Tier II Chemical Reporting in Florida: Who Must File & How

Short answer: if your Florida facility stores a hazardous chemical at or above its EPCRA reporting threshold — generally 10,000 pounds, or as low as 500 pounds for an Extremely Hazardous Substance — you must file an annual Tier II chemical inventory report by March 1. In Florida the report goes to the State Emergency Response Commission (SERC), which is administered by the Florida Division of Emergency Management, plus your Local Emergency Planning Committee and local fire department. SDSentry ($24 per location per month) tracks the per-item quantities that decide whether you cross a threshold and exports a Tier II inventory file, so compiling the data each February isn’t a manual scramble. Here’s how it works in Florida.

Free, no signup: the SDS binder builder at sdsentry.0xpi.com/sds-binder.html turns a pasted list of the products you keep on site into one printable index of their current safety data sheets.

Who has to file in Florida

EPCRA — the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act — is a federal law, and its Tier II obligation applies the same way in Florida as everywhere else. Any facility that is required to keep a safety data sheet for a hazardous chemical under OSHA’s Hazard Communication Standard must file a Tier II report if that chemical is present on site at or above the reporting threshold at any point during the calendar year. The federal thresholds are:

• 10,000 lbs for most hazardous chemicals (those that require an SDS).
• 500 lbs — or the chemical’s Threshold Planning Quantity (TPQ), whichever is lower — for Extremely Hazardous Substances (EHSs) on EPA’s list.

Quantities are measured as the maximum amount present at any one time, aggregated across the facility — not an annual average. Common Florida triggers include bulk pool and spa chemicals, large propane or diesel tanks, stored fuel, fertilizer, and sizeable bulk supplies of a single disinfectant or solvent. Because EHS thresholds are so much lower, a relatively small amount of the wrong chemical can put you over. The only reliable way to know is to track quantities by location.

Florida’s authority and how you file

Florida’s State Emergency Response Commission (SERC) is administered by the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM). Under EPCRA, a covered facility submits its Tier II report to three recipients: the SERC, its Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) — Florida is divided into several LEPC districts — and its local fire department with jurisdiction over the facility.

Florida uses E-Plan for electronic filing and fee payment; the SERC's How to Comply Manual also names EPA's Tier II Submit as an alternative way to prepare the report. Filing that way covers all three recipients: “If the facility files through E-Plan or EPA Tier II Submit then the notification to the SERC, LEPC and local fire department has been satisfied.” An annual registration fee applies (see below). Start from the FDEM EPCRA portal: floridadisaster.org/dem/response/technological-hazards/epcra/.

The March 1 deadline

Tier II reports are due annually by March 1 and cover the previous calendar year. This is the federal EPCRA deadline, and it applies to Florida facilities. In practical terms, a report you file in early 2027 describes the hazardous chemicals you had on site during 2026. Build the habit of compiling your inventory in January so you have time to resolve gaps — a missing maximum quantity, an unconfirmed EHS, an out-of-date storage location — before the deadline rather than during the last week of February.

Are there Florida state fees?

Yes. The SERC's How to Comply Manual sets an annual registration fee, paid through E-Plan and due by March 1 with the report: “either $2.50 or $10 per employee, with a minimum amount of $25, and a maximum amount of $2,000 per year.” Facilities regulated under Chapters 368 or 527 or Section 376.303, Florida Statutes, without an Extremely Hazardous Substance at or above its Threshold Planning Quantity pay a reduced fee of $2.50 per employee ($25 minimum, $500 maximum). A facility subject to Section 302 also pays a one-time $50 filing fee. Governmental bodies are exempt from the annual fee. Late fees “can be assessed in amounts up to twice the amount of the annual registration or filing fee required for timely submission, up to $4,000 per late submission.” The manual is dated 2022, so confirm current amounts with FDEM.

Tier II is separate from OSHA HazCom

It is easy to conflate the two because they cover the same chemicals, but they serve different purposes. OSHA HazCom protects your employees and requires SDSs, labels, a written program, and training. EPCRA Tier II is a community-right-to-know report that tells emergency planners and responders what is stored where, so they can plan for and respond to incidents safely. A Florida facility can owe both: a current SDS library and HazCom program for OSHA, and an annual Tier II inventory for the state. See our HazCom compliance checklist for the OSHA side.

How SDSentry helps

SDSentry won’t file your Tier II report for you, but it removes the hardest part — assembling an accurate inventory. It tracks quantity and unit for every item in your per-location inventory, flags items that cross a threshold you set, and exports an EPCRA Tier II inventory file so your preparer isn’t rebuilding the list by hand each February. Because the data lives in the same place as your SDS library, GHS labels, written HazCom program, and training records, you keep your OSHA and EPCRA obligations on one set of facts instead of two spreadsheets that drift apart. It is a flat $24 per location per month with unlimited users and a 7-day free trial.

Track inventory for Florida Tier II — free trial

Educational information only, not legal or compliance advice. Florida-specific recipients, submission systems, data fields, and any fees change — verify the current requirements with the Florida Division of Emergency Management and the EPA’s EPCRA resources at epa.gov/epcra, your LEPC, and a qualified professional before you file.