San Diego Waste Management Form ES-008: Diversion, Receipts, and Refund

The San Diego Waste Management Form is a two-part document every building or demolition permit applicant files with the City of San Diego: Part I goes in with your permit application along with a refundable diversion deposit, and Part II goes in after final inspection with the receipts proving you diverted enough debris from the landfill to earn that deposit back. The program is set out in San Diego Municipal Code Chapter 6, Article 6, Division 6, and it applies to city-led projects as well as private construction.¹

Who Has to File

Every applicant for a building permit or a demolition/removal permit in the City of San Diego must submit a completed Waste Management Form Part I with the permit application. No permit issues until Part I is on file and the deposit is paid.¹

One exemption: if the Development Services Department calculates your deposit at less than $200, the project is exempt from the deposit program.¹

What Part I Asks For

Part I is the planning document. You complete it before any work begins, and it sets the baseline the city measures your actual performance against. The form requires:

The project address and the name of the person responsible for waste oversight on the project.
The material types the project will generate: concrete, asphalt, wood, drywall, metal, organic waste, carpet, and similar categories.
Estimated quantities for each material type, in tonnage or cubic yards.
The certified recycling facility or facilities where each material type will go.

Realistic estimates matter. The city will compare your Part I projections against the weight tickets you turn in with Part II, and large unexplained gaps can trigger closer review. Standard construction waste conversion tables help translate cubic yards into approximate tonnage.

Submit Part I alongside your permit application and pay the refundable diversion deposit, which the Development Services Department calculates based on your project. Keep your copy of the completed form, because Part II is filled out on its reverse side.

The Diversion Rate You Have to Hit

For any permit issued on or after July 1, 2016, you must divert at least 65% by weight of all construction and demolition debris generated by the project.² Permits issued between July 1, 2008, and June 30, 2016, fall under the earlier 50% threshold.¹ CalGreen, the state’s green building code, independently requires the same 65% figure for new construction, demolition, and qualifying additions and alterations, so the diversion rate is not something you can opt out of by skipping the city form.³

Three methods of diversion count toward your total: on-site reuse of the debris, acceptance of the debris by a certified recycling facility, and other donation or reuse arrangements acceptable to the Director.¹

Using a Certified Recycling Facility

Tonnage only counts if it goes through a facility certified by the Director of the Environmental Services Department.¹ The city publishes an annual directory; the 2026 edition lists dozens of options across San Diego County, including specialists in carpet, concrete, asphalt, metals, and mixed C&D loads.⁴

Before you name a facility on Part I, call to confirm it accepts the specific materials your project will produce. Some sites take only concrete and asphalt; others handle mixed loads. A quick check up front beats having trucks turned away mid-project.

Keeping Receipts During the Project

Every load of debris leaving your site needs a weight ticket or receipt from the receiving facility. Each receipt should show:

Weight accepted for that load.
Material type: concrete, wood, mixed debris, and so on.
Disposition: recycled or landfilled.
Date and facility name.

These receipts are the backbone of your Part II submission. A few missing tickets can make it impossible to show you cleared the 65% bar, and the city will not take your word for it. Keep a running log by date and material type as the project runs, rather than trying to rebuild the picture at the end.

Submitting Part II

After final inspection, you have 180 days to submit a completed Waste Management Form Part II to request your deposit refund. Part II is filled out on the back of your copy of the completed Part I.⁵ Include with it:

A copy of the completed Part I, if it is not already attached.
All recycling, reuse, and disposal receipts: every weight ticket from every load.
Photographs or other documentation showing the debris was diverted at the required rate.

Mail the package to:

City of San Diego
Environmental Services Department
Attn: C&D Diversion Coordinator
9601 Ridgehaven Court, Suite 320
San Diego, CA 92123⁵

Getting the Deposit Back

If Part II and the supporting receipts show you met the diversion rate that applies to your permit, the city refunds the deposit. The 180-day deadline is firm. Requests submitted more than 180 days after final inspection are not eligible for a refund, and incomplete submissions that sit for 180 days without the missing documentation forfeit refund eligibility too. Any deposit that is neither refunded nor claimed becomes the property of the city.¹

This is where most refund requests fall apart. A project wraps, the crew rolls to the next job, and nobody pulls the receipts together until month five. By then tickets are missing, haulers are slow to reproduce records, and the window closes. Put the Part II submission on the project schedule as its own milestone.

Demolition Projects: Asbestos Inspection Comes First

If your project involves demolition, federal law requires a step that happens before the waste management form process. Under the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants, a certified inspector must thoroughly inspect the structure for asbestos-containing materials before demolition begins, regardless of the building’s size or use.⁶

The inspection covers friable and nonfriable asbestos-containing materials, including Category I and Category II nonfriable types. If asbestos is found, a licensed abatement professional must remove it before demolition starts. Demolition contractors also file notification forms with the appropriate regulatory agencies documenting the survey, removal plan, and disposal method. Asbestos-containing materials cannot be mixed into your regular C&D debris stream and do not count toward your diversion calculations.

1
City of San Diego. San Diego Municipal Code Chapter 6 – Article 6 Division 6
2
City of San Diego. Construction and Demolition (C&D) Recycling
3
CalRecycle. Construction and Demolition (C&D) Diversion Informational Guide
4
City of San Diego. 2026 Certified Construction and Demolition Recycling Facility Directory
5
City of San Diego. At the End of the Project
6
eCFR. 40 CFR Part 61 Subpart M – National Emission Standard for Asbestos