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SCAQMD Rule 2305 Compliance

Meet Rule 2305. Without the capital outlay.

SCAQMD Rule 2305 (the WAIRE Program) requires warehouses over 100,000 sq ft to earn WAIRE Points annually or pay $1,000 per point. Reef delivers solar and battery systems that earn those points — and cut your energy bill by 30–50% — with zero capital from you.

Rule 2305 · Key Facts
Size threshold100,000 sq ft
Mitigation fee$1,000 / point / year
ObligationAnnual — never stops
Solar earnsWAIRE Points
Battery earnsWAIRE Points
Capital from you$0 with Reef
01 · The Rule

California's Warehouse Indirect Source Rule.

SCAQMD Rule 2305 regulates warehouses as indirect sources of emissions — requiring operators to earn WAIRE Points annually or pay a $1,000-per-point mitigation fee.

What the rule requires

Rule 2305 establishes a WAIRE Points obligation for warehouse operators in the South Coast Air Basin. The obligation is calculated based on truck trips, facility size, and a variable annual rate that increases over the phase-in period. Operators must either earn enough WAIRE Points through approved actions (solar, battery, EV charging, and others on the WAIRE Menu) or pay the $1,000 per-point mitigation fee.

  • Size threshold: 100,000+ sq ft total space, with at least 50,000 sq ft used for warehousing
  • Phase-in timeline: Annual obligation variable ramps from 0.33 to 0.67 to 1.0 over implementation years
  • Points obligation: Calculated from truck trips × facility size × annual variable
  • Earning options: WAIRE Menu actions — solar, battery, EV charging, and more
  • Federal enforceability: The rule is incorporated into the SIP and is federally enforceable
Size threshold
100k sq ft
and at least 50,000 sq ft used for warehousing
Mitigation fee
$1,000
per WAIRE Point failed, paid annually — every year
At a glance
JurisdictionSouth Coast AQMD
Area coveredLA, OC, Riverside, San Bernardino
Size threshold100,000+ sq ft
Compliance unitAnnual WAIRE Points
Mitigation fee$1,000 / point / year
Legal statusFederally enforceable

Full rule text and WAIRE Menu published at aqmd.gov. Reef tracks regulatory updates and will notify clients of any material changes.

02 · Cost of Non-Compliance

Mitigation fees are pure cost.

The $1,000-per-point mitigation fee is the easy compliance option — and the most expensive one. It creates no asset, no savings, and no hedge against a fee that only goes in one direction.

Why mitigation-only compliance gets expensive fast

Many warehouse operators initially assume the mitigation fee is manageable. It may be — in year one. But the annual variable ramps up over the phase-in period, the fee itself may increase, and the obligation is calculated fresh every year based on current truck trips. There's no end date. Paying the fee doesn't build any asset, doesn't reduce your energy bill, and doesn't create any protection against future increases.

  • Annual variable ramps from 0.33 → 0.67 → 1.0 over the phase-in period
  • Example: A facility with 625 WAIRE Points obligation pays $625,000/yr at full rate
  • Recurring: The fee resets every year — it never goes away
  • No asset created: Every dollar spent on mitigation is gone — no equipment, no savings
  • No hedge: Fees may increase as the program matures
Recurring spend
Every year
mitigation fees reset annually — they never stop
Assets created
Zero
every dollar paid in mitigation is a sunk cost
Illustrative math
WAIRE Points required625 / year
Mitigation-only cost$625,000 / year
Years of exposureOngoing
Asset createdNone
Energy savingsNone
Hedge against rate risesNone

Illustrative only — your actual obligation depends on truck trips, facility size, and the current annual variable. Reef models this for free.

03 · How Reef Helps

Invest once. Win twice.

Every WAIRE Menu action Reef delivers does two things at once — earns compliance points that eliminate your mitigation fee, and reduces your energy bill by 30–50%. All with zero capital from you.

Two wins from one project

Reef delivers solar PV and battery storage systems through zero-capital funding structures. Both technologies appear on the WAIRE Menu — meaning every kilowatt of solar installed and every kWh of battery capacity deployed earns WAIRE Points toward your annual obligation. The same project that achieves compliance also reduces your utility bill by 30–50%. You get compliance and savings from a single investment — one you don't have to make upfront.

  • Onsite solar PV: Listed on the WAIRE Menu as a qualifying action — earns points based on system size
  • Battery storage: Also listed — earns additional points and reduces peak demand charges simultaneously
  • Zero capital: Reef and our funders cover 100% of cost — EaaS, lease, or PPA
  • Reporting included: We compile and submit your annual WAIRE compliance documentation
  • One partner: Reef manages compliance, installation, monitoring, and maintenance under one agreement
Capital from you
$0
Reef and funders cover the full project cost
Outcomes per project
2 wins
WAIRE Points earned + 30–50% energy bill reduction
At a glance
WAIRE PointsEarned
Mitigation fee savedUp to 100%
Utility bill impact30–50% lower
Funding options5 — all zero capital
ReportingAnnual, included
Asset typeProductive, long-lived

Rule 2305 compliance is one of several benefits — the energy savings and demand charge reductions stand on their own merits regardless of compliance.

The Choice

Pay the fee, or build the asset.

Every year you have a choice. The mitigation fee and Reef's zero-capital solution both cost you nothing upfront. But only one of them creates something in return.

Fee

Pay mitigation only

  • ×$1,000 per point, every year
  • ×No asset created
  • ×No energy savings
  • ×No hedge against rate rises
  • ×Fee may increase over time
Reef

Earn points with Reef

  • Solar & battery on WAIRE Menu
  • Zero capital required
  • Compliance achieved
  • 30–50% lower utility bills
  • 20+ year productive asset
$0

No capital either way

Both options require zero capital upfront. The difference is what you get in return. One option gives you a 20+ year asset that pays for itself and earns compliance. The other gives you a receipt.

Know your WAIRE Points obligation? We'll model the alternative.

Free Rule 2305 compliance assessment — we calculate your obligation, model the Reef alternative, and show you exactly what you save.