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:

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

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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 (see Jurisdictions).

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• Consolidation of the administration of the six program elements.
• 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.
• Development and implementation of a single unified inspection and enforcement program.
• Implementation of a single fee system replacing the separate fees for all program elements.
• Establishment of a fee accountability program before implementation of the single fee system.
• Implementation of the state standards for the Unified Program.

There are eight CUPAs which implement the Unified Program in Los Angeles County:

• El Segundo City Fire Department
• Glendale City Fire Department
• Los Angeles City Fire Department
• Long Beach Health and Human Services Department
• Santa Fe Springs City Fire Department
• Santa Monica City Environmental Programs Division
• Vernon City Environmental Health Department
• County of Los Angeles Fire Department, Health Hazardous Materials Division

As CUPAs, the above-listed cities oversee Unified Program compliance within their own incorporated areas. The County of Los Angeles Fire Department, Health Hazardous Materials Division (HHMD) has jurisdiction over the rest of the County.

CUPAs may have Participating Agencies (PAs) implement one or more of the Program Elements within their jurisdictions. The following agencies are PAs for the County of Los Angeles Fire Department, HHMD:

• County of Los Angeles Agricultural Commissioner/ Weights and Measures
• County of Los Angeles Department of Public Works, Waste Management Division
• Alhambra City Fire Department
• Burbank City Fire Department
• Compton City Fire Department
• Culver City Fire Department
• Downey City Fire Department
• Monrovia City Fire Department
• Pasadena City Fire Department
• Redondo Beach City Fire Department
• Torrance City Fire Department

HHMD is a PA for the CUPA cities of Los Angeles and Santa Monica.

Each CUPA regulates Hazardous Waste within its jurisdiction, except the cities of Los Angeles and Santa Monica, for whom HHMD provides these services as a PA.

Each CUPA regulates the Hazardous Materials Disclosure and Cal ARP programs in their jurisdictions. The above-mentioned PA cities regulate these programs in their incorporated areas for HHMD. The LA County Agricultural Commissioner/ Weights and Measures regulates agricultural businesses.

Each CUPA regulates USTs in their jurisdictions. The PAs of Burbank, Pasadena, and Torrance regulate USTs in their incorporated areas for HHMD. In all other areas of the County, the Los Angeles Department of Public Works, Waste Management Division is the regulating PA for HHMD.

Permits are required for businesses which

• Handle or store hazardous materials
• Generate, store, or treat hazardous wastes
• Maintain one of more underground storage tanks
• Handle or store regulated substances in a process

For more information, see Permit and Fees.

HHMD has been designated by Cal EPA with hazardous substances-related environmental oversight of Los Angeles County and must charge permit fees in order to cover its operating costs, which include emergency response, inspections, administration, investigations, site mitigation, risk management, fire damage assessment, and bio-terrorism preparedness.

The Single Fee System consolidates the fees for all program elements into a single billing statement. All businesses will receive one consolidated bill from the CUPA for all applicable program elements. The bill will detail facility fees for all applicable program elements and state service charges.

The State Service charges are fees collected by CUPAs to support the administrative costs of state agencies necessary to oversee consistent and effective statewide implementation of the Unified Program. Cal EPA annually determines the annual service charge for general program oversight, the Cal ARP program, and Underground Storage Tank program.

Los Angeles County Fire Department
Health Hazardous Materials Division
5825 Rickenbacker Road, Commerce 90040
Phone: (323) 890-4045

Or, click on the Contacts link.