Hazardous Waste ID Number Verification Questionnaire

A. Your company is required to complete the 2019 Verification Questionnaire if you meet one or both of the following criteria:

• Your hazardous waste EPA ID number was active any time during the 2018/2019 fiscal year from July 1, 2018 – June 30, 2019.
• Your company manifested hazardous waste using an assigned hazardous waste EPA ID number during the 2018 calendar year from January 1, 2018 – December 31, 2018.

A.  One of the reasons DTSC has created the electronic Verification Questionnaire (eVQ) system was to reduce our carbon footprint, so we will not be mailing hard copies of the Verification Questionnaires. If you do not have internet or computer access and/or need assistance with completing the electronic Verification Questionnaire please call us at 1-800-618-6942 for assistance. Our telephone hours are Monday to Friday from 9:00am to 4:00pm.

A. When the 2019 Verification Questionnaire cycle begins, you will be notified in one of the following ways.

• By email. An initial email notification will be sent, followed by subsequent reminder emails. The email notifications will be sent to the primary and alternate contacts’ emails associated with the eVQ account. For handlers completing the VQ for the first time, the email notification will be sent to the site contact’s email associated with the EPA ID number. Please add eVQ@dtsc.ca.gov to your safe senders list to ensure that you will receive the email notices.
• By mail. For EPA ID numbers that do not have an email associated with it, a paper notification will be mailed to the mailing address associated with the EPA ID number.

A. The deadline to complete the 2019 VQ is 30 days from the date you have received the notification from DTSC.

A. Failure to complete the 2019 VQ by the deadline date constitutes as failure to comply with the California Health and Safety Code sections 25205.15 and 25205.16; as a result, DTSC will inactivate your EPA ID number.

A. To complete the Verification Questionnaire, go to the eVQ home page at eVQ.dtsc.ca.gov. If you have an existing eVQ account proceed with logging in to access your Verification Questionnaire. If you do not have an account, create an account first then log in. For guidance on how to complete the questionnaire, please download the VQ User Guide.

A. Generators with hazardous waste EPA ID numbers that were active anytime during the previous fiscal year from July 1 – June 30 or manifested hazardous waste using an assigned hazardous waste EPA ID number during the previous calendar year from January 1 – December 31 will need to complete that respective year’s VQ.

1. You or your company are/is exempt from reporting a temporary EPA ID number in the annual Verification Questionnaire if you or your company meet one of the following conditions:

• You are a homeowner with a one-time cleanup of hazardous waste with less than four uniform hazardous waste manifests reported in the 2018 calendar year.
• Your company did not have a permanent EPA ID number during the required reporting period of July 1, 2018 – June 30, 2019 and zero uniform hazardous waste manifests were reported on the temporary ID number.
• Your company had only one temporary EPA ID number with less than four manifests reported in the 2018 calendar year and less than 100 employees.

A. Although your business was closed in 2018, you have received a notification to complete the 2019 VQ because your hazardous waste EPA ID number was active sometime during the 2018/2019 fiscal year from July 1, 2018 – June 30, 2019 or your company manifested hazardous waste using an assigned hazardous waste EPA ID number during the 2018 calendar year from January 1 – December 31, 2018.

Please note that your EPA ID number does not automatically inactivate when your business closes. Your EPA ID number is still active if you did not officially inactivate your EPA ID number with DTSC. When the 2019 Verification Questionnaire cycle opens you can inactivate your EPA ID number in step 3. If the 2019 VQ is closed, you will need to inactivate your EPA ID number by completing the appropriate form, DTSC Form 1358 if you have a permanent State EPA ID number or EPA Form 8700-12 if you have a federal EPA ID number.

If you have already inactivated your EPA ID number when your business closed in 2018, you are still required to complete the 2019 Verification Questionnaire. Completing the 2019 Verification Questionnaire will not reactivate your EPA ID number if you want to keep the number in inactive status.

A. To check the status of your ID number please search for your ID number using one of the following options:

By ID Number | View

By Company | View

A. DTSC’s Regulatory Assistance Office (RAO) responds to inquiries from the regulated community, environmental firms, other agencies, and the public at large about departmental issues. Regulatory Assistance Officers can be reached at RAO@dtsc.ca.gov or by calling (800) 728-6942 (within California) or (916) 324-2439 (if calling from out-of-state). 

A. To create an eVQ account please follow the following steps:

1. Go to the eVQ home page at dtsc.ca.gov. Click the “Register” button, then you will be directed to the next screen.
2. Enter your EPA ID number in the first field and hit enter. Please make sure you enter the complete EPA ID number, including the lettered prefix (i.e. CAL, CAR, CAD, etc.). There is no space between the lettered prefixes and numbers.
3. The information we have on file for the EPA ID number will prepopulate in some of the fields.
4. Fill in all the required fields indicated by a red asterisk.
5. After you have successfully registered for an account, you will receive an email confirmation.

Please note that registering for an eVQ account does not complete the Verification Questionnaire. After you have created your account, log into the eVQ system to complete the Verification Questionnaire.   

A.  First, verify if you have an existing eVQ account. Go back to the eVQ home page by selecting the eVQ home tab. Select “Forgot user name/password?” and enter your email address. If you already have an existing account, the username and password will be emailed to the primary or alternate contacts’ email address. If you are not the primary or alternate contact for the account, please contact DTSC at eVQ@dtsc.ca.gov.

A. Verify the EPA ID number that was entered. The complete EPA ID number, including the lettered prefix (i.e. CAL, CAR, CAD, etc.) must be entered. Also, there is no space between the lettered prefixes and numbers. If you still see the error message after doing this please email eVQ@dtsc.ca.gov.

A.  If your company has an existing eVQ account, you will not be able to create another eVQ account, however you can still update yourself as the new contact. Please refer to the VQ User Guide on how to update the account contact information.

A. You may have multiple EPA ID numbers under one eVQ account provided that the EPA ID numbers all share the same Federal Tax Identification Number (FEIN). If your EPA ID numbers have different FEINs, you must create a separate eVQ account for each EPA ID number with a different FEIN. Each account must have a unique username however, you may use the same email address for the contact on all the accounts.

A. Send an email to eVQ@dtsc.ca.gov. In the email please provide all your account usernames, and specify which account you would like to keep. Your EPA ID numbers will be consolidated under the account you would like to keep and the other accounts will be deactivated.

A.  A Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN), also known as a Federal Tax Identification Number is used to identify a business entity. Most businesses have a FEIN, unless you are a sole proprietor you will not have a FEIN. If you do not have a FEIN, this field will be left blank. For more information on FEINs, please visit the IRS website.

A.  The Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) Code is a 4-digit number that best describes your company’s primary business activity. If you do not know your SIC Code, you can search for it on the U.S. Occupational Health and Safety Administration’s Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) System Search. If your company can be classified under more than one SIC Code, please choose the code that best describes your company’s primary business activity.

A.  Although you cannot update the company name and legal business owner name in the Verification Questionnaire, you may do so by completing the appropriate form. Please email idnumber@dtsc.ca.gov for assistance.

A. The California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA) Number also known as the Hazardous Waste Generator Fee Account Number (HG EF 36-xxxxxx), formerly known as the Board of Equalization (BOE) Number, applies to every person or business who generates five (5) or more tons of hazardous waste at a site in California within a calendar year. This includes recycled waste, treated wood waste, and waste sent outside California for disposal.

If the CDTFA Number does not apply to you, please leave the CDTFA field blank. If you need a CDTFA Number, please visit the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration or call 1-800-400-7115 for more information. Please proceed with completing the Verification Questionnaire, while you wait for a CDTFA Number, then notify DTSC later when you have received your CDTFA Number.

A. You may add missing EPA ID numbers by clicking the “Add ID number” button, enter the EPA ID number to be added, and then click “Add to List”. Verify that the correct ID number and correct facility have been added. Please note you can only add EPA ID numbers if they share the same Federal Employer ID Number (FEIN) as the other EPA ID number(s) in your account.

A. The manifest counts are preliminary counts. Please verify the counts against your records and correct the counts if needed. Please proceed with completing the questionnaire. To obtain manifest information, when you click on the EPA ID number, you will see a list of the manifest tracking number(s) and shipping date(s) for the manifests that DTSC has recorded in Step 3.

A. No. Your company is only required to report hazardous waste tracked on a Uniform Hazardous Waste Manifest that is reported under your company’s EPA ID number. Hazardous waste picked up on a consolidated waste manifest are reported under the transporter’s EPA ID number. 

A.  You can find information on manifest corrections on DTSC’s Hazardous Waste Manifest Information webpage. After completing the Verification Questionnaire, please submit a manifest correction letter to move the manifest under the correct EPA ID number.

A. If the business owner is on the company’s payroll, he/she should be included in the employee count.

A.  Employees who have worked more than 500 hours during the previous calendar year must be included in your employee count.  

A.  To calculate the total number of employees, use the organization’s total number of California employees, not the total number of employees at a respective site.

A. You will receive an email confirmation when your questionnaire has been successfully submitted. A common reason for an incomplete Verification Questionnaire are users not clicking the button “Save and Flag as Completed” in Step 5 of the questionnaire. If this button is not clicked on, the questionnaire will not show up as completed on DTSC’s end.

A.  Yes, you can pay your fees online. When you reach Step 6 of the Verification Questionnaire, you will have the option of paying your fee online with a credit card by clicking on the payment link.  

A.  The 2019 Verification Questionnaire fees are due 30 days from the date you received the notification from DTSC.

A.  No. You are only required to submit an invoice if you are mailing in your payment by check to DTSC. 

A. DTSC’s tax ID number is 68-0281381.

A.  You may make payments to a past Verification Questionnaire online at https://dtsc.ca.gov/make-a-payment/. On the page, under the heading “Pay by Credit”, click “eVQ reinstatement.” If you have any fees related questions, please contact DTSC’s Accounting Unit at accounting@dtsc.ca.gov.

A. You can only reactivate your EPA ID number while the Verification Questionnaire cycle is open. To do so, check the box in Step 3 to reactivate your EPA ID number, then click the “Save Changes” button to save the record. Proceed with the remaining questions to complete the questionnaire. If you owe any fees, your fees must be paid and posted before your EPA ID number will be reactivated. If you do not owe any fees, your ID number will be reactivated within 3-5 business days.

If the Verification Questionnaire cycle is closed you may reactivate your EPA ID number by submitting the appropriate form.

• State ID Number submit DTSC Form 1358
• Federal EPA ID Number submit EPA Form 8700-12 or request via RCRAInfo System.

Avoid an EPA ID Number Inactivation in 2019. If your hazardous waste EPA ID number was active any time during the 2018/2019 fiscal year (from July 1, 2018 – June 30, 2019) and/or your company manifested hazardous waste using an assigned hazardous waste EPA ID number during the 2018 calendar year (from January 1, 2018 – December 31, 2018), your company needs to complete the 2019 VQ by the deadline.

A. Your EPA ID number may have been inactivated due to, but not limited to the following reasons:

• DTSC may have inactivated your EPA ID number because you failed to comply with the California Health and Safety Code sections 25015 and 25205.16 and did not complete the Verification Questionnaire.
• Someone from your company requested to inactivate your EPA ID number.
• Your EPA ID number was inactivated because of procedural violations.