Environmental Records Report, any US address
A Phase I environmental site assessment by an environmental professional typically costs $2,200 to $4,000 for a commercial property and takes 2 to 3 weeks. HeritageDeed's Environmental Records Report is not a Phase I: it is the federal records search part only, for any US address, $29, usually ready in about a minute, with every list and distance shown.
Elsewhere = Environmental database screening reports from environmental data providers, typical published prices. How we compare
Want to look first? The free Superfund sites near me lookup shows the nearest NPL sites for an address, and Superfund sites by state lists every NPL site in each state. Download a sample report (PDF).
What the report includes
- Every site on the federal lists below within the list's search distance, nearest first, with its distance and compass direction from the property
- Status and violation flags from federal records: NPL status, corrective action, quarters in non-compliance, formal enforcement actions, open tank releases
- A site map: the property at the center, rings at 1/8, 1/4, 1/2 and 1 mile, and every site plotted on the map
- FEMA flood zone at the property point
- Mapped wetlands at the point and within 0.1 mile
- EPA radon zone for the county (screening level only)
- FEMA hazard ratings for the census tract: earthquake, wildfire, flooding, hurricane, tornado, landslide
- Radon test results on file for the county
- Mapped earthquake faults within 5 miles, with age and slip rate, and the seismic hazard map value
- High-voltage transmission lines (100 kV and above) within 1 mile
- A list of what was not searched, the time the report was run, and the same data as JSON
Lists searched and how far
Distances follow the approximate minimum search distances in Table 2 of ASTM E1527-21, measured from the address point. For Superfund sites with a mapped boundary, the distance is to the boundary.
| List | Searched to | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) sites, final and proposed | 1 mile | ASTM E1527-21 Table 2: 1.0 mile |
| Deleted (delisted) NPL sites | 0.5 mile | ASTM: 0.5 mile |
| Other Superfund sites: removals, no further remedial action planned, archived | 0.5 mile | ASTM: 0.5 mile |
| RCRA hazardous waste facilities with corrective action | 1 mile | ASTM: 1.0 mile |
| RCRA treatment, storage and disposal facilities, active and former | 0.5 mile | ASTM: 0.5 mile |
| RCRA hazardous waste generators (large, small, very small) | 0.25 mile | ASTM: property and adjoining properties |
| Other and former RCRA hazardous waste handlers | 0.125 mile | Property and next-door |
| Leaking underground storage tank releases | 0.5 mile | ASTM: 0.5 mile |
| Underground storage tank facilities | 0.25 mile | ASTM: property and adjoining properties |
| Brownfield properties | 0.5 mile | ASTM: 0.5 mile |
| Toxics Release Inventory reporters | 0.5 mile | Context, not an ASTM list |
| Water discharge (NPDES) and air emission permit holders | 0.25 mile | Context, not an ASTM list |
What a Phase I environmental site assessment is
A Phase I environmental site assessment is an inquiry into a property's present and past uses, done by or under an environmental professional, to identify conditions that suggest contamination. ASTM E1527-21 is the standard practice for it. EPA's All Appropriate Inquiries rule (40 CFR Part 312) recognizes E1527-21 as meeting its requirements, and conducting all appropriate inquiries is one of the conditions for protection from Superfund liability as an innocent landowner, a contiguous property owner or a bona fide prospective purchaser.
Under 40 CFR 312.20 the inquiries must be done within one year before the purchase, and the interviews, lien search, government records review, site visit and the professional's declaration must be done or updated within 180 days before it. The government records review is the part this report automates; the rest needs a professional.
How much a Phase I costs
Published 2026 price guides from environmental consultants put most commercial Phase I assessments at $2,200 to $4,000, with standard office and retail sites near the low end, and a typical turnaround of 2 to 3 weeks. The range is wider across all property types: about $1,500 for a simple rural site to $6,000 or more for complex industrial or multi-parcel properties, with expedited service adding a surcharge. These are consultants' published guides, not a regulated price.
If you need liability protection or your lender asks for a Phase I, order one from an environmental professional. If you want to know what the federal records show before you make an offer, bid at an auction or decide whether a Phase I is worth it, the records report answers that for $29.
Records report or Phase I?
| Environmental Records Report | Phase I ESA | |
|---|---|---|
| Federal Superfund (NPL and other sites), RCRA, brownfield records | Yes, within the ASTM E1527-21 search distances | Yes |
| Underground storage tanks and leaking tank releases | Yes, from EPA's national compilation of state tank data | Current state lists |
| Other state and tribal lists (state Superfund, landfills, spills, voluntary cleanup) | No | Yes |
| Historical sources (aerial photos, fire insurance maps, city directories) | No | Yes |
| Site visit of the property and adjoining properties | No | Yes |
| Interviews with owners, occupants and officials | No | Yes |
| Search of land records for environmental liens and use limitations | No | Yes (40 CFR 312.25) |
| Opinion of an environmental professional | No | Yes |
| Satisfies All Appropriate Inquiries (CERCLA landowner liability protections) | No | Yes, when done to ASTM E1527-21 |
| Flood zone, wetlands, radon zone, FEMA hazard ratings, mapped faults, transmission lines | Yes (screening level) | Varies; radon and wetlands are usually outside the standard scope |
| Price and time | $29; about a minute | $2,200 to $4,000 typical; 2 to 3 weeks |
Sample: 300 Bond Street, Brooklyn
A real report, run on October 19, 2026 through the same pipeline as orders, for an address beside the Gowanus Canal. The full PDF has the site map and every row.
| Superfund NPL sites within 1 mile | 1: Gowanus Canal (final NPL), 0.07 mi NE, measured to the mapped site boundary |
| Other Superfund sites within 0.5 mile | 1: 543 Union Street, 0.12 mi SE (not on the NPL) |
| RCRA corrective action within 1 mile | 1: Patterson Chemical Co Inc (inactive storage facility), 0.26 mi SW |
| Active hazardous waste generators within 0.25 mile | 26, the nearest 0.02 mi S |
| Leaking tank releases within 0.5 mile | 11, none listed as open |
| Underground storage tank facilities within 0.25 mile | 21 |
| FEMA flood zone | Shaded Zone X: the 0.2% annual chance (500-year) floodplain, outside the special flood hazard area |
| Wetlands | An estuarine deepwater wetland area 0.07 mi away; none at the point |
| EPA radon zone | Zone 3, Kings County (county level) |
Questions
How much does a Phase 1 environmental site assessment cost?
Published 2026 price guides from environmental consulting firms put most commercial Phase I assessments at $2,200 to $4,000, with simple rural sites from about $1,500 and complex industrial or multi-parcel sites at $6,000 or more. A typical turnaround is 2 to 3 weeks.
Is the Environmental Records Report a Phase I environmental site assessment?
No. This is a records search, not a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment. It does not satisfy All Appropriate Inquiries (40 CFR Part 312) or ASTM E1527-21, and no site visit or interviews were performed. It covers the federal government records review only, and every report says so on its first page.
What does a Phase I add that this report does not?
An environmental professional's inquiry: a site visit, interviews with owners and occupants, historical sources such as aerial photographs and fire insurance maps, state and local records, a search for recorded environmental cleanup liens, and the professional's opinion. Under 40 CFR 312.20 all appropriate inquiries must be done within one year before the purchase, with several parts updated within 180 days.
Who needs a real Phase I?
EPA's All Appropriate Inquiries rule applies to commercial and government entities buying property, and to individuals buying property for non-residential use, who may later seek protection from Superfund (CERCLA) liability as an innocent landowner, contiguous property owner or bona fide prospective purchaser. ASTM E1527-21 notes that it is not customary for people buying a home to live in to commission one.
Which addresses can I order it for?
Any street address in the 50 states and DC that we can locate on the map. Unlike the title search, it is not limited to the counties whose land records we search, because the federal records behind it are national.
How far does it search?
Each list is searched to the approximate minimum search distance of ASTM E1527-21: 1 mile for NPL Superfund sites and RCRA corrective action, half a mile for delisted NPL and other Superfund sites, RCRA treatment and storage facilities, leaking tanks and brownfields, and a quarter mile for hazardous waste generators and registered tanks. The distance is printed beside every table.
How current is the data?
Each report is generated on demand from current government records, and the report shows when it was run. The agencies update on their own schedules, and the report notes where a record set is older.
Legal references
- 40 CFR 312.20, All appropriate inquiries
This is a records search, not a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment. It does not satisfy All Appropriate Inquiries (40 CFR Part 312) or ASTM E1527-21, and no site visit or interviews were performed. Not legal or environmental advice.