Florida
Contaminated Site Cleanup Criteria (Chapter 62-780)
Florida Contaminated Site Cleanup Criteria (Chapter 62-780)
Chapter 62-780, F.A.C., Contaminated Site Cleanup Criteria, is the rule the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) gives in place of the separate cleanup criteria rules it once had for petroleum, drycleaning solvent and brownfields sites. It is not a list of sites. It supplies the reports and the closure words that turn up in a Florida cleanup file. DEP's rules page gives February 2, 2017 as the date of the chapter's latest rulemaking.
In a Phase I ESA
When a Florida record says a site was assessed or closed, the next question is what was submitted and how the site was closed.
- A Phase II is not a Site Assessment Report. DEP says Phase I and Phase II environmental site assessment reports are not required by DEP under Chapter 62-780, that these screening reports are not a substitute for the rule's site assessment, and that a Site Assessment Report is not interchangeable with a Phase II. A Phase II in a file does not show that DEP's assessment requirement was met.
- Who must assess. DEP says every person with legal responsibility for site rehabilitation under chapter 376 or 403, F.S., is required to conduct a site assessment and submit a Site Assessment Report under rule 62-780.600.
- Conditional closure means a control. DEP's petroleum pages equate conditional closure with Risk Management Options II or III of the chapter. Where institutional or engineering controls are needed to restrict exposure to contamination left after closure, DEP says they must be registered in the Institutional Controls Registry.
- Three older rules were repealed. The separate cleanup criteria rules for petroleum (Chapter 62-770), drycleaning solvent (Chapter 62-782) and brownfields (Chapter 62-785) were each repealed on June 12, 2013, and DEP's rules page points to Chapter 62-780 in their place. A closure before that date may cite one of them.
- Emergencies have a clock. For a sudden discharge that needs immediate action, DEP says the person responsible must begin an emergency response action within 24 hours of discovery, or of being notified by DEP, and submit an Emergency Source Removal Report within 60 days of completing it.
The numbers a cleanup is measured against are on the Contaminant Cleanup Target Levels page.
What the record shows
DEP's page on documents for contaminated sites names the reports of a cleanup under the chapter. These are the ones to look for in a file.
| Report | When DEP says it applies |
|---|---|
| Site Assessment Report (SAR) | Required for a cleanup under Chapter 62-780 |
| Risk Assessment Report (RAR) | Site-specific step; may propose alternative cleanup target levels |
| Remedial Action Plan (RAP) | Required when active remediation is required |
| Natural Attenuation with Monitoring (NAM) Plan | Site-specific step, as applicable |
| Post Active Remediation Monitoring (PARM) Plan | Site-specific step, as applicable |
| No Further Action Proposal (NFAP) | Provided when the criteria for No Further Action have been met |
| Site Rehabilitation Completion Report (SRCR) | Required when NAM or PARM is considered complete |
| Engineering Control Maintenance Plan (ECMP) | Required if the site needs an engineering control for closure |
DEP's program pages name the Site Rehabilitation Completion Order as a closing document. They also name a No Further Action letter (brownfields), an LSSI No Further Action, and a completion order with conditions. DEP's Division of Waste Management contamination report sorts sites into four statuses: Closed, where cleanup has been completed; Closed with Conditions, where cleanup has been completed with restrictions added on the land use; On Hold, pending cleanup; and Open, in active cleanup.
Where the programs use it
- An owner cleaning up a petroleum discharge voluntarily must proceed under the chapter, including its timeframes. See the Petroleum Restoration Program.
- A landowner who wants a Site Rehabilitation Completion Order for a cattle dipping vat must follow the chapter.
Where to read the rule
- Documents and Reports for Contaminated Sites, with each report and, for most, the rule section behind it.
- Division of Waste Management Rules, which links each chapter in the Florida Administrative Code.
- Guidance Documents Referenced in Waste Management Rules, which lists the chapter's risk-based corrective action flow process charts, dated March 21, 2013.
Sources
Florida Department of Environmental Protection pages, read October 6, 2026:
- Documents and Reports for Contaminated Sites, last modified August 5, 2025.
- Division of Waste Management Rules, last modified April 21, 2026.
- Guidance Documents Referenced in Waste Management Rules, last modified April 8, 2026.
- DWM Contamination Report, last modified December 1, 2025.
- Low-Scored Site Initiative (LSSI), last modified June 4, 2024.
- Petroleum Cleanup Programs, last modified April 18, 2025.
- Cattle Dipping Vats (CDV), last modified October 1, 2026.