How far each database search reaches
ASTM E1527-21 sets an approximate minimum search distance for each standard government record source, measured from the nearest boundary of the subject property. This page states those reaches as facts about the standard, grouped the way a radius report is actually read. The environmental professional may shorten a mileage reach per 8.1.2.1, justifying each reduction in the report; the two federal reaches marked "fixed" below may never be shortened, and searches limited to the property itself may not be narrowed either.
Reaches a full mile
| What is searched | Reach |
|---|---|
| Federal Superfund sites (NPL) | 1.0 mile, fixed |
| State or tribal cleanup sites (the state Superfund analog) | 1.0 mile |
| Hazardous waste facilities in RCRA corrective action (CORRACTS) | 1.0 mile |
Reaches half a mile
| What is searched | Reach |
|---|---|
| Sites removed from the NPL | 0.5 mile |
| CERCLA sites under removals or orders (SEMS) | 0.5 mile |
| CERCLA sites archived with no further federal action (NFRAP) | 0.5 mile |
| RCRA treatment, storage, and disposal facilities | 0.5 mile, fixed |
| State or tribal hazardous waste facilities | 0.5 mile |
| Landfills and solid waste facilities | 0.5 mile |
| Leaking storage tank cases (LUST) | 0.5 mile |
| Voluntary cleanup program sites | 0.5 mile |
| Brownfield sites | 0.5 mile |
Only the property and its neighbors
| What is searched | Reach |
|---|---|
| RCRA hazardous waste generators | Property and adjoining properties |
| Registered storage tanks (UST) | Property and adjoining properties |
| Spill and release reports (ERNS) | Property only |
| Federal institutional and engineering control registries | Property only |
| State or tribal control registries | Property only |
Two footnotes in the standard matter here. Five of these searches reach back in time: closed CERCLA removal sites, former RCRA TSD facilities, delisted state cleanup sites, closed tank cases, and completed voluntary cleanups all still count (Note A). And an NFRAP archive entry is a statement about federal Superfund priorities only. It does not mean the site is clean, and it does not speak for state agencies (Note B).