Hazardous Materials Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

Senate Bill 1082 (1993) established the Unified Hazardous Waste and Hazardous Materials Management Regulatory Program. The Unified Program consolidates, coordinates, and makes consistent the following hazardous materials and hazardous waste Program Elements:

  • Aboveground Petroleum Storage Act (APSA)
  • California Accidental Release Prevention Program (Cal ARP)
  • Hazardous Material Release Response Plans and Inventories​
  • Hazardous Waste Generation, including onsite treatment under Tiered Permitting
  • Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasure Plan (SPCC)
  • Underground Storage Tanks (UST)
  • Uniform Fire Code Hazardous Materials Management Plans and Inventories​

A CUPA is a County, City, or Joint Powers Agency approved and designated by Cal EPA to implement the Unified Program and is responsible for all six program elements of the Unified Program within its jurisdiction. The Environmental Management Department is the CUPA for Sacramento County.

As the Sacramento County CUPA, the Environmental Management Department's responsibilities include:

  • Consolidation of the administration of the six program elements.
  • Development and implementation of a single unified inspection and enforcement program.
  • Development of a program to consolidate the permits for the six program elements and any other permits for hazardous waste or hazardous materials required by local ordinance.
  • Establishment of a fee accountability program before implementation of the single fee system.​
  • Implementation of a single fee system replacing the separate fees for all program elements.
  • Implementation of the state standards for the Unified Program.


If your business handles or stores quantities of hazardous materials including hazardous wastes equal to or exceeding 55 gallons, 500 pounds, or 200 cubic feet of compressed gasses, an HMP is required to be completed and submitted to the Environmental Compliance Division. For exceptions to these requirements contact the Hazardous Materials Staff at 916-875-8550.

Please see the HMP page for blank forms & instructions that you can download. The Environmental Compliance staff conducts monthly Hazardous Materials Business Plan Assistance Workshops at the EMD facility at 11080 White Rock Rd., Suite 200
Rancho Cordova, CA 95670. 

See CUPA HMP Portal Workshop Training Dates and Information for dates and times. For additional assistance please call 916-875-8550 during regular business hours.

Hazardous waste may be stored on-site for specified periods depending on the amount of total waste accumulated in a month:

  • If you accumulate less than 100 Kg (27 gallons) of waste in a month you may store the waste until you accumulate 100 Kg then the waste must be legally removed within 180 days.
  • If you accumulate more than 100 Kg in a month but less than 1,000 Kg (270 gallons), you may store the waste for up to 180 days from the date the first drop is added to the container.
  • If you accumulate waste over 1,000 Kg in a month, then you must dispose of the waste every 90 days.
​Each hazardous waste container shall be labeled with the following information:
  • Accumulation and/or start date
  • Category of hazard, i.e. toxic, reactive, corrosive, ignitable 
  • Contents or common name
  • Generator name and address
  • "Hazardous Waste"
  • Physical state of waste (i.e. liquid, sludge, etc)

Permits are required for businesses which:

  • Handle or store hazardous materials in reportable quantities
  • Handle or store regulated substances in a process
  • Have aboveground petroleum storage tanks storing petroleum in quantities of 1,320 gallons or greater​
  • Generate, store, or treat hazardous wastes
  • Maintain one or more underground storage tanks

You must call the Sacramento County Environmental Management Department at (916) 875-5656 during business hours (7:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.)

After hours and weekends call the Sacramento County Communication Center at (916) 875-5000 or CalEPA at (916) 845-8911.

You should also call 911.

Containers holding "new" products are required to have the manufacturer's label. If a manufacturer's label is not present then a label must be put on the container that identifies the contents of the container and the known hazards of the chemical and the protective equipment needed to handle or use the materials. A Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) must also be available for emergency reference and employee safety training.​

Containers and tanks must be protected against any unplanned release to air, soil or surface water as warranted. For specific requirements please contact the EMD Environmental Compliance Division at (916) 875-8550.

You can contact the Environmental Compliance Division staff at (916) 875-8550 for specific questions or see the EMD CalARP web page​. 

The regulations covering RMPs is available to view at www.caloes.ca.gov and www.epa.gov.

The RMP is required to be prepared and submitted to the Sacramento County Environmental Management Department and United States Environmental Protection Agency no later than the date that the acutely hazardous material is present in the process above Federal threshold quantities;

The RMP is required to be prepared and submitted to the Sacramento County Environmental Management Department no later than the date that the acutely hazardous material is present in the process above State of California threshold quantities.

Businesses are required to have their waste oil removed legally by a permitted company. 

Residents may use the Sacramento County Waste Management & Recycling curbside pickup program or take the oil to a recycling center.  

Residents can consult recycling guide information found in the ATT Yellow Pages or https://www2.calrecycle.ca.gov/UsedOil​. 

Oil must not be poured on the ground, in the gutters, or storm drains as it may go to environmentally sensitive areas and you may be subject to fines if you dispose to the storm drain system.

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