Tire Management

Waste Tire Facilities

Potential fires and vector harborage associated with improperly stored waste tires throughout the state prompted California Legislators to create a regulatory program to ensure the proper storage of waste tires. CIWMB is charged with the task of implementing those tire laws and reducing the threat waste tires pose to public health and safety and the environment. Current laws and regulations require people who store, stockpile, accumulate, or discard waste tires to comply with tire storage and disposal standards and to obtain a waste tire facility permit or exclusion.

The Board's tire program includes standards and permit requirements for waste tire facilities as well as enforcement actions against illegal tire facilities.

Facilities That Can Accept Waste Tires. List of locations that can legally accept waste tires.

Facility Permitting. Persons who store or stockpile more than 500 waste tires at a specific location are required to acquire a major or minor waste tire facility (WTF) permit and comply with technical standards for the safe storage of waste tires.

Facility Profiles. Search the database for detailed information about a specific tire facility.

Tire Fires. Although permitted tire sites are required to maintain water supplies, firefighting equipment, and fire lanes, as well as limit the size of their tire piles, tire fires can still occur. Illegal dumping sites are an even bigger problem, since they don’t comply with State regulations and, by their nature, are not monitored.

Enforcement. CIWMB tire enforcement staff, the California Highway Patrol (CHP), and local enforcement grantees inspect and investigate waste and used tire generators, end use facilities, and haulers that pose a threat to the public health, safety, or the environment. In addition, CIWMB enforcement staff and local enforcement grantees are responsible for initial educational visits regarding waste tire manifest and tire trip log violations. The CHP also provides statewide aerial surveillance of tire piles. Staff may initiate enforcement actions if violations are found.

Waste Tire Facility/Storage Complaints

The CIWMB is responsible for investigating complaints regarding tire haulers or storage/facilities. If you think you have a valid complaint, please complete the Hauler/Storage Complaint form, CIWMB 683 (Adobe PDF, 148 KB | MS Word, 73 KB).

Print, sign/date, and send the form to us via any of the following:

• E-mail: WasteTires@ciwmb.ca.gov
• Fax: (916) 319-7605
• Mail: To the address on the complaint form.

Last updated: December 13, 2007