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# Decommissioning of Nuclear Facilities

On this page:
            - What We Regulate
            - How We Regulate

## What We Regulate

 
            - Release the property for unrestricted use, and terminate the license.
            - Release the property under restricted conditions, and terminate the license.

The NRC and its Agreement States regulate the decontamination and decommissioning of nuclear facilities, with the ultimate goal of license termination. These currently include the following facilities:
            - Complex Materials Sites Undergoing Decommissioning
            - Power Reactor Sites Undergoing Decommissioning
            - Research and Test Reactor Sites Undergoing Decommissioning
            - Uranium Recovery Sites Undergoing Decommissioning
            - Fuel Cycle Facilities Undergoing Decommissioning

Approximately 100 materials licenses are terminated each year. Most of these license terminations are routine, and the sites require little, if any, remediation to meet the NRC's criteria for unrestricted release.

For more information, see the Status of Decommissioning Program 2021 Annual Report and Sites Undergoing Decommissioning (by Location or Name).

## How We Regulate

 

The NRC ensures that safety requirements are being met throughout the decommissioning process by reviewing decommissioning or license termination plans, conducting inspections, and monitoring the status of activities to ensure that radioactive contamination is reduced or stabilized.
            - What's New in Decommissioning of Nuclear Facilities
            - Regulations, Guidance, and Communications
            - Process
            - Financial Assurance
            - Oversight of Materials and Reactors
            - Public Involvement

The NRC's decommissioning regulatory activities are coordinated by the Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards (NMSS), Division of Decommissioning, Uranium Recovery, & Waste Programs.

Page Last Reviewed/Updated Thursday, June 23, 2022

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#### Related Information

            - What's New in Decommissioning of Nuclear Facilities
            - Regulatory Improvements for Production and Utilization Facilities Transitioning to Decommissioning
            - Agency Activities in Response to a Portion of the Nuclear Energy Innovation and Modernization Act 
            - Cost Estimates for Decommissioning Licensing Actions 
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            - Uranium Recovery
            - Environmental Review Guidance for Licensing Actions Associated with NMSS Programs (NUREG-1748)
            - Decommissioning Nuclear Power Plants Brochure (NUREG/BR-0521)
            - Vermont Yankee Decommissioning

Page Last Reviewed/Updated Thursday, June 23, 2022