Pennsylvania Clean Indoor Air Act Underway

In Allegheny County just under 400 bars have received exemptions from the Pennsylvania Clean Indoor Air Act. The bars receiving exemptions all meet the requirements for the first type of exemption under state law. Meaning, the bars receiving the exemption do not have more than a 20% gross sale of food. The 2ND exemption for bars have yet to be awarded completely. Even with the application deadline of mid September the 45 day application process is taking longer than expected. The 2ND exemption requires bars to have separate enclosed areas for the restaurant and bar. For the second exemption Allegheny County served as a pilot program for the conduction of inspections to certify the proper requirements needed for exemption. The state is now applying the process used in Allegheny County to exemption requests across the state.