Tier II Chemical Reporting in Georgia: Who Files & How

Short answer: if your Georgia 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 Georgia, reports are filed electronically through E-Plan to the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (Georgia EPD), and copies also go to your Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) and local fire department. SDSentry ($24.99 per location per month) tracks quantity per item across each location and exports a Tier II inventory file, so the worst part — compiling the data each February — becomes a download. Here is how it works in Georgia.

What Tier II is, and how it differs from HazCom

Tier II is an annual chemical-inventory report required under the federal Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA, also called SARA Title III). Its purpose is emergency response: it tells fire departments and local planners what hazardous chemicals are stored, in what amounts, and where on your site. It is separate from OSHA Hazard Communication — the same chemicals are often involved, but HazCom protects your own employees, while Tier II informs the community and first responders. A facility can owe both obligations at once.

Who has to file in Georgia

The thresholds are federal and apply in Georgia. You must file Tier II if any hazardous chemical for which you are required to keep a safety data sheet is present at your facility at or above its reporting threshold at any point during the calendar year:

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

Quantities are based on the maximum amount present at any one time, aggregated across the facility. A relatively small amount of an EHS can trigger reporting because those thresholds are much lower.

The deadline: March 1

Tier II reports are due annually by March 1 and cover the previous calendar year. Georgia follows this federal March 1 deadline. The report goes to three places: Georgia EPD (via E-Plan), your LEPC, and your local fire department. Build your filing routine around late February so you are not assembling the inventory the night before.

Where Georgia reports go

In Georgia, Tier II reports are submitted to the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (Georgia EPD), the state-level recipient of Tier II information. Electronic filing is required and is done through E-Plan. For the current portal and submission details, see Georgia EPD's emergency response page at epd.georgia.gov/emergency-response. Because account setup and accepted file formats can change from year to year, confirm the current process directly with Georgia EPD before you file — do not assume last year's method still applies.

Under EPCRA you also provide your report to your Local Emergency Planning Committee and your local fire department with jurisdiction over the facility. Your LEPC is typically organized at the county level; if you do not know which LEPC covers your facility, Georgia EPD can point you to it.

State fees

Some states charge a per-facility Tier II filing fee and some do not. We are not asserting a specific Georgia fee figure here, because fees and the systems that collect them change. Before you file, confirm any fee with Georgia EPD — and the amount, if any. Budget a few minutes to confirm this each year rather than relying on a number you saw online.

Do small Georgia facilities usually hit the threshold?

Often not. A typical clinic, shelter, shop, or office stores cleaning and disinfection products in quantities well under 10,000 lbs. But it is worth checking the things that add up: bulk pool or spa chemicals, large propane or diesel tanks, stored fuel, fertilizer at an agricultural or grounds operation, or a sizeable bulk supply of a single disinfectant. Because EHS thresholds are low, the only reliable way to know whether you must file is to track your maximum on-hand quantities per chemical.

How SDSentry helps

SDSentry tracks quantity and unit per item in your per-location inventory, flags items over a threshold you set, and exports an EPCRA Tier II inventory file — so your preparer is not rebuilding the chemical list by hand each February. It will not file with Georgia EPD (through E-Plan) for you, but it turns the most tedious part, compiling the data, into a download you hand to whoever submits. Start from our general EPCRA Tier II reporting guide to confirm whether you owe a report at all, then keep both this obligation and your day-to-day HazCom duties in one place.

Track inventory for Tier II — free trial

Educational information only, not legal or compliance advice. Thresholds, deadlines, fees, and the Georgia submission method change — confirm current details with Georgia EPD, your LEPC and fire department, EPA's EPCRA resources at epa.gov/epcra, and a qualified professional before you file.