Regulatory Assistance Officer’s Notes:
The Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) Regulatory Assistance Office
prepared this fact sheet to provide general information about EPA Identification
Numbers. Throughout the online version of this fact sheet, numbers in blue
(66262.12) represent citations from the California Code of Regulations or the Cali-
fornia Health and Safety Code. Clicking on the blue numbers will take you to sites
containing the regulations. If you generate hazardous waste, you should consult
with your Certified Unified Program Agency (CUPA). Finally, DTSC strongly en-
courages all businesses that generate hazardous waste to consider waste minimiza-
tion, source reduction, and pollution prevention.
What is an EPA ID Number?
This number, issued either by the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA
ID Number), or by DTSC (California ID Number), identifies each handler of haz-
ardous waste on hazardous waste manifests and other paperwork. The ID Number
enables regulators to track the waste from its origin to final disposal (“cradle to
grave.”) With the exceptions discussed later in this guidance, most hazardous waste
generators must have an ID Number before a registered hazardous waste transporter
will accept the waste for shipment. All hazardous waste transporters and permitted
treatment, storage and disposal facilities must have ID numbers.
Are State and Federal laws the same?
The federal hazardous waste law (the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, or
“RCRA”) allows states to enact their own hazardous waste laws, which must be at
least as stringent as the federal laws. The requirements under California law are
more stringent than the federal criteria. Wastes that pass the federal hazardous waste
criteria but fail the California criteria are called “non-RCRA” or “California-only”
hazardous wastes. Wastes containing corrosive solids, asbestos, nickel or zinc are
examples of common California-only hazardous wastes. Other states may not c