If you've read anything about EPCRA reporting, you've run into the acronyms SERC and LEPC constantly, usually without much explanation. Here's what each one actually is, and why your facility is required to report to them.
SERC: State Emergency Response Commission
Every state has a State Emergency Response Commission, established under EPCRA to oversee chemical emergency planning at the state level. The SERC is generally the body that receives your Tier II reports, coordinates with Local Emergency Planning Committees, and often designates or approves the specific reporting portal or process your state uses. In some states, this function sits within a broader state agency, like an emergency management department or an environmental agency, rather than a standalone commission, but the role is the same.
LEPC: Local Emergency Planning Committee
Beneath each SERC, states are divided into local emergency planning districts, each with its own LEPC. LEPCs are made up of local stakeholders (emergency responders, local officials, industry representatives, and sometimes community members), and their job is to develop and maintain a local emergency response plan using the chemical information facilities report under EPCRA. Your Tier II report and SDS submissions typically go to your local LEPC in addition to your state SERC.
Why both matter for your facility
The two-tier structure exists because emergency response is fundamentally local. A fire department responding to an incident needs facility-specific information immediately, not a statewide database they have to search. The SERC handles state-level coordination and oversight; the LEPC handles the actual local planning and response relationship with your facility.
Recipient lookup worksheet
Before each filing season, confirm the recipients for every facility from official sources and write down what you found. Start with our summary of Tier II requirements by state, then confirm against EPA's state Tier II reporting requirements and procedures directory, which links to each state program, and EPA's Local Emergency Planning Committees page for help finding your LEPC. Facilities on tribal lands report to the Tribal Emergency Response Commission (TERC) and Tribal Emergency Planning Committee (TEPC) instead of a SERC and LEPC.
| Recipient | State / county | Official source checked | Contact or portal | Delivery requirement | Date checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SERC (or TERC) | [state] / [county] | [state program page] | [portal name or address] | [e.g. portal upload, file format, fee] | [date] |
| LEPC (or TEPC) | [state] / [county or district] | [state LEPC list or LEPC website] | [contact name, email or address] | [via state portal, or separate copy?] | [date] |
| Local fire department | [city or fire district] | [state instructions or fire department] | [contact name, email or address] | [via state portal, or separate copy?] | [date] |
| State portal (if any) | [state] | [state Tier II instructions] | [portal URL and account owner] | [which recipients the portal covers, per official confirmation] | [date] |
Keep the completed worksheet with that year's filing records. Re-check it every year. Contacts and routing change.
What this means practically for reporting
Which body receives what depends on the EPCRA section. Section 302 notification goes to the SERC and LEPC within 60 days after an extremely hazardous substance first reaches its threshold planning quantity, and the facility's emergency response coordinator is reported to the LEPC. Section 311 SDS submissions and Section 312 Tier II reports go to the SERC, the LEPC and the local fire department. Our overview of EPCRA Sections 302, 311 and 312 explains each obligation in more detail.
- Your Tier II report typically needs to reach both your SERC and your local LEPC, not just one or the other
- Your local fire department is often a required recipient as well, separate from the SERC and LEPC
- Contact information and submission processes for LEPCs can vary significantly even within the same state, since each district manages its own
- Some states route all of this through a single centralized portal; others expect separate submissions to each recipient
Routing example: confirming recipients and keeping proof
A single state portal is convenient, but don't assume that uploading to it satisfies every distribution requirement. Unless the state's official instructions, or the SERC, LEPC or fire department in writing, confirm that the portal delivers to them, treat each recipient as needing its own confirmation.
How to find your specific SERC and LEPC
Your state's environmental or emergency management agency website typically identifies the SERC and provides a way to look up your local LEPC by county or district. This is worth confirming directly rather than assuming your submission process is the same as a nearby facility's, since LEPC boundaries and submission requirements don't always align neatly with obvious geographic assumptions.
Official source
The federal requirements described in this article are established under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA). Always verify current state-specific rules with your SERC.
SourceEmergency Planning | US EPARegulatory statements in this article were checked against the official sources linked above on .