Standardized Solid Waste Facility Permits

This page provides information on the process of obtaining or processing a standardized solid waste facility permit.

Please note that other local, State, or federal agencies may also have regulatory authority over solid waste facilities. Also, all statutory citations refer to the California Code of Regulations (CCR) unless otherwise indicated.

What is a standardized permit?

Until the Board’s tiered regulatory structure became effective in 1994, there was a “one-size-fits-all” permit applied to all facilities. There are now five tiers, including the standardized tier which provides a higher level of review and oversight than the other tiers but not as much as the full permit. Permit tiers include:

Also see the fact sheet, Who Needs a Permit.

Types of facilities required to obtain a standardized permit:

Only 2 types of facilities now qualify for the standardized tier:

Effective April 4, 2003, there are no longer any compost facilities in the standardized permit tier. Title 14, Section 17855.4 describes the process and time-lines for operators with pre-existing standardized permits to apply for the proper tier.

Scroll down the fourth column of Permit Tier Placement Chart for a full list of facilities that qualify for the standardized tier.

Standardized permit application processing requirements

Permit requirements unique to the standardized permit tier

  • Unlike full permits, the standardized permit application process is described in Title 14, rather than Title 27.
  • Unlike full permits, Standardized Permits do not contain LEA terms and conditions.
  • The processing timelines are shorter than a full permit.
  • Less information is required with the application.
  • The Tier/Task Chart  illustrates the major differences between the full, standardized, registration, and notification tiers.

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