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Transporter License

To apply for a Pennsylvania Hazardous Waste Transporter License, submit a completed license application to:

Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
Bureau of Waste Management
Division of Hazardous Waste Management
P.O. Box 69170
Harrisburg, PA 17106-9170

A check for $500, plus a fee of $5 for each vehicle identification (license) card requested in excess of ten cards, made payable to the "Commonwealth of Pennsylvania" must accompany the license application. The application fee is non-refundable.

The following documents must be completed and submitted to the department along with the application fee. The forms and instructions are available as individual Portable Document Format (PDF) files or Microsoft Word Documents.

  1. Hazardous Waste Transporter License Application Forms in eLibrary
  2. Collateral Bond Forms (eLibrary)
    • The Collateral Bond Form, Acknowledgement Form, and collateral together comprise the bond. The Collateral Bond Form must be executed by the President, Vice President or Assistant Vice President and a Secretary, Assistant Secretary, Treasurer or Assistant Treasurer of the company if it is a corporation (complete Acknowledgement Form - Part A), by all partners if the company is a partnership (complete Acknowledgement Form - Part A), or by the owner if the applicant is a sole proprietorship (complete Acknowledgment Form - Part B). If the applicant is a corporation, please submit a copy of the company's incorporation papers showing the legal name of the corporation. Limited Liability Companies and Limited Liability Partnerships should include a copy of their Operating Agreement. Surety bonds cannot be accepted.
  3. Collateral.
    • The amount of collateral necessary to fulfill the requirements for a license to transport hazardous waste is $10,000. The hauler may elect to deposit cash, negotiable bonds, or an automatically renewable irrevocable letter of credit. For a letter of credit, a specimen letter of credit should be attached to the Collateral Bond form. The bank must follow this specimen in order for the letter of credit to be approved. The expiration date must be three years from the date of issuance.
    • Sample Irrevocable Stand-by Letter of Credit - 2540-FM-BWM0076HT (eLibrary)
  4. Contingency Plan
    • Please follow the "Sample" Contingency Plan in the guidelines and include all items in bold print verbatim. Include other information as appropriate for the company.
    • Guidelines for Developing a Contingency Plans 2510-FM-BWM0318 (PDF) 2510-FM-BWM0318 (Word)
  5. Form HW-C, Compliance History
    • Completion of Form HW-C is required for the department to access the applicant's history of compliance with laws, rules and regulations relating to environmental protection within Pennsylvania as well as out of state. Respond to each item. If an item does not apply, enter "None" or "N/A". Please pay particular attention to the instructions for the Certification of this document (see Instructions, No. 9 and Page 5 of 5).
    • Download:

Complete information regarding these requirements is cited within the Department's regulations, 25 PA Code, Chapter 263a (copies available upon request) and 40 CFR Part 263 incorporated at 25 PA Code, §263a.10.

Please be advised that the hauler will be licensed to transport all the hazard codes and physical states of hazardous waste. The hauler cannot legally transport hazardous waste to or from locations in Pennsylvania until a hazardous waste transporter license has been issued by the department.

Review of the complete application should take 60 days or less.

In addition to applying for a license with DEP, contact the following Pennsylvania agencies to learn how their requirements may apply.

  • PA Department of Transportation 717-787-2838
  • PA Public Utility Commission 717-787-3834

For further information, please contact the Bureau of Waste Management, Division of Hazardous Waste Management at 717-787-6239.