Tier II Chemical Reporting in Pennsylvania: Who Files & How (2026)

Short answer: if a Pennsylvania 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, due March 1. In Pennsylvania the Tier II program is administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry, and you file electronically through PATTS (the Pennsylvania Tier Two System) — the federal Tier2 Submit software is not accepted in PA. A copy also goes to your Local Emergency Planning Committee and local fire department. The hard part is compiling the inventory, and that is exactly what SDSentry ($24.99 per location per month) is built to do — tracking quantities per location and exporting a Tier II inventory so you are not rebuilding it by hand every February. Here is how it works in Pennsylvania.

What Tier II is

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). It tells emergency planners and fire departments what hazardous chemicals are stored at a facility, in what amounts, and where — so responders know what they are walking into. It is separate from OSHA HazCom: the same chemicals are involved, but HazCom protects your own employees while Tier II informs the community and first responders.

Who has to file in Pennsylvania

The trigger is federal and applies in Pennsylvania the same as everywhere else. Any facility required to keep a safety data sheet for a hazardous chemical must file Tier II if that chemical is on site 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. Many small Pennsylvania facilities never hit these numbers, but the things that add up are worth checking: bulk propane or diesel tanks, stored fuel, fertilizer, pool or spa chemicals, and large single-product supplies of a disinfectant or solvent. Because EHS thresholds are so much lower, a modest amount of the wrong chemical can trigger a filing.

When and where to file

The federal EPCRA deadline is March 1 each year, covering the previous calendar year, and Pennsylvania follows that date. An EPCRA Tier II report goes to three places:

• Your State Emergency Response Commission (SERC) — in Pennsylvania, the Tier II program is administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry, with electronic filing through PATTS (the Pennsylvania Tier Two System).
• Your Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC), generally organized at the county level.
• Your local fire department with jurisdiction over the facility.

Pennsylvania requires Tier II reports to be submitted electronically through PATTS, the Pennsylvania Tier Two System, administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry. The federal Tier2 Submit software is not accepted in Pennsylvania, so you cannot simply upload a federal submission file. Register and file through PATTS at the PA L&I PATTS page, and confirm the current filing instructions and any state-specific data fields with PA L&I before March 1.

Does Pennsylvania charge a fee?

Pennsylvania has historically charged a Tier II fee, and Pennsylvania administers its program through the Department of Labor & Industry. Because fee amounts, who owes them, and how they are collected change from year to year, this guide does not quote a dollar figure — an out-of-date number is worse than none. Confirm the current Pennsylvania Tier II fee and details directly with PA L&I as part of preparing your filing, and budget for it before the deadline.

How SDSentry helps

SDSentry won't file in PATTS for you, but it removes the worst part of Tier II season: assembling the inventory. It tracks quantity and unit for every item in your per-location chemical inventory, flags items over a threshold you set, and exports the underlying inventory data so your preparer isn't rebuilding the list by hand each February. It also keeps your SDS library, GHS labels, and written HazCom program in one place, so your EPCRA and OSHA obligations share the same source of truth. It is a flat $24.99 per location per month with unlimited users and a 14-day free trial. Pair it with our HazCom compliance checklist to keep both obligations covered.

Track inventory for Tier II — free trial

Educational information only, not legal or compliance advice. Pennsylvania's submission system, state-specific instructions, fees, thresholds, and deadlines can change — verify the current requirements with the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry's PATTS program at the PA L&I PATTS page, with EPA's EPCRA resources at epa.gov/epcra, and with a qualified professional before you file.