HAZ – Hazardous Substance Removal Certification

• 📜 Legal Authority & Compliance
  The CSLB requires that any contractor performing removal or remedial action on hazardous material sites must hold a valid HAZ certification. This guarantees that the contractor has passed rigorous exams and meets training standards in hazardous material handling and worker protection.

• 🧪 Specialized Safety Training
  HAZ-certified contractors are trained in OSHA HAZWOPER safety protocols, personal protective equipment (PPE) use, decontamination, and emergency procedures. This ensures your project complies with safety regulations and minimizes environmental and health risks.

• ⚙️ Expertise in Containment & Remediation
  Licensed professionals understand how to identify, contain, and remove hazardous substances like contaminated soil, fuels, heavy metals, and industrial chemicals — as well as safely remove or replace underground storage tanks (USTs).

• 🏗️ Environmental & Regulatory Confidence
  Certified HAZ contractors coordinate directly with regulatory agencies to meet EPA, OSHA, and California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requirements, ensuring your project passes inspection and avoids costly violations.

• 🛡️ Liability Protection & Insurance Coverage
  HAZ-certified contractors maintain proper bonding and insurance coverage, protecting property owners from liability in case of spills, contamination, or accidents. Hiring unlicensed individuals can leave you legally and financially exposed.

• 🌎 Responsible Remediation & Disposal
  A licensed HAZ contractor ensures that all hazardous materials are transported and disposed of through approved facilities — preventing environmental contamination and safeguarding public health.

Business & Professions Code
Division 3, Chapter 9. Contractors, Article 4. Classifications

7058.7. (a)No contractor shall engage in a removal or remedial action, as defined in subdivision (d), unless the qualifier for the license has passed an approved hazardous substance certification examination.

(b)

• (1) The Contractors’ State License Board, the Division of Occupational Safety and Health of the Department of Industrial Relations, and the Department of Toxic Substances Control shall jointly select an advisory committee, which shall be composed of two representatives of hazardous substance removal workers in California, two general engineering contractors in California, and two representatives of insurance companies in California who shall be selected by the Insurance Commissioner.
• (2) The Contractors’ State License Board shall develop a written test for the certification of contractors engaged in hazardous substance removal or remedial action, in consultation with the Division of Occupational Safety and Health, the State Water Resources Control Board, the Department of Toxic Substances Control, and the advisory committee.

(c)The Contractors’ State License Board may require additional updated approved hazardous substance certification examinations of licensees currently certified based on new public or occupational health and safety information. The Contractors’ State License Board, in consultation with the Department of Toxic Substances Control and the State Water Resources Control Board, shall approve other initial and updated hazardous substance certification examinations and determine whether to require an updated certification examination of all current certificate holders.

(d) For purposes of this section “removal or remedial action” has the same meaning as found in Chapter 6.8 (commencing with Section 25300) of Division 20 of the Health and Safety Code, if the action requires the contractor to dig into the surface of the earth and remove the dug material and the action is at a site listed pursuant to Section 25356 of the Health and Safety Code or any other site listed as a hazardous waste site by the Department of Toxic Substances Control or a site listed on the National Priorities List compiled pursuant to the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (42 U.S.C. Sec. 9601 et seq.). “Removal or remedial action” does not include asbestos-related work, as defined in Section 6501.8 of the Labor Code, or work related to a hazardous substance spill on a highway.

(e)

• (1) A contractor shall not install or remove an underground storage tank, unless the contractor has passed the hazardous substance certification examination developed pursuant to this section.
• (2) A contractor who is not certified may bid on or contract for the installation or removal of an underground tank, as long as the work is performed by a contractor who is certified pursuant to this section.
• (3) For purposes of this subdivision, “underground storage tank” has the same meaning as defined in subdivision (x) of Section 25281 of the Health and Safety Code.

(Amended by Stats. 1990, Chapter 1366 (SB 2004), eff. Sept. 26, 1990; amended by Stats. 1992, Chapter 1289 (AB 2743), Chapter 1290 (AB 3188), eff. Sept. 30, 1992; amended by Stats. 1993, Chapter 168 (AB 427).)

• When working with hazardous materials, safety, compliance, and experience are non-negotiable. A HAZ (Hazardous Substance Removal) certified contractor is licensed and trained to perform removal, remediation, and cleanup of sites that contain toxic, flammable, or environmentally hazardous substances.

  In California, only contractors with a HAZ Hazardous Substance Removal Certification issued by the Contractors State License Board (CSLB) are legally permitted to engage in these types of projects. Hiring a certified professional ensures your site is handled safely, efficiently, and in full compliance with state and federal environmental regulations.