Texas compliance
Texas hazardous waste regulations
How TCEQ runs the hazardous waste program, and where Texas goes beyond the federal baseline.
Texas is authorized by EPA to administer the RCRA hazardous waste program, so TCEQ enforces state rules at 30 Texas Administrative Code Chapter 335 in place of the federal regulations. The state program is at least as stringent as federal RCRA and in several areas goes further.
Source: 30 Texas Administrative Code Chapter 335Where Texas goes beyond federal RCRA
An authorized state may be more stringent than the federal baseline, and Texas is:
- Texas uses its own waste classification system with eight digit waste codes in addition to federal EPA codes
- Class 1, Class 2 and Class 3 industrial solid waste classifications apply to non hazardous industrial waste, which the federal program does not regulate
- Texas requires annual waste summaries and notification of waste streams, which is broader than the federal baseline
- The state hosts extensive commercial treatment capacity including Class I injection wells and commercial incineration
Federal RCRA is the floor, not the ceiling. Compliance with 40 CFR alone does not establish compliance in an authorized state.
The industry mix that drives Texas waste streams
Gulf Coast refining and petrochemicals, oilfield services, semiconductor fabrication, aerospace, chemical manufacturing. That mix determines which waste codes turn up most often and which treatment capacity matters.
Knowing the local stream profile is practical rather than academic. It is why a quote for a Texas site is built from the process rather than from a rate card, and why the treatment path is named before anything is scheduled.
Waste streams we see most in Texas
- Refinery and petrochemical process residues
- Spent catalyst and tank cleaning waste
- Semiconductor process chemicals and acids
- Oilfield service fluids and solids
- Aqueous streams routed to deep well injection
Common questions
Does federal RCRA or Texas law apply to my site?
Both, but in practice you comply with the Texas rules. Because EPA has authorized the state program, TCEQ enforces 30 Texas Administrative Code Chapter 335. Those rules incorporate the federal requirements and add state specific provisions.
Who inspects hazardous waste generators in Texas?
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, through the Waste Permits Division, Industrial and Hazardous Waste Section. EPA retains oversight and can inspect directly, but routine generator inspections are a state function.
Are there state only waste codes in Texas?
Authorized states can regulate wastes the federal program does not. Check the state rule for any state only classifications before assuming a stream is unregulated, particularly for used oil, universal waste and industrial non hazardous waste.
Related services
Generating hazardous waste in Texas?
Send a profile, an old manifest, or photographs of the drums. A technical professional will tell you what applies and what it costs.
This page summarizes state and federal requirements and is not legal advice. State rules change. Verify against the current version of the state code and with the state agency before acting. Last reviewed September 2026.