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Obtaining Manufacturer Status
The small-volume manufacturer certification protocol is optionally available to manufacturers (including Independent Commercial Importers/Certificate Holders) with less than 10,000 annual unit sales. Your responsibilities under these two protocols are, 1) to pay the fee for every engine family certified for a given model year, 2) to obtain a certificate of conformity for each engine family/evaporative system combination incorporating the vehicles you plan on introducing into commerce for a specific model year, 3) to provide fuel economy labels for those vehicles, and 4) to calculate the average fuel economy model year report (CAFE) for all the vehicles sold in that model year by your company. You may qualify to use the small-volume manufacturer certification procedure under any of the following three circumstances:
1) If you are a U.S. or foreign based original manufacturer, which produces and certifies complying vehicles and/or engines, and introduces them into U.S. commerce, or
2) If you are an authorized U.S. agent of a foreign based manufacturer which produces and introduces into U.S. commerce (through you) complying vehicles and/or engines which do not require any modification, or
3) If you are an Independent Commercial Importer/ Certificate Holder (i.e., modify nonconforming imported vehicles)
The first step in the process is to notify EPA via a letter of intent sent to:
Certification &
Compliance Division
2565 Plymouth Road
Ann Arbor, MI 48105
This will start the process of obtaining manufacturer status from EPA. EPA will then mail each applicant a document containing a letter with enclosures that outline the program along with questions designed to provide EPA with information to aid in assigning manufacturer status.
To obtain a copy of the regulations for certification and fuel economy programs (i.e. Title 40, Part 86, and Part 600 respectively) you may write to:
Superintendent of Documents
Attention: New Orders
P.O.Box 371954
Pittsburgh, PA 15250-7954
or charge orders may be telephoned to the Government Printing Office order desk at (202) 512-1800.