Tier II Chemical Reporting in Kentucky: Who Files & How
Short answer: if your Kentucky 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, covering the prior calendar year. It goes to your State Emergency Response Commission (SERC), your Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC), and your local fire department. In Kentucky you file and pay through Hazconnect for the Kentucky Emergency Response Commission (KERC), administered by Kentucky Emergency Management; one submission reaches the LEPC and fire department too. The hardest part is compiling an accurate inventory with quantities — which is exactly what SDSentry ($24 per location per month) keeps current for you year-round. Here is how Tier II works in Kentucky.
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.
What Tier II is (and isn't)
Tier II is the annual chemical-inventory report required under Section 312 of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA). Its purpose is to tell fire departments and emergency planners what hazardous chemicals are stored at your facility, in what quantities, and where, so responders know what they are walking into. It is a separate obligation from OSHA Hazard Communication — the same chemicals on your shelves, but a different law and a different audience. Meeting your HazCom duties does not satisfy Tier II, and vice versa.
Who has to file in Kentucky
The trigger is federal and applies the same way in Kentucky as everywhere else. 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 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 small clinic or shelter often stays under these limits, but bulk propane or diesel tanks, stored fuel, pool and spa chemicals, fertilizer, or a large supply of a single disinfectant can push you over — and EHS thresholds are low enough that a modest amount of the wrong chemical can trigger a report.
Where Kentucky facilities submit
EPCRA sends every Tier II report to three places: your State Emergency Response Commission (SERC), your Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC), and your local fire department.
Kentucky's SERC is the Kentucky Emergency Response Commission (KERC), administered by Kentucky Emergency Management (KYEM). Reports, revisions and payments all go through the Hazconnect online system, and the regulation rules out paper: “A facility shall file a Tier II report and pay all associated fees electronically … A paper report or check shall not be accepted.” (106 KAR 1:081)
One filing covers all three recipients. KYEM: “Facilities no longer need to submit to the Kentucky Emergency Response Commission, Local Emergency Planning Committee and Fire Departments. A single submission through Hazconnect takes care of all three.” Facilities with an Extremely Hazardous Substance above its Threshold Planning Quantity also send the LEPC a Facility Annual Certification Letter each March 1 under the same regulation. Start from KYEM's Hazconnect Tier II reporting page.
State systems and instructions can change year to year, so confirm current details with Kentucky Emergency Management and the KERC before you file.
The deadline
106 KAR 1:081 requires the completed Tier II report “no later than March 1 each year.” KYEM adds that “reports submitted after the due date of March 1, will be fined a one-time late fee of $250 per facility,” so a late Kentucky filing costs money even before any enforcement.
Are there Kentucky state fees?
Yes. 106 KAR 1:081 (checked Oct 2026) sets fees by facility category:
- Category One (government-owned facilities exempt from fees under KRS 39E.050): no fee.
- Category Two (10,000–499,999 pounds each of ten or fewer hazardous substances, under 500,000 pounds combined): $40.
- Category Three (10,000 pounds or more each of eleven or more substances, under 500,000 pounds combined): $250.
- Category Four (over 499,999 pounds total inventory): $250.
- Category Five (any facility with an Extremely Hazardous Substance): $250.
An owner with two or more fee-paying facilities in one county pays “not to exceed a total of $250 for all those facilities in that county.” Late reports carry the one-time $250 per-facility late fee noted above.
What to have ready before you file
The report itself is mostly a structured list. What slows people down is assembling accurate underlying data. Before you start, have on hand:
- A complete chemical inventory for the location, with the product name and chemical identity for each item.
- The maximum quantity on site during the year and the average daily quantity, with units.
- Storage details — container type, pressure, temperature, and the specific location or building.
- Hazard information from each product's safety data sheet.
- Facility identifiers, emergency contacts, and (where required) latitude and longitude.
If you keep a current SDS library and a per-location inventory with quantities throughout the year, the February scramble largely disappears. See our guide on building a chemical inventory from scratch for a starting point.
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 CSV so your preparer is not rebuilding the inventory by hand each February. It keeps a current SDS on file for every product, which is where most of the hazard and storage details on the report come from. It will not submit the report for you — you still file through Hazconnect — but it turns the worst part, compiling and maintaining the data, into a download. Pair it with our HazCom compliance checklist so your OSHA and EPCRA obligations stay covered at the same time.
Track inventory for Tier II — free trial
Frequently asked questions
Who do I send my Tier II report to in Kentucky?
Kentucky facilities file and pay electronically through Hazconnect for the Kentucky Emergency Response Commission; paper reports and checks are not accepted. Kentucky Emergency Management says a single Hazconnect submission covers the KERC, the Local Emergency Planning Committee and the fire department.
When is the Tier II deadline in Kentucky?
No later than March 1 each year under 106 KAR 1:081. Kentucky Emergency Management applies a one-time late fee of $250 per facility to reports submitted after March 1.
What are the Tier II reporting thresholds?
You report if a hazardous chemical that requires a safety data sheet is on site at or above 10,000 pounds at any time during the year, or at or above 500 pounds — or the Threshold Planning Quantity, whichever is lower — for an Extremely Hazardous Substance. Quantities are the maximum amount present at any one time.
Is there a Kentucky state fee for Tier II?
Yes. Under 106 KAR 1:081 the fee is $40 for a Category Two facility (ten or fewer substances, under 500,000 pounds) and $250 for Categories Three, Four and Five, including any facility with an Extremely Hazardous Substance. Government facilities exempt by statute pay nothing, and one owner pays no more than $250 for all its fee-paying facilities in a county.