Practitioner guide
How to check California's Cortese List for a property
A practical way to check the statutory Cortese List source categories, retain a reviewable source record, and avoid over-reading a result.
Check the source categories named in Government Code section 65962.5, retain the exact result and date for each source you use, then compare those facts with the property and project. A Cortese List result can identify a record for review. It does not, by itself, establish that the property is listed, that a condition is present, or that the project would create a significant hazard.
Start with the statute
Government Code section 65962.5 assigns list-compilation duties across several agencies and local enforcement agencies. It also directs the Secretary for Environmental Protection to consolidate and distribute submitted information. Read the applicable subdivision before treating any database or PDF as the complete list for a property.
For an Initial Study, 2018 CEQA Guidelines Appendix G asks whether the project would be located on a site included on a list compiled under section 65962.5 and, as a result, create a significant hazard to the public or the environment. The source check supplies a fact for that question. The project analysis is separate.
Identify the source categories that apply
Use Cortese List Data Resources to locate CalEPA's public data resources. Match each source to the statutory category you are checking. Do not assume that one source represents every category in the statute.
| Check | What to do | What to retain |
|---|---|---|
| Statutory category | Read the applicable subdivision of section 65962.5 and identify the agency or local source with the list duty. | Subdivision, agency or local enforcement agency, and the reason the category is relevant to the property review. |
| CalEPA section 65962.5(a) record | Review Cortese List section 65962.5(a) when the DTSC categories described there are relevant. | Page title, stated submission date, access date, and the category it covers. |
| DTSC record | Check EnviroStor Public Data Export FeatureServer when its listed program records are relevant. | Layer, returned record identifier, source date or version if shown, access or query date, and the property-matching method. |
| Water Board record | Check GeoTracker Sites CSV when the dated statewide export is relevant. | Export date, returned record identifier, query date, and the property-matching method. |
| Other statutory category | Locate the responsible agency or local enforcement source identified by the statute and preserve its official record. | Publisher, source title and URL, stated date or version, access date, result, and source limitation. |
Compare the record with the property
Open the official record rather than relying only on a search result or copied address. Compare its address, location, program context, and status with the property boundary and project footprint. Record whether the source shows a direct match, a nearby record, an ambiguous match, or no record returned from that named source.
A nearby record may justify further review. It does not establish parcel inclusion. An address match may need confirmation when the property has changed, spans several parcels, or differs from the address used by the source. A result from one agency does not answer the categories maintained by another agency or local enforcement agency.
Keep a source record that can be reopened
A concise source record lets another practitioner see what was checked and why it supports the next step.
| Record field | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Statutory subdivision and source category | Shows which section 65962.5 duty the source is meant to address. |
| Official publisher, title, and URL | Lets a reviewer reopen the public source. |
| Source date or version and access date | Separates the state of the source from the date you reviewed it. |
| Property input and matching method | Makes clear whether the result came from an address, map, parcel boundary, or another method. |
| Returned record, no-record result, or unresolved result | Preserves the actual source outcome. |
| Record identifier and program context | Connects a result to the underlying agency record. |
| Project relationship and next review step | Keeps the source fact separate from the CEQA conclusion. |
Keep the result in proportion
A record returned by EnviroStor, GeoTracker, or another public source does not establish current site conditions, the property boundary, the project's relationship to the record, or the significance of an impact. A source-specific no-record result does not establish that no hazardous-materials condition exists or that no statutory category applies. A source that cannot be checked leaves that source question open.
Use the public record as the starting point for the project review. Then consider the project footprint, source-program context, current conditions, agency requirements, and any records, consultation, or specialist work the project calls for. The practitioner decides how the verified facts support the Initial Study.
Sources
- California Legislature, Government Code section 65962.5.
- California Environmental Protection Agency, Cortese List Data Resources and Cortese List section 65962.5(a).
- Department of Toxic Substances Control, EnviroStor Public Data Export FeatureServer.
- State Water Resources Control Board, GeoTracker Sites CSV.
- California Natural Resources Agency, 2018 CEQA Guidelines Appendix G.
Related terms
Published 2026-09-10 · Last materially reviewed 2026-09-10