Idaho Brownfields Program

The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) runs the state's brownfields work, which it calls Idaho's Brownfields Revitalization Program. DEQ defines a brownfields site as a vacant or underutilized property where redevelopment or reuse is complicated by actual or perceived environmental contamination. Properties are proposed to DEQ for a brownfields assessment, and communities may request assessment or cleanup funds from DEQ or EPA.

In a Phase I ESA

DEQ's brownfields sites are the Idaho form of the state brownfield records that ASTM E1527-21 lists as a standard source. The general reading of a brownfields listing is on the Brownfields page.

Four things follow from how DEQ describes the program.

• The contamination may be perceived, not found. The definition covers actual or perceived contamination. Read the assessment before treating a listing as a finding.
• Cleanup can mean a restriction. DEQ says cleanup efforts can include actively removing contaminants or restricting certain uses, such as extraction of groundwater or excavation. Check for an environmental covenant and check the county land records.
• Some properties are kept out. DEQ says not all sites are eligible for a brownfields determination. It excludes properties listed on EPA's National Priorities List, sites that are the subject of an ongoing state or federal enforcement action related to site cleanup, properties where the contamination is known to present a high risk to public health, properties subject to an ongoing removal action under the federal Superfund law, and properties subject to enforcement under certain federal hazardous waste laws.
• Public ownership is one route in. On its Preliminary Assessment Program page, DEQ says a property may be a candidate for its Brownfields Program if a public entity is willing to take ownership of the site and abate or manage risks. See the Preliminary Assessment Program.

DEQ says eligible sites may include former gas stations, mine sites, timber mill sites, bulk fuel storage and distribution sites, landfills, and generally any commercial or industrial site that may be contaminated with hazardous substances.

To propose a property for a brownfields assessment, DEQ asks for its Proposed Brownfield Site form by email, fax or mail. DEQ says assessment and cleanup funds are often secured at no cost to the applicant, so ask who commissioned an assessment you find in the file.

Where to look a site up

• DEQ's Facility Mapper page links a map tool that has a Brownfields Program (BF) category.
• DEQ's Brownfields in Idaho page carries a table of success stories by location and links an interactive story map. The page does not say the table is a full list of brownfields sites.
• DEQ's Facility Mapper page lists a Brownfields Program Coordinator as a staff contact. The DEQ State Office is at (208) 373-0502.

Getting the file

The pages read do not say what places a site in the Facility Mapper's Brownfields Program category. The assessment reports are in the file. DEQ takes requests under the Idaho Public Records Act through its Public Records Request page, which carries buttons to submit a request online, track its status and search the request archives.

Sources

Idaho Department of Environmental Quality pages, read October 1, 2026:

• Brownfields in Idaho, last modified January 7, 2026.
• Preliminary Assessment Program, last modified January 7, 2026.
• Facility Mapper, last modified January 8, 2026.
• Public Records Request, last modified August 18, 2026.
• Regional Offices, last modified August 6, 2026.