How to Decommission a Facility in California: Steps, Permits and Closeout

BySoCal Removal

To decommission a facility in California, you inventory and survey hazardous materials, remove them under the right paperwork, close every permit the site holds, make utilities safe, take out equipment, clean what remains, and then demolish the building or turn it over as a shell. The job is finished when the closeout package documents each step, not when the last truck leaves.

What does facility decommissioning include?

Decommissioning is the move from an operating facility to an agreed end state: demolition to dirt, a shell returned to the landlord, or a clean space for a new tenant. Write the end state down first. It decides what stays, what goes and which agencies have to sign off.

The owner usually holds the permits and is the hazardous waste generator, so the owner signs most filings. Independent consultants handle surveys, sampling and clearance, and utilities handle disconnects.

What are the steps to decommission a facility?

  1. Define the end state and collect permits, CERS submittals, tank records, prior surveys and drawings.
  2. Complete the inventory and hazardous materials survey.
  3. Remove chemicals, universal waste, refrigerants and other regulated items.
  4. Abate asbestos and other hazardous building materials, followed by clearance.
  5. Close out CUPA programs, tanks, air permits and stormwater coverage.
  6. Safe-off utilities and process systems.
  7. Remove equipment and decontaminate.
  8. Demolish the building or turn over the shell.
  9. Assemble the closeout package.

What should the hazardous materials survey cover?

Start with a room-by-room inventory, then a survey by an independent consultant. In South Coast AQMD’s jurisdiction, Rule 1403 requires an asbestos survey before any demolition or renovation, so the survey comes before equipment removal.

  • Asbestos. Pipe and boiler insulation, gaskets, flooring, mastic, roofing, transite and wall systems. Asbestos-related work of 100 square feet or more must be done by a Cal/OSHA-registered asbestos abatement contractor.
  • Lead. Painted steel and coatings. Cal/OSHA’s lead standard for construction covers demolition or salvage of structures where lead is present.
  • PCB ballasts and transformers. EPA says fluorescent light ballasts made before July 2, 1979 may contain PCBs, and non-PCB ballasts made between 1978 and 1998 were marked “No PCBs.” Ballasts at 50 ppm or more need labeling and a manifest for disposal. Confirm who owns each transformer and the PCB status of customer-owned transformers and capacitors.
  • Mercury. Thermostats, switches, relays, gauges and lamps.
  • Refrigerants. Under EPA’s Section 608 rules, technicians who dispose of refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment must be certified and must recover the refrigerant with certified equipment first. For equipment holding more than 5 and less than 50 pounds, the technician keeps disposal records for three years. Ask for a copy.
  • Universal waste. California’s list covers batteries, electronic waste, CRTs and CRT glass, lamps, mercury wastes, non-empty aerosol cans and PV modules. None of it can go in the trash or a landfill.
  • Chemicals and lab packs. Process chemicals, lab reagents, paints and maintenance products. A hazardous waste contractor packs small containers by compatibility into lab packs and ships them on a manifest.
  • Tanks, sumps and piping. Underground and aboveground tanks, clarifiers, pits and process lines. Treat none of them as empty or clean until a qualified party has drained, cleaned and documented them.

Our guide to removing universal waste, refrigerants and PCB ballasts before demolition covers the field sorting. Budget ranges are on the hazardous materials cost page.

Which agencies have to close out the facility?

List every permit, registration and plan the site holds. Each one has an agency and a way to close it.

CUPA: business plan and hazardous waste generator

The Certified Unified Program Agency (CUPA) oversees hazardous materials business plans, hazardous waste generators and tanks. Depending on the city, it is the county environmental health department or a city fire department. Tell the CUPA the facility is closing and ask what it needs to close the record. When the fire code official requires a facility closure plan, the 2025 California Fire Code requires it at least 30 days before closure (Section 5001.6.3).

Large quantity generators have a separate closure rule, in effect in California since July 1, 2024. They notify on EPA Form 8700-12 at least 30 days before closing the facility, and again within 90 days after closing to confirm they met the closure performance standards. Once all waste has shipped, inactivate the EPA ID number with DTSC. If fees are owed, DTSC requires payment first.

Underground storage tanks

Closing an underground tank takes a permit from the local UST agency. In much of Orange County that is OC Health Care Agency Environmental Health, though some cities, such as Anaheim, run their own programs. In Los Angeles County it may be County Public Works or a city program such as the Los Angeles Fire Department’s.

OC Health Care Agency’s 2026 removal guidelines call for a Facility Modification Application at least 30 calendar days before removal and 48 hours’ notice to schedule the inspection. An inspector must be on site during removal, soil samples are taken at each end of the tank, and documentation is due within 30 days. The contractor needs a Hazardous Substance Removal certification. Los Angeles County allows closure in place only when removal is shown to be infeasible.

South Coast AQMD

Air permits stay active until the holder inactivates them, and Rule 301 sets annual renewal fees for permits to operate. Form 200-C, Request to Inactivate a Permit to Operate, is for equipment that has been removed or shut down. Separately, Rule 1403 requires notice to the district at least 10 working days before demolition, and before renovation that removes 100 square feet or more of asbestos-containing material. Ventura and San Diego counties have their own air districts.

State Water Board stormwater

Facilities covered by the Industrial General Permit file a Notice of Termination in SMARTS once the facility has ceased operations, completed closure activities and removed all industrial pollutants. Only the Legally Responsible Person or a Duly Authorized Representative can certify it. Until the Regional Water Board processes it, the discharger stays responsible for compliance and annual fees. If demolition, clearing or grading will disturb one acre or more of soil, the project needs Construction General Permit coverage.

How are utilities made safe before removal?

The serving utility or a licensed trade disconnects electric, gas and water service. Process utilities need the same attention: compressed air, steam, nitrogen, hydraulics, process water, and solar or battery systems. Arrange fire sprinklers and alarms with the fire authority. Verify and document each disconnect before removal starts in that area. See utility disconnects before demolition for the safe-off sequence.

How is equipment removed and decontaminated?

Equipment comes out after it is drained, cleaned, de-energized and released: resale items first, then recyclable metal, then waste. Heavy process equipment needs a rigging plan, and anchor bolts, pits and trenches need a defined finish condition.

Decontamination follows: HEPA vacuuming, pressure washing floors and cleaning residue from pits, trenches and sumps. Where the CUPA requires confirmation, the consultant samples surfaces or soil and reports the results.

Should you demolish the building or turn over a shell?

Lease terms and redevelopment plans usually decide. A shell turnover needs a written list of what stays, such as the roof, slab, fire protection, electrical service and plumbing stubs.

Demolition needs a city demolition permit. Under Health and Safety Code Section 19827.5, the city cannot issue it until the applicant provides copies of required asbestos notifications or declares that none applies. Demolishing a building or structure more than 36 feet high requires Cal/OSHA permits. Many cities also require a construction and demolition waste plan backed by recycling receipts.

SoCal Removal performs the demolition, equipment removal and hauling, and schedules the Cal/OSHA-registered abatement subcontractor, consultants and utilities on one schedule. The decommissioning service page explains how that scope is set up.

What waste documentation do you need?

  • Hazardous waste manifests. Hazardous waste ships on the Uniform Hazardous Waste Manifest, tracked in EPA’s e-Manifest system. PCB ballasts at 50 ppm or more also ship on a manifest. Keep the final signed copies.
  • Asbestos waste shipment records. Under Rule 1403, asbestos waste travels with a waste shipment record signed by the generator, and the disposal site returns a signed copy within 30 calendar days.
  • Universal waste and refrigerant records. Shipping records to the recycler and recovery records from the technician.
  • Scale tickets. Weight tickets for every load, which support recycling reports to the city.

The glossary entry for waste manifests explains the paper trail.

What goes in the closeout package?

  • Survey reports, abatement clearance reports and the Rule 1403 notification
  • Manifests, shipment, refrigerant and PCB records, recycling receipts and scale tickets, reconciled to the inventory
  • CUPA closure correspondence, generator closure notices and EPA ID inactivation confirmation
  • The UST closure report and the agency’s closure letter
  • South Coast AQMD permit inactivation confirmations
  • The processed Notice of Termination
  • Utility disconnect confirmations
  • The demolition permit final, photos and a list of open items

How long does facility decommissioning take?

There is no standard duration. The schedule depends on:

  • How complete the records are, and whether surveys already exist
  • What the survey finds and how much abatement follows
  • The volume of chemicals, waste and equipment to remove
  • Agency lead times: 10 working days for Rule 1403 notification, 30 days for a fire code closure plan or a large quantity generator closure notice, and 30 calendar days for a UST removal application with OC Health Care Agency
  • Utility scheduling and laboratory turnaround
  • Contamination found under tanks or slabs, which OC Health Care Agency requires to be reported within five days of detection when reportable
  • Regional Water Board processing of the Notice of Termination

What’s the next step?

Send drawings, the permit list, prior surveys and photos through our contact page, or call (949) 446-0000. SoCal Removal (CSLB #980451) serves Orange County, Los Angeles County and the rest of Southern California. Crews work daylight hours, and after-hours work is available on request.

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