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KSJC

Vendor requirements at San Jose Mineta International Airport

San Jose, CA. SJC. Sponsor: City of San Jose (Airport Department)

Vendors deal with the City of San Jose Airport Department, and the rules sit in Title 25 of the San Jose Municipal Code plus the Airport Minimum Standards (Revised September 2023). Anyone doing aircraft maintenance for pay on the field needs a Mobile Aircraft Maintenance Permit (greater of $25 a month or 15% of gross, $100 deposit) unless they work under a lease that allows maintenance; other paid work not covered elsewhere needs an "airport commercial operation permit". Washing and cleaning are not "maintenance" under the code, and GA wash water must go through oil/water separators to the sanitary sewer.

Mostly set by agreement Last reviewed

Permit to operate

Mobile Aircraft Maintenance Permit (SJMC Part 9, Chapter 25.08); "airport commercial operation permit" for other paid work (SJMC 25.08.1500), issued by City of San Jose Airport Department (Director of Aviation).

Fee: Mobile Aircraft Maintenance Permit: greater of $25 a month paid in advance or 15% of gross income from the permitted maintenance, plus a $100 deposit held by the director.

The maintenance permit applies to anyone performing aircraft maintenance for compensation on the airport. Exempt: lessees and sublessees whose lease permits maintenance (and their employees), certificated airlines, and aircraft owners or lessees and their employees. An owner or lessee of the aircraft must be present whenever a permittee performs maintenance (SJMC 25.08.910.A). Custodial work (washing, polishing, upholstering, cleaning) is excluded from the maintenance definition, so detailers fall under the general permit in SJMC 25.08.1500, which covers any paid activity not addressed elsewhere in Title 25; terms and conditions are set by the director. Permit procedures are in SJMC Chapter 25.10. Under the Minimum Standards, SASOs may not provide fueling or line service to outside parties.

Insurance minimums

CoverageMinimumApplies to
Liability and products liabilitySet in SJMC 25.08.910.B. These code limits are old and low; the City Risk Manager may require more in the permit itself. $100K per person / $300K per occurrence bodily injury, $300K property damage, or $500K combined single limit Mobile Aircraft Maintenance Permit holders
All coverages for Minimum Standards operators (FBO, SASO, charter and others)The Minimum Standards (Section 3.2) do not publish dollar limits. Set by the City Risk Manager in the written agreement Operators under the Minimum Standards

Endorsements and policy terms

  • City of San Jose named as additional insured (SJMC 25.08.910.B for maintenance permittees)
  • Other policy provisions as the City Attorney finds necessary or desirable

Badging and security

  • Badges are issued by the SJC Badging Office, 1701 Airport Boulevard, Suite B-1270 (the page footer lists Suite B-1130), San Jose, CA 95110. Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 6 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Wednesday 6 a.m. to 12 p.m. Phone (408) 392-1100.
  • Badge types include SIDA, Sterile, Non-SIDA and Public. Non-SIDA testing takes about 40 minutes for City GA tenants and up to 2 hours for others; SIDA testing takes up to 3 hours. Retesting every 2 years (annually for Sterile and some SIDA variants).
  • First visit is a New Applicant/Fingerprinting appointment with a signed badge application from an Authorized Signatory and two forms of ID. The background check must clear before the second (testing) visit, scheduled at least a week later.
  • GA West applicants coordinate appointments through their GA West representative.
  • Replacement for a lost or stolen badge: $150 penalty plus $50 issuance ($200 total), with a letter from the Authorized Signatory. Under the Minimum Standards the operator pays the cost of each badge and replacement.
  • Authorized Signatories must complete annual training.

Vehicles and ramp driving

  • Employees operating motorized equipment in the non-movement area need a Ramp Driving permit, issued as an icon on the airport badge after computer training and testing at the Badging Office. It is valid until the employee's state driver license expires or is revoked or suspended, and a suspension must be reported to the Badging Office at once.
  • Vehicles authorized in the SIDA must show the company logo on both sides, and the logo must be approved by the Airport Badging Office.
  • Personal vehicles are not allowed on the AOA unless the Director authorizes them, and authorized ones must be marked under the Airport Security Program. Non-airport vehicles must be escorted. Customer vehicles are not permitted on the AOA (Minimum Standards 3.15).
  • Speed limit in the non-movement area is 20 mph. One vehicle per gate cycle, no piggybacking.
  • Minimum Standards 3.15 calls for vehicle radios on 121.7, 124.0 and 121.5 MHz and a rotating beacon or FAA-approved flag (applies to operator vehicles in the operating areas).
  • Movement area access requires a badge with the runway icon.

Training

  • Badge testing as listed under badging, plus Ramp Driver testing for anyone driving on the ramp.
  • Employees must complete SWPPP training at least once a year (Ramp Rules).
  • Employers keep fueling training records on file for Airport Operations inspection.
  • Lavatory service operators must give the Airport their health permits or certifications every year.

Washing and environmental rules

  • Airline aircraft are washed off site. Private and GA aircraft are hand washed on the airport, with wash water collected in oil/water separators and sent to the sanitary sewer (SWPPP Sections 4.2.3 and 7.2).
  • The SWPPP lists two vehicle wash racks that separate oil and grease and discharge to the sanitary sewer: the Fleet Maintenance Building at 1395 Airport Blvd and the Ground Support Wash Rack at 1207 Airport Blvd. Lavatory carts must be washed at the equipment wash rack at the south end of the airport (Ramp Rules).
  • Ramps are swept, not hosed down, so nothing reaches a storm drain. Fuel spills are never flushed or washed away.
  • Non-stormwater discharges, such as vehicle wash water, are prohibited without prior authorization (SWPPP 2.2). Operators must follow the airport SWPPP, SPCC plan and Hazardous Materials Business Plan (Minimum Standards 3.4).
  • California context: the airport is covered by the State Water Board Industrial General Permit (Order 2014-0057-DWQ, NPDES CAS000001, WDID 2 43I006572). Tenants with industrial stormwater discharges must join the airport permit as co-permittees or get their own coverage.
  • De-icing is not permitted during rain. De-icing tenants submit written procedures and product SDS to Airport Environmental staff and call 408-277-5100 before de-icing.
  • Report spills to the Airport Operations Center at (408) 277-5100.

Fees

  • Mobile aircraft maintenance: greater of $25 a month or 15% of gross income from permitted maintenance, plus a $100 deposit that must be topped up within 10 days if drawn down.
  • Other permitted paid activity: conditions set by the director in the permit. No fee is published in the code.
  • Badge replacement: $200 ($150 penalty plus $50 issuance).

Working under an FBO or tenant

Lessees and sublessees whose leases allow maintenance, and their employees, are exempt from the mobile maintenance permit, so a mechanic hired directly by an FBO or hangar tenant may be covered by that lease. Subcontractors of FBOs and SASOs must be approved in writing by the Director, and the FBO or SASO is fully liable for them. FBO subcontractors work from the FBO's premises.

What we could not confirm

  • Initial badge fees were not found; only replacement fees are published.
  • The Minimum Standards PDF was truncated after Section 7.3, so Section 10 (fueling permits) and later sections were not read.
  • Dollar insurance limits for Minimum Standards operators are set by the City Risk Manager and not published.
  • The Mobile Aircraft Maintenance Permit insurance limits come from an older code text (Ord. 25529) read on a third-party code site; confirm current limits with the Airport.
  • Whether a mobile detailer must hold its own "airport commercial operation permit" or can work under an FBO or hangar tenant was not confirmed.
  • A specific GA aircraft wash rack location and any wash permit or wash plan for GA were not found.
  • Ramp Rules carry no issue date; the spill form inside is REV 8/13.
  • The Ground Support Wash Rack is listed in the SWPPP, but which rack tenants must use was not confirmed.
  • The Badging Office suite number differs on the same web page (B-1270 and B-1130).

Before your first job at KSJC