2023 California Code › Health and Safety Code - HSC › DIVISION 20 - MISCELLANEOUS HEALTH AND SAFETY PROVISIONS › CHAPTER 6.5 - Hazardous Waste Control › ARTICLE 13 - Management of Used Oil › Section 25250.1.

25250.1. (a) As used in this article, the following terms have the following meanings:
(1) (A) “Used oil” means all of the following:
(i) Oil that has been refined from crude oil, or any synthetic oil, that has been used, and, as a result of use or as a consequence of extended storage, or spillage, has been contaminated with physical or chemical impurities.
(ii) Material that is subject to regulation as used oil under Part 279 (commencing with Section 279.1) of Subchapter I of Chapter 1 of Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations.
(B) Examples of used oil are spent lubricating fluids that have been removed from an engine crankcase, transmission, gearbox, or differential of an automobile, bus, truck, vessel, plane, heavy equipment, or machinery powered by an internal combustion engine; industrial oils, including compressor, turbine, and bearing oil; hydraulic oil; metalworking oil; refrigeration oil; and railroad drainings.
(C) “Used oil” does not include any of the following:
(i) Oil that has a flashpoint below 100 degrees Fahrenheit or that has been mixed with hazardous waste, other than minimal amounts of vehicle fuel.
(ii) (I) Wastewater, the discharge of which is subject to regulation under either Section 307(b) (33 U.S.C. Sec. 1317(b)) or Section 402 (33 U.S.C. Sec. 1342) of the federal Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. Sec. 1251 et seq.), including wastewaters at facilities that have eliminated the discharge of wastewater, contaminated with de minimis quantities of used oil.
(II) For purposes of this clause, “de minimis quantities of used oil” are small spills, leaks, or drippings from pumps, machinery, pipes, and other similar equipment during normal operations, or small amounts of oil lost to the wastewater treatment system during washing or draining operations.
(III) This exception does not apply if the used oil is discarded as a result of abnormal manufacturing operations resulting in substantial leaks, spills, or other releases or to used oil recovered from wastewaters.
(iii) Used oil re-refining distillation bottoms that are used as feedstock to manufacture asphalt products.
(iv) Oil that contains polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) at a concentration of 5 parts per million (ppm) or greater.
(v) (I) Oil containing more than 1,000 ppm total halogens, which shall be presumed to be a hazardous waste because it has been mixed with halogenated hazardous waste listed in Subpart D (commencing with Section 261.30) of Part 261 of Subchapter I of Chapter 1 of Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations.
(II) A person may rebut the presumption specified in subclause (I) by demonstrating that the used oil does not contain hazardous waste, including, but not limited to, in the manner specified in subclause (III).
(III) The presumption specified in subclause (I) is rebutted if it is demonstrated that the used oil that is the source of total halogens at a concentration of more than 1,000 ppm is solely either household waste, as defined in Section 261.4(b)(1) of Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations, or is collected from very small quantity generators, as defined in Section 263.13 of Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations. This subclause does not authorize any person to violate the prohibition specified in Section 25250.7.
(2) “Board” means the California Integrated Waste Management Board.
(3) (A) “Recycled oil” means any oil that meets all of the following requirements specified in clauses (i) to (iii), inclusive:
(i) Is produced either solely from used oil, or is produced solely from used oil that has been mixed with one or more contaminated petroleum products or oily wastes, other than wastes listed as hazardous under the federal act, provided that if the resultant mixture is subject to regulation as a hazardous waste under Section 279.10(b)(2) of Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations, the mixture is managed as a hazardous waste in accordance with all applicable hazardous waste regulations, and the recycled oil produced from the mixture is not subject to regulation as a hazardous waste under Section 279.10(b)(2) of Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations. If the oily wastes with which the used oil is mixed were recovered from a unit treating hazardous wastes that are not oily wastes, these recovered oily wastes are not excluded from being considered as oily wastes for purposes of this section or Section 25250.7.
(ii) The recycled oil meets one of the following requirements:
(I) The recycled oil is produced by a generator lawfully recycling its oil.
(II) The recycled oil is produced at a used oil recycling facility that is authorized to operate pursuant to Section 25200 or 25200.5 solely by means of one or more processes specifically authorized by the department. The department may not authorize a used oil recycling facility to use a process in which used oil is mixed with one or more contaminated petroleum products or oily wastes unless the department determines that the process to be authorized for mixing used oil with those products or wastes will not substantially contribute to the achievement of compliance with the specifications of subparagraph (B).
(III) The recycled oil is produced in another state, and the used oil recycling facility where the recycled oil is produced, and the process by which the recycled oil is produced, are authorized by the agency authorized to implement the federal act in that state.
(iii) Has been prepared for reuse and meets all of the following standards:
(I) The oil meets the standards of purity set forth in subparagraph (B).
(II) If the oil was produced by a generator lawfully recycling its oil or the oil is lawfully produced in another state, the oil is not hazardous pursuant to the criteria adopted by the department pursuant to Section 25141 for any characteristic or constituent other than those listed in subparagraph (B).
(III) The oil is not mixed with any waste listed as a hazardous waste in Part 261 (commencing with Section 261.1) of Subchapter I of Chapter 1 of Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations.
(IV) The oil is not subject to regulation as a hazardous waste under the federal act.
(V) If the oil was produced lawfully at a used oil recycling facility in this state, the oil is not hazardous pursuant to any characteristic or constituent for which the department has made the finding required by subparagraph (B) of paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of Section 25250.19, except for one of the characteristics or constituents identified in the standards of purity set forth in subparagraph (B).
(B) The following standards of purity are in effect for recycled oil, in liquid form, unless the department, by regulation, establishes more stringent standards:
(i) Flashpoint: minimum standards set by the American Society for Testing and Materials for the recycled products. However, recycled oil to be burned for energy recovery shall have a minimum flashpoint of 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
(ii) Total lead: 50 milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg) or less.
(iii) Total arsenic: 5 mg/kg or less.
(iv) Total chromium: 10 mg/kg or less.
(v) Total cadmium: 2 mg/kg or less.
(vi) Total halogens: 3000 mg/kg or less. However, recycled oil shall be demonstrated by testing to contain not more than 1,000 mg/kg total halogens listed in Appendix VIII of Part 261 (commencing with Section 261.1) of Subchapter I of Chapter 1 of Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations.
(vii) Total polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs): less than 2 mg/kg.
(C) Compliance with the specifications of subparagraph (B) or with the requirements of clauses (iv) and (v) of subparagraph (B) of paragraph (1) shall not be met by blending or diluting used oil with crude or virgin oil, or with a contaminated petroleum product or oily waste, except as provided in subclause (II) of clause (ii) of subparagraph (A), and shall be determined in accordance with the procedures for identification and listing of hazardous waste adopted in regulations by the department. Persons authorized by the department to recycle oil shall maintain records of volumes and characteristics of incoming used oil and outgoing recycled oil and documentation concerning the recycling technology used to demonstrate to the satisfaction of the department or other enforcement agencies that the recycling has been achieved in compliance with this subdivision.
(D) This paragraph does not apply to oil that is to be disposed of or used in a manner constituting disposal.
(4) “Used oil recycling facility” means a facility that reprocesses or re-refines used oil.
(5) “Used oil storage facility” means a storage facility, as defined in subdivision (b) of Section 25123.3, that stores used oil.
(6) “Used oil transfer facility” means a transfer facility, as defined in subdivision (a) of Section 25123.3, that meets the qualifications to be a storage facility, for purposes of Section 25123.3.
(7) (A) For purposes of this section and Section 25250.7 only, “contaminated petroleum product” means a product that meets all of the following conditions:
(i) It is a hydrocarbon product whose original intended purpose was to be used as a fuel, lubricant, or solvent.
(ii) It has not been used for its original intended purpose.
(iii) It is not listed in Subpart D (commencing with Section 251.30) of Part 261 of Subchapter I of Chapter 1 of Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations.
(iv) It has not been mixed with a hazardous waste other than another contaminated petroleum product.
(B)  This section or Section 25250.7 shall not be construed to affect the exemptions in Section 25250.3, or to subject contaminated petroleum products that are not hazardous waste to any requirements of this chapter.
(b) Unless otherwise specified, used oil that meets either of the following conditions is not subject to regulation by the department:
(1) The used oil has not been treated by the generator of the used oil, the generator claims the used oil is exempt from regulation by the department, and the used oil meets all of the following conditions:
(A) The used oil meets the standards set forth in subparagraph (B) of paragraph (3) of subdivision (a).
(B) The used oil is not hazardous pursuant to the criteria adopted by the department pursuant to Section 25141 for any characteristic or constituent other than those listed in subparagraph (B) of paragraph (3) of subdivision (a).
(C) The used oil is not mixed with any waste listed as a hazardous waste in Part 261 (commencing with Section 261.1) of Subchapter I of Chapter 1 of Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations.
(D) The used oil is not subject to regulation as either hazardous waste or used oil under the federal act.
(E) The generator of the used oil has complied with the notification requirements of subdivision (c) and the testing and recordkeeping requirements of Section 25250.19.
(F) The used oil is not disposed of or used in a manner constituting disposal.
(2) The used oil meets all the requirements for recycled oil specified in paragraph (3) of subdivision (a), the requirements of subdivision (c), and the requirements of Section 25250.19.
(c) Used oil recycling facilities and generators lawfully recycling their own used oil that are the first to claim that recycled oil meets the requirements specified in paragraph (2) of subdivision (b) shall maintain an operating log and copies of certification forms, as specified in Section 25250.19. Any person who generates used oil, and who claims that the used oil is exempt from regulation pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (b), shall notify the department, in writing, of that claim and shall comply with the testing and recordkeeping requirements of Section 25250.19 before its reuse. In any action to enforce this article, the burden is on the generator or recycling facility, whichever first claimed that the used oil or recycled oil meets the standards and criteria, and on the transporter or the user of the used oil or recycled oil, whichever has possession, to prove that the oil meets those standards and criteria.
(d) Used oil shall be managed in accordance with the requirements of this chapter and any additional applicable requirements of Part 279 (commencing with Section 279.1) of Subchapter I of Chapter 1 of Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations.
(Amended by Stats. 2021, Ch. 153, Sec. 14. (AB 698) Effective January 1, 2022.)