How to Look Up and Verify an EPA ID Number in California
Someone hands you a Uniform Hazardous Waste Manifest with an EPA ID number on it.
Someone hands you a Uniform Hazardous Waste Manifest with an EPA ID number on it. Or you inherit a facility’s compliance binder and find an old ID you can’t confirm is still active. Or you’re vetting a hauler before signing a disposal contract. The question is the same in every case: how do you actually look an EPA ID up and confirm what it represents?
An EPA ID number is the identifier assigned to a hazardous waste generator, transporter, or treatment/storage/disposal facility (TSDF). It ties a specific physical address to its hazardous waste activity in federal and state databases. For a full overview of what an EPA ID is and who needs one, see our EPA ID Number: Who Needs One and How to Get It in California guide. This piece focuses on the lookup side: where to search, what you’ll see, and what the records do and don’t tell you.
Why People Look Up EPA ID Numbers
A few scenarios bring someone to a lookup tool:
- Verifying your own facility’s ID. Personnel turnover, multiple sites, or older records can leave a facility unsure which ID is current.
- Confirming a hauler or TSDF before shipment. Before a generator signs a manifest, the receiving facility needs to be a permitted destination with an active ID.
- Due diligence on a property or business. A buyer or new tenant wants to see whether the site has a prior hazardous waste history.
- Taking over compliance. A new EHS or operations manager needs to confirm the IDs on file are still active and tied to the right address.
- Reconciling a manifest discrepancy. A copy comes back with an ID that doesn’t match what the office expected.
What an EPA ID Lookup Tells You (and What It Doesn’t)
A valid lookup surfaces the facility name, physical address, generator status (LQG, SQG, or VSQG: Large, Small, or Very Small Quantity Generator), notification history, and the waste codes the facility has reported handling. It does not tell you whether the facility’s actual on-site practices match what the agency has on file. The record is a starting point, not a final answer.
Where to Look Up an EPA ID in California
Two databases hold the relevant records. Most California facilities show up in one or both.
EPA’s RCRAInfo (the federal hazardous waste database)
EPA maintains RCRAInfo, the national database for RCRA (Resource Conservation and Recovery Act) hazardous waste handlers, transporters, and TSDFs. The public-facing hazardous waste handler search is available through EPA systems such as RCRAInfo and the Envirofacts portal.
To look up an ID through RCRAInfo:
Open the public RCRAInfo or Envirofacts hazardous waste search.
Search by EPA ID number, facility name, or address. Address searches sometimes surface multiple IDs when a site has had different operators over the years.
Open the handler record. Check the active/inactive status, the current generator classification, and the date the record was last updated.
Confirm the address on the record matches the address on the manifest, the permit, or the document you’re verifying.
DTSC and the CalEPA Regulated Site Portal
California issues its own EPA ID numbers for non-RCRA hazardous waste activity, the broader set of wastes regulated under state law but not federal RCRA. These IDs may not appear in RCRAInfo at all. DTSC (the California Department of Toxic Substances Control) tracks California hazardous waste activity in its own system, and the CalEPA Regulated Site Portal pulls regulated-site records from multiple state agencies into one search. EPA/DTSC ID status should still be verified in the hazardous waste handler record, not inferred from a general site result.
To look up a California EPA ID:
Open the CalEPA Regulated Site Portal or the DTSC hazardous waste handler search.
Search by ID, facility name, address, or city. The portal returns records across DTSC, CUPA, the State Water Board, and other state agencies.
Open the DTSC record. Confirm the generator status and whether the ID is currently active.
Cross-check against any CUPA (your local CUPA, which may be a county environmental health department, fire department, or another local agency depending on jurisdiction) records that appear in the same result. The CUPA holds the local enforcement file, including HMBP submissions and inspection history.
California-Specific Things to Watch For
A lookup that looks complete on the first pass often isn’t. When we walk a facility for the first time, these are the issues that surface most often.
- Federal RCRA ID vs. California-only ID. A facility generating only non-RCRA hazardous waste (waste oil is the common example) may have a California EPA ID but no federal record. RCRAInfo will return nothing. DTSC will have the file. Don’t conclude the facility has no ID just because the federal database is empty.
- Multiple IDs at one address. Prior tenants, prior business names, and prior owners can leave inactive IDs attached to a site. The lookup will surface all of them. Usually only one is current for the active operator.
- Status that doesn’t match operations. Generator status can drift out of sync with what the facility actually generates. A site that crossed the Large Quantity Generator threshold in a single high-volume month may still be listed as a Small Quantity Generator until it files an update.
- Address formatting mismatches. Suite numbers, building letters, and parcel-level addressing differ between agency records. A search that turns up nothing on one spelling may turn up the right record on another.
When Verification Matters Most
There are a handful of moments where verifying an EPA ID is more than a formality:
- Before signing a manifest with a new hauler or TSDF. The receiving facility’s ID and permit status are your defense if the waste ends up somewhere it shouldn’t.
- During an M&A transaction or property purchase. Environmental due diligence depends on knowing what regulatory history the site carries.
- After taking over compliance from a predecessor. Confirming which IDs are active and which are stale is the first step in any handover.
- Before filing a Biennial Hazardous Waste Report. The EPA ID on the report has to match the federal record, including the current address and generator status.
If a lookup turns up an inactive ID that should be active, or no ID where one should exist, that’s a separate process. See Reactivating or Getting a Temporary EPA ID Number for that path.
Trusted throughout California
BSY started working with CDMS last year after our in-house EHS person departed the company. CDMS reviewed our existing operational permits as well as any additional Federal, State and Local regulations that could apply and helped us to create a comprehensive compliance calendar to track regulatory deadlines and submittal due dates. The CDMS team does an excellent job of tracking everything and can be relied upon to complete the forms accurately and assist with submittals, allowing me to focus on our business.
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