Certified Unified Program Agencies (CUPA)

The Hazardous Materials Division has the responsibility for the County's Certified Unified Program Agency (CUPA) programs. These programs include the Hazardous Materials Business Plan (HMBP), the Hazardous Waste Generator, the Underground Storage Tank, the Aboveground Petroleum Storage Tanks, the Accidental Release Prevention, and the portions of the California Fire Code which address hazardous materials. Inspections of businesses in the County which are included in any of these programs are conducted on a routine basis. Funding for this Division is provided through fees charged to the businesses which are regulated by them. There are approximately 1300 businesses covered by one or more of the CUPA programs. Information regarding hazardous materials in your community can be obtained from this Division. You may obtain an Underground Tank Permit Application Form to be used for installing new tanks, removing old tanks, and repairing or testing tank systems. State reporting forms can be downloaded from http://www.unidocs.org/catalog.html. In addition, you can download a current version of the Hazardous Materials Business Plan in Adobe PDF. Once the information has been completed, documents can submit it to our office by mail or fax (707) 565-1172).

One responsibility the CUPA has is sharing information with the public on facilities within their community that handle hazardous materials. The Community Right to Know form (CRTK) can be used to submit a request for such information. You will need to identify a site address or address range to obtain this information.

There are three other CUPA agencies in Sonoma County which regulate facilities in their communities: Santa Rosa Fire Department, Petaluma Fire Department and Healdsburg Fire Department, which regulates facilities within Sebastopol and Healdsburg through a Joint Powers Agreement. If you have questions regarding facilities within any of those cities, contact the appropriate fire department.