Local Emergency Planning Committee
Hazardous materials regional emergency planning and community right to know at the local level
Introduction
The California State Emergency Response Commission (SERC) established Six Emergency Planning Districts having the same boundaries as the six Mutual Aid Regions. The SERC appointed a Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) for each planning district and supervises and coordinates their activities.
Within their region, the LEPCs carry out community right-to-know requirements of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA)opens in a new window. They provide a forum for emergency management agencies, responders, industry and the public to work together to evaluate, understand, train about, coordinate and communicate chemical hazards in the community and develop hazmat emergency plans, which provide information about chemicals in the community to citizens, government agencies and emergency responders. Plans are developed with stakeholder participation.
The LEPC membership must include (at a minimum):
- Elected state and local officials
- Police, fire, civil defense, and public health professionals
- Environment, transportation, and hospital officials
- Facility representatives
- Representatives from community groups and the media
- Cal OES Regional staff are assigned to assist LEPCs as liaisons
To facilitate EPCRA decision-making at the most practical Administering level the SERC has delegated some EPCRA requirements based on the long-standing structure of California’s hazardous material program consolidated within the Unified Program. Thus, emergency and hazardous chemical inventory forms, and Safety Data Sheets (SDS) are submitted to the Certified Unified Program Agencies (CUPAs)opens in a new window instead of the SERC/LEPCs. It is the CUPAs, therefore, that respond to public inquiries regarding business inventories. Immediate notice and follow-up reports (Section 304) regarding hazardous material releases are submitted to both the CUPAs and Cal OES, and are available upon request. For more information regarding a Public Records Act (PRA) request, visit the Cal OES Public Records Request webpage.
CUPAs prepare local Area Plans for hazmat emergencies based on the inventories and SDS information. CUPAs are represented on the SERC and on the LEPCs.
You can make a difference in attending an LEPC meeting or by joining your LEPC.
SDS/Tier II
The federal equivalent to the Business Plan program is the EPCRA 311/312 reporting requirements. Owners and operators are required to prepare and have available Safety Data Sheets (SDS) under the Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Hazard Communication Standard and must submit an inventory of their hazardous chemicals to the State Emergency Response Commission (SERC), Local Emergency Preparedness Committee (LEPC), and the local fire department annually on March 1st. This requirement is achieved through compliance with the Business Plan program. Contact your local CUPA for compliance and questions.
Laws and Regulations
Listed below are State and Federal Laws and Regulations that affect LEPCs:
State Statute: Health and Safety Code, Chapter 6.95, Article 1opens in a new window
State Regulation: Title 19, California Code of Regulations, Section 2720 et. seq.opens in a new window
Federal Related Statute: United States Code, Title 42, Section 11001 et. seq.opens in a new window
LEPC Documents
LEPC Mission Statement 110590
LEPC Mission Statement November 1990
LEPC Nominations Form
Form for nominations to the LEPC as required by SARA Title III (EPCRA 1986), Section 301 (c)
LEPCs Meeting Schedule – Currently being updated. Future meetings are listed on the Regional Response pages.
Ventura Area Ammonia Tabletop Exercise
January 14, 2025
8:30 am to 4:00 pm
Ventura County Fire Department
2400 Conejo Spectrum St
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
Ventura Area Ammonia Tabletop Exercise – Flyer
LEPC I – Quarter 1 Meeting
February 12, 2025
10 am to 12 pm
Frank Hotchkin Memorial Training Center
1700 Stadium Way
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Coming soon.
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LEPC III – Quarter 1 Meeting
January 29, 2025
2:30 pm to 4:00 pm
1500 S. Jackson Street
Red Bluff, CA 96080
Coming soon.
LEPC IV – Quarter 1 Meeting
February 5, 2025
10 am to 12 pm
601 Sequoia Pacific Blvd.
Sacramento, CA 95811
Coming soon.
Coming soon.
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LEPC V – Quarter 1 Meeting
February 4, 2025
10 am to 12 pm
Clovis Community Medical Center
2755 Herndon Avenue
Clovis, CA 93611
Coming soon.
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LEPC VI – Quarter 1 Meeting
February 13, 2025
10 am to 12 pm
TBD, San Diego, CA
Coming soon.
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LEPC Contact Information
Erika Olsen, Senior Emergency Services Coordinator
Hazardous Materials Section
erika.olsen@caloes.ca.gov
(916) 364-4575