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How to Notify IDEM that Your Business is Closing

To notify the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) that your business is closing, please see the information specific to your facility or permit type below, organized by IDEM's Air, Water, and Land programs. A brief summary of the closing requirements, the process to follow, and contact information is also included. If you have other questions, or need to speak with an IDEM staff member, assistance is available.

Note: You are still responsible for meeting all terms and conditions of your permit or registration, including reporting requirements, until IDEM has confirmed that the appropriate revocation has been made.

The various State Forms listed below are available on the IDEM Forms page.

Air

Any facility with an air permit must formally request revocation of the air permit. To do so, please submit the following to the Permits Branch in the Office of Air Quality (OAQ):

  • Air Permit Application Cover Sheet - State Form 50639 (available on the IDEM Forms page)
    • Please be sure to check the appropriate box in question 6, Application Summary.
  • General Source Data GSD-01 - State Form 50640 (available on the IDEM Forms page)
  • A letter including, as applicable:
    • Date when operations will cease.
    • Date when equipment is expected to be removed.

OAQ may conduct an inspection to verify operations have ceased. Annual compliance reports, quarterly deviation reports, and semi-annual reports required by the air permit will continue to be required until the facility receives a revocation notice from IDEM.

Contact the OAQ Permits Branch if you have questions.

Additional Permitting Questions

If you have inquiries that are confidential in nature, want to discuss permitting options for various scenarios, need advice that is technical in nature, or need help choosing and filling out application forms, contact IDEM's Compliance and Technical Assistance Program for free and confidential assistance.

Water

Rule 5 Storm Water Permit For Construction Activities

Any project with a Rule 5 permit should submit a Notice of Termination (NOT) - 51514 to the Wetlands and Storm Water Section in the Office of Water Quality (OWQ). You will need to certify that all land disturbing activities have ceased, sediment control measures have been removed, and no future land disturbing activities will occur at the site. An inspection may be conducted to ensure construction activities have ceased.

In addition, you may request to receive early termination of your Rule 5 permit if you meet the following conditions:

  • The remaining undeveloped acreage does not exceed five acres.
  • Contiguous undeveloped acreage does not exceed one acre.
  • A detailed map of the project site, with owners/operators of individual undeveloped lots identified, is provided.
  • All public and common improvements, including permanent storm water quality measures, have been made.
  • The remaining acreage does not pose a threat to the area.

Rule 6 Storm Water Permit For Industrial Activities

Any facility with a Rule 6 permit should submit a Notice of Termination/Exclusion (NOT/E) Letter - State Form 54087 (available on the IDEM Forms page) to the Wetlands and Storm Water Section in the Office of Water Quality (OWQ). An inspection may be conducted to ensure industrial activities have ceased and industrial materials have been removed from contact with storm water run-off.

Contact the Storm Water Permits Coordinator in the Wetlands and Storm Water sections if you have questions.

Drinking Water Systems

Drinking water systems should send a written letter to the Total Coliform and Compliance Support Section of the Drinking Water Branch of OWQ. A field inspector will verify the system no longer meets the definition of a public water system and then IDEM will inactivate the system in the drinking water database.

Contact the Total Coliform and Compliance Support Section if you have questions.

Wastewater Permits

Facilities should send a written letter to IDEM requesting termination of the permit. Be sure to include both the id number of the specific permit and the reason for the proposed termination (going out of business, completion of project, connection to municipal sanitary sewer system, etc.).

Field staff will verify that discharge has ceased before granting the request to terminate the permit. Monthly monitoring or discharge monitoring reports (MMRs/DMRs) are required to be submitted until the permit termination or transfer is received. Contact the Office of Water Quality Drinking Water Permitting Branch if you have questions.

Significant Water Withdrawal Facilities

A "significant water withdrawal facility" or SWWF, is defined in Indiana Law to mean "the water withdrawal facilities of a person that, in the aggregate from all sources and by all methods, has the capability of withdrawing more than one hundred thousand (100,000) gallons of ground water, surface water, or ground and surface water combined in one (1) day".

The owner of a SWWF must also report annual water use to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) within three (3) months after the end of each calendar year. If the facility will be reducing its withdrawal capacity below the SWWF threshold, or has questions, contact the Water Rights and Use Section of the Division of Water.

Land

Any Hazardous Waste Generator, Transporter, Etc., With A U.S. EPA RCRA ID Number

If you have been issued a U.S. EPA Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Hazardous Waste ID Number, you must register as an Industry User in RCRAinfo, attach your site to your user account, and submit a new notification in myRCRAid to deactivate your ID number.

Annual Manifest Reporting And/ Or Hazardous Waste Biennial Report

The facility is responsible for submitting the final annual report or biennial report if they were classified as a large quantity or small quantity generator in any month during the year.

Treatment, Storage, And/Or Disposal (TSDs) Facilities

TSDs are required to notify IDEM in writing 45-60 days in advance (time depends on the type of hazardous waste management unit that it is closing):

  • 45 days:
    • Closure of a facility with only treatment or storage tanks, container storage, or incinerator units, or a boiler or industrial furnace.
  • 60 days:
    • Closure of a surface impoundment, waste pile, land treatment or landfill unit, or a facility with such a unit.

Facilities must close any permitted units according to an approved closure and post-closure plan and file a myRCRAid notification in RCRAInfo.

Large Quantity Generator (LQG) Closure Regulations

Large Quantity Generators (LQG) must notify IDEM when closing a facility as follows:

  • 30 days prior to closing the facility; and
  • 90 days after closing to certify that they met closure performance standards.

(An extension request for additional time to clean close must be submitted within 75 days of the initial notification of closing.)

The LQG must notify using form 8700-12 in RCRAInfo. Contact the Hazardous Waste Compliance Section if you have questions (317) 234-6923.

Waste Tire Storage Facilities and Processors

Send a written letter to the Permits Branch of OLQ informing IDEM of your intent to close. An inspector will verify operations have ceased and all debris has been removed. IDEM will respond in writing that closure is complete, and you can then drop financial assurance for your facility.

Solid Waste Landfills And Restricted Waste Sites

Facilities must follow approved closure and post-closure plans. Either 10 or 30 years of post-closure monitoring may be required.

Septage Haulers

Septage haulers with a septage management permit are required to notify IDEM in writing 15 days in advance that the facility operations will change or is to be closed. Septage haulers with a treatment/storage facility approval are required to notify IDEM in writing 30 days in advance of a facility closure. Closure must be completed 120 days after notification and the business must send a closure certification within 30 days.

Contact the Office of Land Quality, Permits Branch if you have any questions.

Confined Feeding Operations (CFOs) And Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs)

Decommissioning Or Closing of Manure Storage Structures

A manure storage structure is considered closed when all manure has been removed to the extent practical. Closure of waste storage structures must follow the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Conservation Practice Standard Code 360, Closure of Waste Impoundments [PDF]. Structures may not be removed until the manure is removed.

Facilities must notify IDEM before demolishing or converting the use of a manure storage structure. The notification must describe the intended future use of a converted facility. In addition, the facility must submit the following information to IDEM within 30 days of the actual closure:

  • CFO Closure Certification - State Form 55054 (available on the IDEM Forms page)
  • Updated Farmstead Plan
  • Updated Facility Detail Sheet

Before closure approval is given, the facility will need to pass an IDEM closure inspection.

Complete Closure/Exit

Facilities undergoing a complete closure, or which no longer meet the CFO criteria in IC 13-11-2-40, should complete and submit the following to OLQ:

  • CFO Request Exiting the Program - State Form 49827 (available on the IDEM Forms page)

Any closure of waste storage structures must follow the NRCS Closure of Waste Impoundments standard. Structures may not be removed until the manure is removed. An inspection may be conducted to confirm that operations have ceased.

Underground Storage Tanks (USTs)

To close USTs, the owner must use the Thirty (30) Day Notification of Intent to Close - State Form 56553 (available on the IDEM Forms page) to notify IDEM of the UST closure 30 days before tank closure activity is performed. For removal and in-place closure of USTs, owners must notify the Indiana Department of Homeland Security- Fire and Building Safety Division (FBSD) in addition to IDEM. Owners must also call the IDEM UST Program, the FBSD, and the local fire department 14 days in advance of the intended removal date.

Transferring tanks: The new owner must use the Notification for Underground Storage Tanks - State Form 45223 (available on the IDEM Forms page) to notify IDEM of the new tank owner's name and billing address. If you have any questions, contact the Office of Land Quality UST Section.

Biomass Anaerobic Digesters/Gasifiers

Solid Waste Processing Facilities

Composting Facilities

Land Application Entities

Aboveground Storage Tanks (ASTs)

AST owners do not need to notify IDEM or the DFBS they are closing, but they must follow the 2008 Indiana Fire Code, Section 3404.2.14. For disposal options, call your local Solid Waste Management District.

Contact the IDHS DFBS if you have any questions.

Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA) Title III - Right to Know Act Reporting

The SARA Title III (also known as the Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act, or EPCRA) reporting program has been transferred to the Indiana Department of Homeland Security (IDHS). IDHS requires all facilities subject to EPCRA sections 302, 311, and 312 to utilize the Online TIER II Manager to submit new or updated facility/chemical information. Facilities operating on December 31 of a given year will still be responsible for submitting a Tier II report by March 1 of the following year.

The IDHS SARA Title III page provides additional information, including the List of Lists for reportable chemicals and thresholds. Contact IDHS if you have questions.

Additional Assistance

IDEM’s Compliance and Technical Assistance Program (CTAP)

If you are a business entity with other compliance-related questions, please contact CTAP. Highly skilled environmental professionals dedicated to helping businesses understand and comply with environmental regulations are available to answer your questions or to schedule a consultation.

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