SCAQMD Rule 1113 and What It Means for Your Building's Paint

QUICKANSWER: SCAQMD Rule 1113 is a South Coast Air Quality Management District rule that limits how many volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, can be in architectural coatings sold and used across Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties. In practical terms it means the interior and exterior wall paint on a shelf in Southern California is a low VOC product, with the most common flat and nonflat finishes capped at 50 grams of VOC per liter. For a building owner, the painter does the heavy lifting: matching the right low VOC coating to each surface, reading the label, preparing the substrate, and applying it the way the manufacturer intends. You do not need to memorize the table of standards to get a good result.

A property manager in Riverside calls with a simple question. Her building's lobby needs a fresh coat, and a tenant mentioned something about "Rule 1113" and low VOC paint. Does that change the color options? Will the paint cover as well? Will the lobby smell for a week?



Questions like this come up on almost every commercial project and plenty of residential ones across the Inland Empire. The rule sounds technical, and the paperwork behind it is. The day to day reality is much simpler. This guide explains what Rule 1113 is, what low VOC coatings actually are, how they behave on the wall, and what a painting crew does so that you do not have to think about any of it.

What SCAQMD Rule 1113 Actually Is

The South Coast Air Quality Management District is the regional agency that works on air quality in the Los Angeles basin and the surrounding inland valleys. Its territory covers Los Angeles County, Orange County, and the western portions of Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Moreno Valley, Corona, Riverside, Perris, Murrieta, Fontana, Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga, Rialto, Chino, and Redlands all sit inside the district, along with Pomona on the Los Angeles County side.



Rule 1113 is the district's architectural coatings rule. According to the district, it limits the volatile organic content of architectural coatings used within its boundaries, and it was first adopted in 1977 because paints and coatings account for a large share of the emissions that come from everyday products rather than from factories or vehicles. The rule speaks to the people who make, supply, and sell coatings for use in the district. That is why the paint you can buy locally already reflects it before a painter ever opens a can.

Architectural coatings is the industry term for the paints, primers, stains, sealers, and clear finishes applied to buildings and their parts. Think walls, ceilings, trim, doors, siding, stucco, fences, and decks. It does not mean the coatings used on ships, aircraft, or cars.

What VOCs Are and Why Paint Has Them

Volatile organic compounds are carbon based chemicals that evaporate easily at room temperature. In paint they come mostly from the liquid portion, the solvents and additives that keep the product workable in the can, help it flow onto the wall, and then leave as the film dries.



The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency notes that paints, varnishes, and wax all contain organic solvents and release VOCs while they are used and, to a lesser degree, while they are stored. The agency lists eye, nose, and throat irritation, headaches, dizziness, nausea, and fatigue among the common signs of exposure, and it advises maximum ventilation whenever paint is being applied indoors.

Outdoors, those same compounds react with sunlight and other pollutants and contribute to ground level ozone, which is a particular concern in the warm, sunny, inland valleys of Southern California. That regional air quality picture is the reason the district focuses on the paint itself.

What a Low VOC Coating Is

A low VOC coating is a paint made with a much smaller share of those evaporating solvents. Manufacturers get there by changing the formula, typically with water based resins and refined additives, so the product still flows, levels, adheres, and cures without leaning on heavy solvents.



The district publishes a table of standards that sets a limit for each coating category, measured in grams of VOC per liter of paint. The most common wall paints, flat finishes and nonflat finishes such as eggshell, satin, and semi gloss, are limited to 50 grams per liter. Specialty categories such as certain primers, sealers, stains, and industrial maintenance coatings have limits of their own, and the table lists them one by one.

You will also see products marketed as zero VOC or near zero VOC. Those sit well below the limits. A small caution applies to color: tints added at the paint counter can add a trace of VOC to a base that started out at zero, so the label on the finished can is the most honest guide.

TIP: Ask the painter to show you the product data sheet for each coating on your project. It lists the VOC content in grams per liter, the recommended surfaces, the coverage, and the dry times in one page, and it takes about a minute to read.

What Low VOC Means for How the Paint Looks and Performs

A common worry is that a low VOC product will look thinner or wear faster than the paints people remember. Modern formulas have closed most of that gap. Quality low VOC lines from the major manufacturers are built to cover, scrub, and hold color for years on interior walls, and the exterior lines are formulated for sun, wind, and temperature swings.

There are a few real differences that a good painter plans around.

Odor

Low-VOC paints produce fewer noticeable odors during application and drying, helping offices, restaurants, medical suites, and homes return to use sooner.

Dry And Cure Times

Water-based coatings dry quickly but need days or weeks to fully harden. Cool, damp conditions slow curing, while excessive heat accelerates drying.

Application

Water-based paints require careful brush and roller techniques to prevent lap marks. Painters adjust their tools, pace, and methods to suit conditions.



Surface Adhesion

Glossy tile, old oil-based finishes, metal, and chalky stucco may require specific primers. Proper preparation helps low-VOC topcoats adhere and last.

What the Painter Does So You Do Not Have To

Here is where the rule becomes practical. Choosing and handling coatings is part of the painter's job, and on a well run project it happens quietly in the background.

Matching Coating To Surface

Drywall walls, wood doors, steel railings, and stucco exteriors require different coatings. Painters assess each surface and its condition before selecting products that meet local regulations and deliver the desired finish.

Reading The Label And Data Sheet

Before work begins, the crew reviews manufacturer instructions covering surface preparation, primer requirements, temperature limits, coat quantity, and recoat times. Following these guidelines helps create a durable, lasting finish.

Using Products As Supplied

Paints are formulated as complete systems, so crews use them as packaged. Avoiding unauthorized thinning, solvent additions, or mixing different brands helps preserve the coating's intended performance and durability.

Preparing The Substrate

Durability starts with proper preparation, including cleaning, scraping, sanding, patching, caulking, and priming. Interior surfaces receive necessary repairs before painting, helping coatings adhere properly instead of failing over dust, flaking, or gloss.

Controlling The Work Area

Protecting floors and furniture, maintaining ventilation, and scheduling rooms or floors carefully helps contain dust and odors. These precautions remain important when using low-VOC paints and other interior coatings.

Storing And Cleaning Up Properly

Painters reseal containers, handle used rags and rollers carefully, and store or dispose of leftovers correctly. Buying appropriate quantities also reduces stockpiling and limits emissions from stored paint containers.

Interior and Exterior Projects in Inland Empire Conditions

Our region's climate shapes which coatings perform best, and a low VOC choice is not a compromise there.



On exteriors, strong UV exposure, heat, and dry air are tough on color and film. Stucco, which is common across Moreno Valley, Corona, Riverside, Fontana, and Ontario, also brings fine cracks and a porous surface that need repair and the right primer before color goes on. A painter looks at the stucco first and the paint second.

On interiors, offices, retail spaces, and homes tend to have more people sharing the air. Low odor coatings help maintain normal operations, and ventilation plans can be simple: open doors where possible, run fans, and let the painter schedule loud or smelly steps for quieter hours.

Choosing Color and Sheen With Low VOC Coatings

Color choice is not limited by the rule. Low VOC bases accept a full range of tints, including deep and bold colors. Strongly saturated colors often need a tinted primer or an extra coat for even coverage, and the painter will tell you up front if a color needs it.



Sheen matters more than most owners expect. Flat finishes hide wall imperfections and suit ceilings and low traffic offices. Eggshell and satin handle everyday cleaning in hallways, classrooms, and living areas. Semi gloss and gloss resist moisture and scuffs on trim, doors, and restrooms. A color consultation with the painter is the easiest place to match both to the way your space is used.

WARNING: A low VOC label does not make a paint safe to skip ventilating. Even low odor coatings release some vapors while they dry, so keep air moving, keep people with respiratory sensitivities out of the freshly painted area, and follow the label instructions for the product on the wall.

Putting It Together

For a building owner or manager in Southern California, Rule 1113 is mostly a background fact. It explains why the paint available locally is a low VOC product and why a modern coating system does not smell like the paint of a generation ago. It does not stand between you and the color you want or the finish you need.



What matters on the wall is the work: sound surface preparation, the right primer, a coating chosen for each surface, careful application, and a clean handoff. Those are the parts a painter controls, and they are the parts that decide how the building looks in year one and in year seven.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Rule 1113 Means for Your Paint

SCAQMD Rule 1113 sits quietly in the background of nearly every paint project in Southern California. It explains why the coatings sold locally are low VOC products, and why a modern repaint no longer fills a building with the heavy solvent smell people remember. It does not limit color choices or hurt coverage. What decides how a finish looks and lasts is surface preparation, the right primer, and a coating matched to each surface.

Valdez Painting LLC has worked within these standards for 30 years across Moreno Valley, Corona, Riverside, and all of Southern California, CA. In that time, the projects that age best have been the ones where the crew read the data sheets, prepared each substrate carefully, and applied each coat the way the manufacturer intended. A building owner who understands that the rule is mostly background can focus on the details that keep walls looking good for years.