To fill out and submit a TCEQ form, start by getting your Customer Number and Regulated Entity Number from the Central Registry, download the correct form for your program area from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality’s online forms index, prepare the technical data the form calls for, and submit it either electronically through STEERS or ePermits or by mail to the address and mail code printed on the form’s instructions. The exact fields and attachments differ across air, water, waste, and licensing programs, but that core sequence is the same for nearly every filing.
Get Your Customer Number and Regulated Entity Number First
Every TCEQ form ties back to two identifiers in the agency’s Central Registry database. The Customer Number (CN) is an 11-digit number that identifies you or your business as the responsible party. The Regulated Entity Number (RN) is an 11-digit number that identifies the physical site where the regulated activity happens.1Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Central Registry
If you have never filed with TCEQ, you get both numbers by completing the Core Data Form (TCEQ-10400). If your business has filed before, use the existing numbers rather than requesting new ones. Search the Central Registry Query tool on the TCEQ website first to check whether numbers already exist for your name, company, or facility address.2Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. TCEQ Core Data Form Instructions – 10400
A couple of situations change the answer. If your Secretary of State or Comptroller charter number changes, you will need a new CN; call the Central Registry at 512-239-5175. If the street address tied to an existing RN changes, call the same number to find out whether a new RN or new authorizations are required. Portable regulated entities follow different rules for location changes.2Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. TCEQ Core Data Form Instructions – 10400
Find the Correct Form
TCEQ keeps a searchable index of every form at tceq.texas.gov/publications/search_forms.html. You can look up a form by number or name. Most are downloadable PDFs, with some offered in Word or Excel. If a form is not available online, the listing provides a phone number to call for a copy.3Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Search for Forms and Instructions
Forms fall into several program areas, each governed by specific chapters of Title 30 of the Texas Administrative Code:
- Air quality: New Source Review permits for new or modified facilities (30 TAC Chapter 116) and Title V federal operating permits for major sources (30 TAC Chapter 122).4Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Texas Administrative Code Title 30
- Water quality: Texas Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (TPDES) permits for wastewater discharges, and applications for public drinking water system approvals.
- Waste management: industrial and hazardous waste notifications, municipal solid waste processing and disposal permits, and used oil registrations.
- Petroleum storage tanks: registration for underground and aboveground tanks.
- Occupational licensing: water system operator licenses, wastewater facility operator licenses, and underground storage tank contractor registrations.5Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. New Licenses or Registrations
Do not assume a form from one program works for another. Air permit applications require emission rate calculations; wastewater applications need discharge volume data and water balance studies. Start from the TCEQ forms search tool or the specific program page to confirm you have the current version.
Prepare the Technical Data Before You Start Writing
Most TCEQ filings require technical information you need to calculate or compile before you open the form. The specifics vary, but a few categories come up across program areas:
- Site information: exact latitude and longitude, property boundaries, and the physical address of the regulated activity.
- Emission or discharge data: for air permits, expected emission rates for each pollutant; for wastewater permits, daily discharge volumes and a water balance study showing the site can handle flow under worst-case conditions.
- Waste classification: for hazardous and industrial waste filings, the specific waste codes and volume estimates for each material handled.
- Supporting documents: site maps, engineering diagrams, flow calculations, and soil characterization data are commonly required attachments. Missing any of these is one of the most frequent reasons applications come back as incomplete.
Units of measurement must match the agency’s reporting requirements. Submitting flow data in gallons when the form expects gallons per day will trigger a deficiency notice. Check every calculation against the form instructions before you submit.
Submit Electronically Through STEERS
Many TCEQ reports and registrations go in through the State of Texas Environmental Electronic Reporting System (STEERS). Reports filed through STEERS include annual emissions inventories, industrial and hazardous waste notifications, municipal solid waste quarterly reports, Tier II chemical inventory reports, and public drinking water reports, among others.6Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. e-Reporting
Set Up Your STEERS Account
Go to the STEERS login page and follow the registration prompts. You will need your CN and RN. After creating the account, request access to the specific program areas you need; the system does not automatically grant access to every reporting module.7Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Step 2: Setting Up STEERS
Before you can submit anything, TCEQ requires a STEERS Participation Agreement (SPA) to verify your identity. You can sign the SPA electronically using a valid Texas driver’s license (commercial driver’s licenses are not accepted for electronic signing), or print and mail a paper copy. After you submit a properly completed SPA, you wait for TCEQ staff to grant access. It is not instant. Major changes to your account later will require a new SPA.7Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Step 2: Setting Up STEERS
Enter Your Data
STEERS walks you through structured fields that match the technical requirements of each report type. The system cross-references your CN and RN against the Central Registry, so any mismatch between what you enter and what’s on file flags an error. Complete every required field; partial submissions will not go through. Attach supporting documents such as site maps, technical diagrams, and monitoring data where the system prompts you.
Mail Submissions and Pay Fees
Electronic submissions go through STEERS for reports and registrations, or through the ePermits interface for certain permit applications. Physical forms that cannot be filed electronically go to the address listed on the form’s instructions. The general TCEQ mailing address is:
TCEQ
P.O. Box 13087
Austin, TX 78711-30878Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Contact Us
Individual forms specify a particular mail code that must appear with the address. Check the form instructions and add the correct mail code so your application reaches the right program area.
Most applications and reports involve a fee. TCEQ’s ePay system accepts credit cards and ACH electronic funds transfers. For Tier II chemical inventory reports, fees are set by your North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code and facility category, then calculated based on the number of chemicals reported per facility.9Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Step 5: Paying Fees Fee amounts vary widely across program areas; air quality emission inventory fees follow a separate schedule from water or waste permit fees. Check the fee schedule for your filing type on the relevant TCEQ program page before you submit. If you skip ePay right after submission, TCEQ will mail you an invoice, which can create confusion if you later pay online and still receive a bill for the same amount.
Delinquent fees can hold up the processing of your permits and registrations, so clear any outstanding balances before filing a new application.10Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Delinquent Fees and Penalties Will Affect Processing Your TCEQ Permits
What Happens After You File
Once TCEQ receives your application, staff run an administrative completeness check. For water supply applications, this initial review takes up to 10 working days. If anything is missing, such as a required attachment, an unsigned certification, or an incorrect CN, the agency sends a deficiency notice and the clock stops until you respond.11Legal Information Institute. 30 Tex Admin Code 295-303 – Review Timeframes
After an application passes the administrative check, it moves into technical review. Water supply permits can take up to 60 working days at this stage. Other program areas have their own timelines: Edwards Aquifer applications allow up to 30 days for administrative review alone, and complex air permits involving public notice, modeling, or Prevention of Significant Deterioration analysis can take six months to a year from submission to final decision.11Legal Information Institute. 30 Tex Admin Code 295-303 – Review Timeframes
TCEQ provides separate online tracking tools by program area. You can check the status of air permits, stormwater and wastewater applications, waste management permits, and water supply permits through dedicated databases on the TCEQ website. The Commissioners’ Integrated Database tracks matters pending before the commissioners and executive director, and the Central Registry Query lets you look up basic information tied to any CN or RN.12Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Status of Permits and Registrations
When Public Notice Applies to Your Application
Not every filing is a quiet administrative exercise. Certain permit applications, particularly for wastewater discharges, air emissions, and municipal solid waste facilities, trigger a public participation process. After TCEQ declares the application administratively complete, the applicant must publish a Notice of Receipt in a newspaper of general circulation in the area where the facility is located, within 30 days of the completeness determination. Some applications require notice in a language other than English if a significant portion of the affected population speaks that language.13Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Overview: Public Participation in Environmental Permitting
The public comment period runs for at least 30 days from the last publication date of the Notice of Application and Preliminary Decision. If a public meeting is held after the comment period closes, the period extends through the end of that meeting. For certain air quality permit renewals that do not increase emissions, the comment period may be shortened to 15 days.14U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Texas 30 TAC Chapter 39, Subchapter H, Section 39.411, Text of Public Notice
If your filing falls in this category, plan for public notice to add weeks or months to your timeline. Budget for newspaper publication costs and be ready to respond to public comments with technical data supporting the application.
Why Accuracy on the Form Matters
TCEQ assigns every regulated site a compliance history rating that reflects its environmental track record over a rolling five-year period. The site-level RN rating is based on violations, enforcement actions, and other compliance indicators. TCEQ also calculates a person-level CN rating that aggregates compliance history across all sites a particular individual or organization owns or operates in Texas.15Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Calculating Compliance History Ratings
A poor rating can complicate future permit applications. For air permit renewals, facilities with the lowest compliance classification face longer public comment periods and additional scrutiny.
Filing inaccurate information or operating without a required permit also carries direct financial exposure. For most TCEQ program areas, including air quality, water quality, hazardous waste, petroleum storage tanks, and municipal solid waste, administrative penalties can reach up to $25,000 per violation per day. Occupational licensing violations and on-site sewage disposal violations are capped at $5,000 per violation per day, and water rights violations are capped at $5,000 per day as well.16Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. RG-253: Penalty Policy
Operating a rock crusher or concrete batch plant without the required permit triggers an automatic $10,000 penalty per day, with each day of operation counting as a separate violation. A facility running without authorization for even a few weeks can face six-figure liability.16Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. RG-253: Penalty Policy
Free Help If You Get Stuck
If you run a small business or a local government and the filing process feels overwhelming, TCEQ’s Small Business and Local Government Assistance (SBLGA) program offers free, confidential technical help with no threat of enforcement. Compliance Assistance Specialists stationed across the state can walk you through permit requirements, help you identify which forms to file, and provide technical support by in-person visits, phone, or email.17Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Small Business and Local Government Assistance at TCEQ
To reach SBLGA, call the toll-free hotline at 800-447-2827 or email TexasEnviroHelp@tceq.texas.gov.18Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Small Business and Local Government Assistance