San Diego County
County of San Diego Department of Environmental Health and Quality (DEHQ), Hazardous Materials Division
In short
County of San Diego Department of Environmental Health and Quality (DEHQ), Hazardous Materials Division issues 2 permits we publish for San Diego County, last verified 2026-09-27. Each carries the fee as the agency publishes it, with a link to the schedule it was read from.
What this agency issues
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unified Program Facility Permit (CUPA) — Hazardous Materials / Underground Storage Tanksonly if it applies to you | County of San Diego Department of Environmental Health and Quality (DEHQ), Hazardous Materials Division | FY2026-27 (§65.107(k)): Unified Program Facility Annual Permit Base Fee (required for all operating permits except as noted) $450; Reinspection Fee $450; per hazardous-waste and/or medical-waste type $93 each (k)(2)(a); per universal waste at or above HMBP inventory threshold $93 each (k)(2)(b); Onsite Hazardous Waste Treatment (Tiered Permitting) per unit: Conditional Exemption $307, Conditional Authorization $558, Permit by Rule $952 (k)(3); Hazardous Material Response Plan & Inventory $93 per material (k)(4)(a), Minimal Variation Low-Risk Permit $543 (k)(4)(c); Underground Storage Tank (UST) Annual Operating Permit $575 per tank (k)(5); New UST Install/Repair/Upgrade base (1 tank) $3,154, each additional tank $826 (k)(6)(a); UST Closure/Removal base (up to 11 hours) $1,927 (k)(6)(b); UST Plan Re-Review/Extension $241 (k)(6)(c); UST Modification/Upgrade base (up to 10 hours) $1,758 (k)(6)(d); UST Additional Plan Check Inspection/Reinspection $1,061 (k)(6)(e); small quantity hazardous-waste-only generators under Health & Safety Code Chapter 6.5, generating under 200 lbs/month of medical waste, pay $164 instead of the base fee (k)(7). | annual (base permit and hazardous-waste/UST operating components); UST installation, closure and modification fees are one-time per project | 2026-09-27 |
| Small Quantity Medical Waste Generator (SQMWG) Biennial Registration | County of San Diego Department of Environmental Health and Quality (DEHQ), Hazardous Materials Division | $212 every two years (FY2026-27; was $203 the prior fiscal year) | biennial (2 years); non-transferable — a new registration is required on any change of location or ownership | 2026-09-27 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
About each permit
Unified Program Facility Permit (CUPA) — Hazardous Materials / Underground Storage Tanks
An auto-repair shop storing or handling hazardous materials above the Hazardous Material Business Plan reporting threshold, generating hazardous waste in any amount, subject to the Aboveground Petroleum Storage Act, or operating an underground storage tank, needs DEHQ's Unified Program Facility Permit — DEHQ describes the duty as reaching 'every business in San Diego County involved in these activities,' applying the same way in every city and the unincorporated area. The permit stacks a flat annual base fee with per-waste-type and, where applicable, per-UST-tank charges rather than one flat number, so the total for any one business depends on what it stores and generates. A veterinary clinic or salon handling chemicals or waste above the same thresholds — for example a large-volume x-ray fixer or a body-art sharps volume beyond SQMWG registration — falls under this permit instead of the smaller SQMWG registration.
Small Quantity Medical Waste Generator (SQMWG) Biennial Registration
Virtually every veterinary clinic generates sharps or biohazardous waste and must register with DEHQ through the California Environmental Reporting System (CERS): 'by law, every business in San Diego County involved in these activities must have a valid Permit through CERS,' and this applies inside every city and the unincorporated area alike. A salon offering body-art services that generate sharps (see the body-art record) also needs this registration if it produces medical waste under 200 lbs/month. A business generating 200 lbs/month or more of medical waste, treating medical waste on-site, or separately generating hazardous waste needs the full Unified Program Facility Permit instead, recorded separately.
Contact
- Jurisdiction
- San Diego County
- Phone
- (858) 505-6700
Contact details are taken from the agency’s own site or its published fee schedule. Where we have not verified a phone number we leave it blank rather than guess.
Sources
Every fee and term above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- Hazardous Materials Division — Unified Program Facility Permit (CUPA) overview, 'every business in San Diego County' involved in these activitiesDEHQ, County of San Diego · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-27
- Small Quantity Medical Waste Generator (SQMWG) Registration ProgramDEHQ, County of San Diego · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-27
- Unified Program, Hazardous Materials Program and Medical Waste Fees, FY2026-27 Approved Fee (§65.107(k))DEHQ, County of San Diego · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-27
Other offices serving San Diego County
- County of San Diego Department of Environmental Health and Quality (DEHQ), Food and Housing Division
- County of San Diego Planning & Development Services (PDS), Zoning and Building Divisions
- County of San Diego (general administration)
- San Diego County Fire, Community Risk Reduction Division (Fire Marshal Program)
- County of San Diego Assessor/Recorder/County Clerk (ARCC), Office of the Recorder/County Clerk
- County of San Diego Department of Agriculture, Weights and Measures
- County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA), Public Health Services, Tobacco Retail Licensing Program
The full permit list for this jurisdiction
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Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.