Deterioration in attainment areas — a much more complicated process. Environmental consultants trained on the programs recognize the correct permit type early to avoid later agency-mandated amendments to the plan.
Ability to Create Emissions Modeling and Impact Analysis Reports
Present-day air permitting involves dispersion modeling to establish off-site impacts and the locations for equipment and mitigation projects. Entities with their own modeling staff can adjust their design when problems arise without the pressure from an agency.
Mastery of Green Building Certification Requirements
Air quality permitting is a key component of the process for achieving green building certification. Experienced consultants understand that decisions made today might significantly affect certification many months or even years later. Your provider should coordinate the permit conditions with indoor air quality management plans, material selection and ventilation strategies required for certification pathways.
Skilled consultants can identify opportunities to leverage submittals for permitting to support certification when compiled in a reasonably defensible manner, avoiding last-minute gaps in documentation that can delay certification reviews. Teams pursuing LEED or similar programs can use regulatory compliance as a net positive sustainability benefit.
Why Air Quality Permitting Is Crucial for Your Next Project
Air quality requirements complement sustainability and community protection. Federal law requires that construction projects that create or alter emission sources meet air quality compliance requirements before beginning construction. The Environmental Protection Agency explicitly asks that major stationary sources obtain air permits before constructing or modifying a facility.
The requirement extends to equipment selection and project timing and is implemented by state and local agencies through preconstruction permits that set emission limits, monitoring requirements and operating constraints. A strong air quality permitting strategy helps reduce delays from incomplete applications and late design changes while supporting indoor air quality goals that protect occupants, communities and long-term building value.
Designing for Clean Air From Day One
The implications of air quality permitting extend beyond building approval, affecting schedules, community relations and building performance. Choose a consultant with a strong permitting background and be clear about project specifications early on. Assess the complexity of local requirements early by partnering with a consulting firm that supports clean air goals throughout the planning, design and occupancy phases. Working alongside an air quality permitting consultant ensures that you meet all the requirements to complete a successful project.