Hazardous Materials

The Hazardous Materials Program reduces potential hazards through education, enforcement of codes and safe business practices in businesses that use and/or store hazardous materials or employ hazardous processes.

• Permit Requirements
• Hazardous Materials Information Form (FPB-500)
• How the Hazardous Materials Program Works
• Frequently Asked Questions

Permit Requirements

The trigger which puts a site into the Hazardous Materials program is either having hazardous materials in an amount requiring a permit or utilizing hazardous processes which require a permit.

Permit requirements can be found in the Uniform Fire Code, section 105.

Hazardous Materials Information Form

Disclosure of hazardous materials on site is accomplished through completing the Hazardous Materials Information Form (PDF: 72K). The form must be completed by the business or by a consultant hired by the business.

The Hazardous Materials Information form can be completed and mailed in to: Fire and Hazard Prevention Services, 1010 2nd Ave, Ste. 300, San Diego, CA 92101, Attn: Hazmat

The Hazardous Materials Information form is designed to be used with the material safety data sheet (MSDS) for each chemical that is on site. The information provided by the business will be reviewed by the inspector and verified during the inspection. The information will be used as a basis for fire and building code regulation.

It is not necessary to submit a new inventory form each year if the inventory remains unchanged. This will be confirmed by the inspector performing the annual inspection.

It is a cost recovery program with fees based on the following:

If the inspection is completed within two visits, a $112 per hour charge is assessed for all inspection-related time that is associated with the completion of the inspection. The fee for each annual operational permit is $46.

If more than two visits are required to complete the inspection, a reinspection fee may be assessed for the third and subsequent visits at a rate of $300 per visit in addition to the hourly fee.

If additional time is needed to make corrections that have been identified during the initial visit, the inspector must be called, prior to the reinspection date, to request an extension.

Upon completion of the inspection, an invoice will be mailed to the business which is payable to the "City Treasurer."

The Fire Prevention Bureau has a "Guaranteed Second Opinion" policy that enables anyone to talk with a Hazardous Materials Supervisor if he/she disagrees with a code interpretation or simply wishes to voice a concern.