Tier 2 chemical inventory reporting

Tier 2 reporting under Sections 311 and 312 of the federal Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) applies to facilities that must prepare or have available a Safety Data Sheet for hazardous chemicals held over the reporting threshold. In Iowa the State Emergency Response Commission (SERC) is made up of Iowa Homeland Security & Emergency Management, with support from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR), and DNR's pages carry the reporting instructions.

In a Phase I ESA

ASTM E1527-21 does not name Tier 2 reports among its standard record sources. A Tier 2 record is a record of storage, not of a release. DNR says a report includes chemical information such as quantities, storage locations and hazards, facility information such as location and identification numbers, and contacts.

Three Iowa details shape how to read one.

• The thresholds. Extremely Hazardous Substances are reported at 500 pounds or the Threshold Planning Quantity, whichever is lower, and all other hazardous chemicals at 10,000 pounds. DNR links a separate reporting guide for gasoline and diesel at a retail gas station, and says some hazardous chemicals and facilities are exempt.
• The timing. Tier 2 is an annual inventory, due March 1, of the hazardous chemicals a facility had at any point over the thresholds in the previous year; reporting opens January 1. Section 311 also requires a one-time notification within three months of a chemical becoming reportable.
• Three recipients, one state system. The report goes to the SERC, the Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) and the local fire department. DNR says the State of Iowa only accepts Tier 2 submissions through E-Plan, and links a county coordinator list showing how each county prefers to receive them.

Where to look a site up

DNR's page describes access to Tier 2 data in E-Plan for emergency planners and first responders, who request an account, and says most users are expected to request only county-level access. The pages read do not say how anyone else can see a facility's Tier 2 report. DNR's Tier 2 questions go to iowa.epcra@dnr.iowa.gov.

DNR's Spills & Emergency Planning page points to the state's Facility Explorer to find what facilities are located in a neighborhood.

Getting the file

DNR's Records Center, at 6200 Park Ave, Suite 200, Des Moines, is open 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except state holidays. DNR's Open Records Request page says requests to inspect public records go to the Office of the Chief Information Officer through the Iowa Information and Public Records Request Portal, and may also be made in person at a record center, by email to dnr.records.request@dnr.iowa.gov, or by mail.

Sources

Iowa Department of Natural Resources pages, read October 12, 2026:

• Chemical Inventory Reporting, last modified September 10, 2026.
• Spills & Emergency Planning, last modified August 6, 2026.
• Open Records Request, last modified March 13, 2026.