Section 25144.
Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 25144.
in effect(a)
For purposes of this section, the following terms have the following meaning:
(1)
“Oil” means crude oil, or any fraction thereof, that is liquid at 60 degrees Fahrenheit and 14.7 pounds per square inch absolute pressure. “Oil” does not include any of the following, unless it is exempt from regulation under paragraph (1) of subdivision (g) of Section 279.10 of, or paragraph (5) of subdivision (g) of Section 279.10 of, Part 279 of Title 40 of the Code of Federal
Regulations:
(A)
Spent lubricating fluids that have been removed from an engine crankcase, transmission, gearbox, or differential of an automobile, bus, truck, vessel, heavy equipment, or machinery powered by an internal combustion engine.
(B)
Spent industrial oils, including compressor, turbine, and bearing oil, hydraulic oil, metal-working oil, refrigeration oil, and railroad drainings.
(2)
“Oil-bearing materials” means any liquid or semisolid material containing oil, partially refined petroleum products, or petroleum products. “Oil-bearing materials” do not include either of the following:
(A)
Soil from remediation projects.
(B)
Contaminated groundwater that is generated at,
or originating from the operation, maintenance, or cleanup of, service stations, as defined in Section 13650 of the Business and Professions Code.
(3)
“Oil recovery operations” means the physical separation of oil from oil-bearing materials by means of gravity separation, centrifugation, filter pressing, or other dewatering processes, with or without the addition of heat, chemical flocculants, air, or natural gas to enhance separation.
(4)
“Petroleum refinery” means an establishment that has the Standard Industrial Classification Code 2911 and that is not subject to the permit requirements for the recycling of used oil imposed pursuant to Article 9 (commencing with Section 25200).
(5)
“Subsidiary” means a corporate entity engaged in the exploration, production, transportation, refining, marketing, or
distribution of crude oil or petroleum products.
(b)
(1)
Except as provided in paragraph (2), a biological process on the property of the producer treating oil, its products, and water, that meets the definition of a non-RCRA waste, and that produces an effluent that is continuously discharged to navigable waters in compliance with a permit issued pursuant to Section 402 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. Sec. 1342), is exempt from this chapter.
(2)
Residues produced in the treatment process and subsequently removed that conform to any criterion for the identification of a hazardous waste adopted pursuant to Section 25141 are not exempt from this chapter.
(c)
To the extent consistent with the applicable provisions of the federal act, units, including associated piping,
that are part of a system used for the recovery of oil from oil-bearing materials, and the associated storage of oil-bearing materials and the recovered oil, are exempt from this chapter, if all of the following conditions are met:
(1)
The oil recovery operations are conducted at a petroleum refinery, or at another facility owned or operated by the corporate entity that owns or operates the refinery, or a corporate parent or subsidiary of the corporate entity.
(2)
The oil-bearing materials are generated at the refinery or at another facility owned or operated by the corporate entity that owns or operates the refinery, or a corporate parent or subsidiary, including a sister subsidiary, of the corporate entity, or are generated in the course of oil or gas exploration or production operations conducted by an unrelated entity and placed in a common pipeline.
(3)
The recovered oil is inserted into petroleum refinery process units to produce fuel or other refined petroleum products. This paragraph does not allow the direct blending, into final petroleum products, of oil-bearing materials or recovered oil that contain constituents that render these materials hazardous under the regulations adopted pursuant to Sections 25140 and 25141, other than those for which the material is being recycled.
(4)
The recovered oil is not stored in a surface impoundment or accumulated speculatively at the refinery or at an offsite facility.
(5)
Any residual materials removed from a unit that is exempt under this subdivision are managed in accordance with all other applicable laws.
(6)
The oil-bearing materials would be
excluded from classification as a waste pursuant to, or would otherwise meet the requirements for an exemption under, Section 25143.2, except that the following provisions do not apply to those oil-bearing materials:
(A)
The prohibitions against prior reclamation in paragraphs (1), (2), and (3) of subdivision (b) of Section 25143.2.
(B)
Subparagraph (C) of paragraph (2) of subdivision (c) of Section 25143.2.
(C)
Paragraph (3) of subdivision (e) of Section 25143.2.
(D)
Sections 25143.9 and 25143.10.
(E)
The exceptions for wastewater containing more than 75 parts per million of total petroleum hydrocarbons, as provided by subparagraph (A) of paragraph (5) of, and subparagraph (A)
of paragraph (6) of, subdivision (d) of Section 25143.2.
References
referencesCal. Business and Professions Code - BPC § 13650.
referencesCal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 279.10.
referencesCal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 25200.
referencesCal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 402.
referencesCal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 25141.
referencesCal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 25140.
referencesCal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 25143.2.
referencesCal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 25143.9.
Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026