Update
In alignment with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health guidance, face coverings are strongly recommended inside all Los Angeles County Fire Department buildings regardless of vaccine status.
Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Requirements
For businesses that handle hazardous materials including carbon dioxide (CO2), the reporting threshold now aligns with the State’s established quantity. The Los Angeles County Code of Ordinances (Title 12, Section 12.64.030) and State Laws require disclosure by all businesses that handles CO2 in a quantity of 1,000 cubic feet or more, at any one time during the reporting year. If your business handles hazardous materials including CO2, at or more than the established quantity, you must obtain a hazardous materials handler permit and must electronically submit a Hazardous Materials Business Plan into the State’s database known as California Environmental Reporting System (CERS). Click here to access the CERS website.
If you need additional Unified Program information, including step by step basic instructions for the business plan submittal, visit https:// fire.lacounty.gov/ca-environmental-reporting.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact the Data Operations Unit at (323) 890-4000.
Click here to view a Carbon Dioxide Cylinder Size chart.
Assembly Bill 2059
Existing law declares that to protect public health and safety and the environment, it is necessary to establish and implement a Hazardous Materials Business Plan (HMBP) relating to the handling and release or threatened release of hazardous materials. Accordingly, the law excluded hazardous material contained solely in a consumer product, handled at, and found in a retail establishment, and intended for sale for public use.
AB 2059 was approved on September 13, 2022. This act amends Chapter 6.95 Hazardous Materials Release Response Plans and Inventory Sections 25500, 25501, and 25507 of and adds Sections 25507.5 and 25508.3 to the Health and Safety Code relating to hazardous materials. In addition, AB 2059 would expand the scope of hazardous materials subject to regulation by narrowing the “consumer product” definition and the exemptions applicable to these products.
This bill would not exempt a facility from submitting an HMBP meeting either of the following:
(i) A consumer product handled at a facility that manufactures that product, or a separate warehouse or distribution center where there are no direct sales to consumers, or where a product is dispensed on the retail premises.
(ii) A consumer product sold at a retail establishment that has a National Fire Protection Association or “NFPA” or Hazardous Materials Identification System or “HMIS” rating of 3 or 4 and is stored, at any time, in quantities equal to, or greater than, 165 gallons for a liquid, 600 cubic feet for a gas, and 1,500 pounds for a solid. If a unified program agency determines that a consumer product stored at a retail establishment is stored at or above a reportable threshold listed in subdivision (a), and poses a significant potential hazard, the unified program agency may require the product to be reported in accordance with this chapter.
Click here to view CalEPA’s update on AB 2059.
EPA Identification Number
What is a Hazardous Waste EPA ID Number and Who Needs One? Click here
Apply for a Hazardous Waste Identification Number. Click here
Reactivate A Hazardous Waste EPA ID Number. Click here
Inactivate A Hazardous Waste EPA ID Number. Click here
Update Information For A Hazardous Waste EPA ID Number. Click here
CalEPA’s Surcharge Fees – Update
Effective October 13, 2023, the California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA) has adjusted state surcharges for regulated businesses. These changes are outlined as follows:
CalARP Program Surcharge: The annual surcharge for the CalARP Program will be increased from $270 to $370 per regulated business.
Unified Program Oversight Surcharge: The annual surcharge for the Unified Program Oversight will be increased from $84 to $94 per regulated business.
Please note that the surcharges related to the Underground Storage Tank, Aboveground Petroleum Storage Act, and Refinery Safety will remain unchanged.
In accordance with the California Code of Regulation, Title 27 (27 CCR), the Los Angeles County Certified Unified Program Agency (LACoCUPA) is responsible for remitting all state surcharges to CalEPA. To streamline this process, rather than sending an additional invoice for the 2023-2024 fiscal year (FY), LACoCUPA will be issuing a supplemental charge for the 2024-2025 FY CUPA invoices. This supplemental charge will include a $10 for the FY 2023-2024 Unified Program Oversight Surcharge and a $100 for the FY 2023-2024 CalARP Program Surcharge.
Should you have any questions or require further information regarding these surcharge adjustments, please do not hesitate to contact CalEPAvia email at cupa@calepa.ca.gov
Hazardous Materials Business Plan CERS Annual Submittal for 2024 is due by March 15, 2024
The Los Angeles County Fire Department, Health Hazardous Materials Division is reminding all businesses which store or handle reportable quantities of hazardous materials regulated under the Unified Program are required by law to submit their business information electronically using CERS by March 15, 2024. Any submittal made starting December 1, 2023, will fulfill the 2024 Hazardous Materials Business Plan (HMBP) reporting requirements.
The Los Angeles County Code of Ordinance, Section 12.64.030 requires all hazardous materials handlers operating under the jurisdiction of Los Angeles County to electronically submit an updated HMBP and/or a certification statement including hazardous materials inventory, site map, contingency plan and the employee training plan information via the California Environmental Reporting System (CERS) Annually. http://cers.calepa.ca.gov
In person assistance for CERS is available Monday – Friday, from 9:00 am – 1:00 pm (excluding holidays). For an appointment outside these hours, please contact Data Ops via e-mail: Fire-HHMDCERS@fire.lacounty.gov or Fire-HHMDDOU-Spanish@fire.lacounty.gov (Para asistencia en Espanol).