Construction and Demolition Debris Recovery Law

Requirements overview

San Francisco Ordinance No. 144-21 and Public Works Code Section 725 add new construction and demolition (C&D) debris recovery requirements for C&D transporters, processing facilities, and projects. Under the ordinance, C&D debris material removed from a project in San Francisco must be recycled or reused. No C&D debris can be transported to or disposed of in a landfill or incinerator or put in a designated trash bin.

C&D debris transport and permit requirements

- Mixed C&D debris

Can only be transported off-site by a transporter that has obtained a permit, issued by the Department of the Environment, for each debris box or vehicle used to transport it
Must be transported to a city registered C&D facility (Registered Facility) that processes all mixed C&D loads for recycling

- Separated C&D debris by material type (source-separated)

Must be taken to a facility or end use that reuses or recycles C&D materials
Companies hauling only source-separated material directly for reuse or recycling are exempt from the transporter C&D permit requirements

Penalties for noncompliance

Any person or company found in noncompliance with the ordinance may incur substantial civil and/or criminal penalties, including fines up to $1,000 per day and suspension of their permit or registration.

San Francisco Environment Department Regulation #SFE-23-01-CDO was adopted on February 15th, 2023. These regulations explain how the requirements found in the Construction and Demolition Debris Recovery Ordinance (No. 144-21) will be enforced as they apply to generators and transporters of C&D debris.

More information regarding notices of violation (NOVs) and warnings can be found on this page: Construction & Demolition (C&D) Enforcement Page

Transporters

Effective January 1, 2022, any person or company that transports mixed C&D debris originating from San Francisco jobsites must obtain a permit from the Department of the Environment for each debris box or each vehicle used to transport mixed C&D debris under a new tiered permit and fee system. The permit requirements replace the previous registered transporter requirements including debris box permits issued by San Francisco Public Works.

Obtaining a mixed C&D debris transporter permit

Transporters must submit a C&D debris permit application for their debris box(es) and/or vehicle(s) to the Department of the Environment and pay the permit fee online or by mail once approved
Permit decals will be mailed to the Transporter or picked up in-person

Permits and fees

There is an annual permit or a temporary 7-day permit for debris boxes and vehicles
Review the permit fee schedule for detailed pricing

Debris box permit requirements

Each debris box must display a valid permit while transporting mixed C&D debris, regardless of location (e.g. city streets or private property)
C&D debris box permits can be transferred among debris boxes operated by the same transporter company but cannot be transferred between or among transporters
A street space permit from San Francisco Public Works is required when placing a debris box in the public right of way

Vehicle permit requirements

Each vehicle or vehicle towing a trailer that is used to transport mixed C&D debris must have a valid permit
Vehicle permits are available in four tiers based on the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) Gross Vehicle Weight Code of the vehicle used to transport mixed C&D debris
Permits are not transferable between or among transporters or between or among vehicles owned by the same transporter
Transporters are not required to obtain a permit for vehicles (i.e. “roll-off trucks”) that will transport mixed C&D debris exclusively in debris boxes that have valid permits

Exemptions to the transporter permit requirements

The following transporters do not need to obtain a C&D permit but must still comply with all other C&D debris recovery requirements:

Companies hauling only source-separated material directly for reuse or recycling market
Property owners removing mixed C&D debris from their property with their own vehicles
Those that transport less than one cubic yard of mixed C&D debris

Registered Facilities

Effective January 1, 2022, processing facilities registered with the Department of the Environment that accept mixed C&D debris generated in San Francisco (“Registered Facilities”) must use certified scales integrated with an automated record-keeping system to weigh each incoming load of mixed C&D debris and all outgoing materials.

Exemptions to the certified scales requirement

Facilities who were registered as of October 24, 2021, are exempted from the certified scale requirement if, since that date:

The facility has not received any record-keeping violations from the San Francisco Department of Public Health; and
The Department of the Environment has not documented any record-keeping deficiencies that prevent the facility from meeting reporting requirements

Reporting requirements

Registered Facilities can accept mixed C&D debris generated in San Francisco only from transporters that have a valid vehicle or debris box permit.

If a Registered Facility determines a transporter does not have a valid C&D vehicle or debris box permit, the facility may accept mixed C&D debris from that transporter for up to 30 days provided that the facility informs the transporter of the permit requirement and notifies the Department of the Environment of the unpermitted transporter within 10 days each time the transporter arrives without a valid permit.

Reporting noncompliant transporters

To report a noncompliant transporter, contact the Department of the Environment at [email protected] or call 415-355-3799 and provide the transporter company name and/or license plate.

Construction or demolition projects

Certain construction projects are required to recycle or reuse a minimum of 65% of the discarded materials generated by a project. If the Department of Building Inspection (DBI) determines that a permit is subject to this C&D debris recovery requirement, the project must demonstrate compliance by submitting a Material Reduction and Recovery Plan (MRRP) to SFE for review and approval. MRRPs and weight tickets are submitted through the city's online debris tracking system, Green Halo.

Note: DBI form 6 full building demolition projects are required to recycle or reuse a minimum of 75% of the discarded materials generated by the project.

More information:

Green Halo MRRP Submission Instructions (PDF) - (English | 中文 | Español)
DBI Information Sheet GB-02, which provides more information on how DBI determines which permits require a MRRP