California Air Resources Board

Who is affected by the ZEAS regulation?

The ZEAS regulation applies to airport shuttle operators who own, operate, or lease vehicles at any of the 13 California airports regulated under this rule.

Table 1. Regulated Airports

Which airport shuttles are subject to the ZEAS regulation?

Airport shuttles that meet all the following conditions are subject to the ZEAS requirements.

• Have a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) greater than 8,500 lbs. , and
• Are based or housed within 15 miles of a regulated airport that has round trip routes equal to or less than 30 miles, and
• Operate transporting passengers to, from, or around a regulated airport, and
• Have fixed destination routes that may include stops at locations such as rental car facilities, on-airport or off-airport parking, hotels, or other tourist destinations.

Vehicles subject to the Innovative Clean Transit Regulation are excluded from the Zero-Emission Airport Shuttle Regulation. Also, CARB has temporarily paused some ZEAS requirements for private fleets for the 2026 calendar year, please refer to Manufacturers Advisory Correspondence (MAC) ECCD-2025-08for more information.

What are the ZEAS regulation requirements?

Reporting and record keeping requirements began in 2022. As of January 1, 2023, affected fleet owners must replace existing ZEV shuttles with another ZEV shuttle. And starting with model year 2026, airport shuttles greater than 14,000 lbs. gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) must comply with the Zero-Emission Powertrain Certification Regulation. Affected airport shuttle fleets must meet the ZEV phase-in schedule.

Table 2: Fleet ZEV Phase-in Schedule

Are there any flexibility options included in the ZEAS regulation?

The ZEAS regulation includes several flexibility options to assist airport shuttle operators with compliance.

• Reserve Airport Shuttle Exemption: Airport shuttle fleets may operate internal combustion “reserve” shuttles less than 3,000 miles per year. Shuttles designated as “reserve” will not affect the fleet ZEV percentage.
• Emergency Exemption: Shuttle operation during a natural disaster, power grid outage, or other designated state of emergency is not subject to the regulation.
• Infrastructure Facility Extension: Shuttle operators may apply for a compliance deadline extension if their facility cannot accommodate adequate charging infrastructure.
• Compliance Extension: Shuttle operators may apply for a compliance deadline extension if they are unable to comply due to unforeseen circumstances.

Where can I go for more information?

Additional information on the ZEAS regulation can be found at:https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/msprog/asb/asb/htm. For questions, contact the CARB Hotline at (866) 634-3735 or email ZEVFleet@arb.ca.gov.

This document is provided to assist regulated entities in complying with the Zero-Emission Airport Shuttle regulation. In the event any discrepancy exists between this document and the ZEAS regulation, the regulatory text of the ZEAS regulation applies.