Tier II Chemical Reporting in Louisiana: Who Files & How
Short answer: Louisiana's threshold is far lower than the federal one — if your facility had 500 pounds or more of a hazardous chemical on site on any one day (less for some Extremely Hazardous Substances), you must file an annual Tier II inventory 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 Louisiana you file electronically with the Louisiana State Police Right-to-Know Unit for the Louisiana Emergency Response Commission, and pay a state filing fee. 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 Louisiana.
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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 Louisiana
Federal EPCRA sets Tier II thresholds of 10,000 pounds for most hazardous chemicals and 500 pounds (or the Threshold Planning Quantity, if lower) for Extremely Hazardous Substances. Louisiana goes further. The Louisiana State Police Right-to-Know law summary: “under state rules the threshold quantities which trigger inventory reporting are much lower (500 pounds of a chemical present on-site on any one day during the preceding calendar year), except for some Extremely Hazardous Substances with lower threshold quantities.”
In practice that brings many small facilities into Tier II that would never file in other states: a pallet of pool chemicals, a few drums of a cleaning concentrate, a fertilizer delivery or a diesel tank can each reach 500 pounds. Check the maximum on-site quantity of every product on your inventory against that figure.
Where Louisiana 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.
Louisiana's SERC is the Louisiana Emergency Response Commission (LERC), and Tier II is administered by the Louisiana State Police Right-to-Know Unit. Louisiana runs its own system: facilities file electronically through the Louisiana State Police Tier II Inventory Filing website, and EPA's state-requirements page notes that Louisiana “does not accept submissions from Tier II Submit, Tier II Manager, or E-Plan.”
Filing online is not the last step. The State Police e-filing instructions end: “Finish the filing process by sending in your payment and by providing copies of your inventory report to the parish LEPC and local fire department.” The system generates a printable report for those copies. Links to the filing site, the instructions and the fee worksheet are on the Louisiana State Police Emergency Services Unit page.
State systems and instructions can change year to year, so confirm current details with the Louisiana State Police Right-to-Know Unit before you file.
The deadline
The State Police summary: facilities “must file by March 1st of each year an inventory form for the preceding calendar year” — the same date as the federal deadline. Because of the 500-pound state threshold, check your inventory early; the last week of February is a poor time to discover a product crossed it.
Are there Louisiana state fees?
Yes. Louisiana charges a state Tier II filing fee, calculated on the State Police fee worksheet by the number of chemicals on site:
- 1–25 chemicals: $65
- 26–75 chemicals: $85
- 76–100 chemicals: $170
- Over 100 chemicals: $255
The maximum statewide filing fee is $2,000. A small business — nine or fewer employees and under $2,000,000 in annual gross receipts, per the worksheet — pays $25. Government agencies, and facilities licensed by the Liquefied Petroleum Gas Commission that report only LP gas, are exempt from fees. The State Police instructions also note civil penalties of up to $25,000 per violation for failing to meet Louisiana's Tier Two reporting requirements.
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 the Louisiana State Police Tier II Inventory Filing website — 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 Louisiana?
Louisiana facilities file electronically through the Louisiana State Police Tier II Inventory Filing website, for the Louisiana Emergency Response Commission. Louisiana does not accept Tier II Submit, Tier II Manager or E-Plan. After filing online you pay the state fee and send copies of the report to your parish LEPC and local fire department.
When is the Tier II deadline in Louisiana?
March 1 each year, covering the preceding calendar year, the same as the federal deadline.
What are the Tier II reporting thresholds?
Louisiana's state threshold is 500 pounds of a chemical present on site on any one day during the preceding calendar year, lower than the federal 10,000 pounds, and some Extremely Hazardous Substances have lower thresholds still.
Is there a Louisiana state fee for Tier II?
Yes. The Louisiana State Police fee worksheet sets $65 for 1 to 25 chemicals, $85 for 26 to 75, $170 for 76 to 100 and $255 for over 100, up to a statewide maximum of $2,000. Small businesses with nine or fewer employees and under $2 million in gross receipts pay $25, and government agencies are exempt.