Environmental Spill Reporting - Texas

Texas has its own environmental release notification requirements on top of the federal requirements. This summary page is provided as a reference tool. It is not a definitive source of compliance information and not intended to replace the federal and state laws and regulations. The summary is also not comprehensive, as there may be other release notification requirements at the federal, state, and/or local levels.

A facility may need to comply with both federal and state requirements, not just the state ones, when the federal requirements do not preempt the state ones and the state is not delegated authority to run its own program in lieu of the federal. Be sure to check with your state agency(ies) if you have questions about which federal or state requirements apply.

Regardless, there is no government penalty for over-reporting, but there may be steep penalties for failure to make a notification when required. When unsure whether to report, it is better to side on reporting the release.

Related information

• Emergency Releases ezExplanation
• Oil Spill Reporting ezExplanation
• Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) accidental release reporting
• Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ)
• TCEQ — Spills, Discharges, and Releases
• TCEQ — Spills: Rules and Laws
• TCEQ — State Emergency Response Commission

State citations

• Texas Health and Safety Code 382.0215 — Assessment of Emissions Due to Emissions Events
• Texas Water Code 26 Section 039 — Accidental Discharges and Spills
• Texas Water Code 26 Sections 261–267 — Oil and Hazardous Substance Spill Prevention and Control
• Texas Administrative Code 30 TAC 101.201 — Emissions Event Reporting and Recordkeeping Requirements
• Texas Administrative Code 30 TAC 327 — Spill Prevention and Control
• Texas Administrative Code 30 TAC 334.72 — Reporting of Suspected Releases
• Texas Administrative Code 30 TAC 334.75 — Reporting and Cleanup of Surface Spills and Overfills
• Texas Administrative Code 30 TAC 334.129 — Release Reporting and Corrective Action for Aboveground Storage Tanks (ASTs)
• Texas Administrative Code 30 TAC 335.113 — Reporting of Emergency Situations by Emergency Coordinator
• Texas Administrative Code 30 TAC 335.115 — Additional Reports
• Texas Administrative Code 30 TAC 335.153 — Reporting of Emergency Situations by Emergency Coordinator
• Texas Administrative Code 30 TAC 335.155 — Additional Reports
• Texas Administrative Code 31 TAC 19.32 — Reporting an Unauthorized Discharge

Federal citations

• 40 CFR 68 — Chemical accident prevention provisions
• 40 CFR 110 — Discharge of oil
• 40 CFR 112 — Oil pollution prevention
• 40 CFR 117 — Determination of reportable quantities for hazardous substances (also known as CWA release reporting)
• 40 CFR 262 — Standards applicable to generators of hazardous waste
• 40 CFR 264 — Standards for owners and operators of hazardous waste treatment, storage, and disposal facilities
• 40 CFR 265 — Interim status standards for owners and operators of hazardous waste treatment, storage, and disposal facilities
• 40 CFR 280 — Technical standards and corrective action requirements for owners and operators of underground storage tanks (UST)
• 40 CFR 302 — Designation, reportable quantities, and notification (also known as CERCLA release reporting)
• 40 CFR 355 — Emergency planning and notification (also known as EPCRA release reporting)
• 40 CFR 403 — General pretreatment regulations for existing and new sources of pollution
• 40 CFR 761 — Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) manufacturing, processing, distribution in commerce, and use prohibition
• 40 CFR 1604 — Reporting of accidental releases