Which appliances are covered by the 15-lb rule?

Any appliance with 15 or more pounds of a regulated HFC or a substitute with a GWP over 53 (for example R-404A, R-410A, R-134a). Residential and light-commercial AC and heat pumps are excluded, and appliances with only an ozone-depleting refrigerant such as R-22 fall under Section 608 instead.

When did the AIM Act 15-lb rule take effect?

January 1, 2026 (40 CFR §84.106(a)(4)).

What obligations does the rule create?

Calculate the leak rate on every refrigerant addition, repair leaks over the trigger rate within 30 days, run periodic leak inspections, file a chronic-leaker report if an appliance loses 125% or more of its charge in a year, and keep all records for at least three years.

The AIM Act 15-lb Rule Explained (2026) — 40 CFR §84.106

Q: What is the AIM Act 15-lb rule?

As of January 1, 2026, the EPA's leak-repair, inspection, and recordkeeping rules (40 CFR §84.106) apply to any refrigerant-containing appliance with a full charge of 15 pounds or more of a high-GWP refrigerant — down from the previous 50-pound threshold.

The rule, explained

The AIM Act 15-lb rule, in plain English

As of January 1, 2026, the EPA's leak-repair, inspection, and recordkeeping rules apply to any refrigerant-containing appliance with a full charge of 15 pounds or more of a high-GWP refrigerant — a roughly ten-fold expansion of who must comply. Here is exactly what that means, straight from 40 CFR §84.106.

On this page What actually changed Is my equipment covered? The four obligations What's excluded Key dates What to do now

What actually changed

The AIM Act (American Innovation and Manufacturing Act of 2020) directed the EPA to phase down HFC refrigerants. Its "Emissions Reduction and Reclamation" rule added Subpart C to 40 CFR Part 84. The headline for shops: the leak-repair regime that used to apply only to systems with 50+ pounds of ozone-depleting refrigerant now applies to systems with just 15+ pounds of a substitute refrigerant (like the HFCs in nearly all modern commercial equipment). §84.106(a)

Why it matters: a huge population of everyday equipment — supermarket racks, restaurant walk-ins, cold-storage rooms, rooftop units — crossed from "unregulated" to "federally tracked" overnight. Most owners have no records in place.

Is my equipment covered? The two-part test

An appliance falls under §84.106 if both are true:

Full charge ≥ 15 lbs. The "full charge" is the amount of refrigerant the appliance holds in normal operation, by the manufacturer's spec, calculation, measurement, or an established range. §84.106(a); §84.102 "full charge"
The refrigerant is a regulated HFC, or a substitute with a Global Warming Potential over 53 (using the values in table 1 of §84.64(b)). §84.106(a)(1)–(2)

Most common commercial refrigerants clear the GWP-53 bar easily:

Refrigerant	GWP	Covered at 15+ lbs?
R-404A	3,922	Yes
R-410A	2,088	Yes
R-134a	1,430	Yes
R-407C	1,774	Yes
R-448A / R-449A	1,387 / 1,397	Yes
R-32	675	Yes
R-454B	466	Yes
R-717 (ammonia), R-744 (CO₂), R-290 (propane)	1–3.3	No — GWP under 53

GWP basis: table 1 to §84.64(b) and appendix A to Part 84.

Use the free leak-rate calculator → to check a specific appliance in seconds.

The four obligations it creates

1 · Calculate the leak rate

Every time refrigerant is added, calculate the leak rate (annualizing or rolling-average method — one method per facility). §84.106(b)

2 · Repair on the clock

Over the trigger rate (10/20/30% by category)? Repair within 30 days, verify, then follow-up within 10 days. §84.106(c)–(f)

3 · Inspect & report

Post-repair inspections (quarterly or annual), and a chronic-leaker report to the EPA if you lose 125%+ of charge in a year. §84.106(g),(j)

4 · Keep the records

Full charge, every addition, every calculation, tests, and plans — kept at least three years. §84.106(l)

The repair-deadline guide walks through obligation 2 in detail, and the recordkeeping guide covers obligation 4.

What's excluded

Residential and light-commercial AC & heat pumps — the whole subsector is excluded. §84.106(a)(3)(ii)
Appliances with solely an ozone-depleting refrigerant (e.g. R-22) — those stay under the older Section 608 rule at §82.157 instead, which uses a 50-lb threshold. §84.106(a)(3)(i)
Refrigerants with GWP ≤ 53 — ammonia, CO₂, and hydrocarbon systems.

Key dates

Date	What	Cite
Jan 1, 2026	§84.106 takes effect; determine full charge of all 15+ lb appliances	§84.106(a)(4),(l)(1)
Jan 1, 2027	Automatic leak detection required on 1,500+ lb systems installed 2017–2025	§84.108(b)(2)
Mar 1, 2027	First chronic-leaker reports due (for 2026 calendar year)	§84.106(j)

What to do now

Inventory every commercial appliance with 15+ lbs of a covered refrigerant, and record its full charge. That inventory is itself a required record as of January 1, 2026.
Calculate the leak rate on every future refrigerant addition — the calculator does the exact math.
Track the clocks so a 30-day repair window never slips.
Keep everything for three years in a form you can hand an auditor.

LeakClock does 1–4 automatically. Techs scan a tag and weigh the cylinder; the app calculates the rate, starts the clock, and the office prints the audit binder. Start a 14-day free trial →

The AIM Act 15-lb rule, in plain English

What actually changed

Is my equipment covered? The two-part test

The four obligations it creates

1 · Calculate the leak rate

2 · Repair on the clock

3 · Inspect & report

4 · Keep the records

What's excluded

Key dates

What to do now

Stop tracking this in a spreadsheet