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HomePublic Utilities CodeDiv. 4Ch. 1Art. 7.5§ 7673 Hazardous Materials Railroad Reporting

§ 7673 Hazardous Materials Railroad Reporting

Public Utilities Code·California
AI Summary·Official Text·Key Terms·Related Statutes·References
AI SummaryVerified

§ 7673 Hazardous Materials Railroad Reporting

Key Takeaways

  • •Railroad companies must give the state a map showing where they carry dangerous stuff, like gas or chemicals, and mark important spots like train stations and road crossings.
  • •Every year, they must give the state a book with rules on how to handle emergencies if dangerous stuff spills or leaks from a train.
  • •If a train crashes and dangerous stuff might spill, the railroad must tell emergency teams exactly what’s in the train, which cars are involved, and how to clean it up safely.

Example

A train carrying gas derails near a small town.

The railroad must immediately tell firefighters and police which train cars have gas, where they are, and how to stop the gas from spreading or catching fire. They also must have already given the state a map showing where gas pipelines are near the tracks.

AI-generated — May contain errors. Not legal advice. Always verify source.

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 7673 Hazardous Materials Railroad Reporting

Each railroad corporation which transports hazardous materials in the state shall do all of the following: (a) Provide a system map of the state to the Office of Emergency Services and to the Public Utilities Commission, showing practical groupings of mileposts on the system and showing mileposts of stations, terminals, junction points, road crossings, and the locations of natural gas and liquid pipelines in railroad rights-of-way. (b) Annually submit to the Office of Emergency Services a copy of a publication which identifies emergency handling guidelines for the surface transportation of hazardous materials, except that if the railroad corporation is classified as a class I carrier by the Interstate Commerce Commission pursuant to Subpart A of Part 1201 of Subchapter C of Chapter X of the Code of Federal Regulations, the railroad corporation shall annually submit to the Office of Emergency Services 50 copies of this publication which the agency shall make available to the Public Utilities Commission and local administering agencies and to other response agencies. These guidelines shall not be considered comprehensive instructions for the handling of any specific incident. (c) If there is a train incident resulting in a release or an overturned railcar or an impact which threatens a release of a hazardous material, provide the emergency response agency with all of the following information: (1) A list of each car in the train and the order of the cars. (2) The contents of each car, if loaded, in the train. (3) Identification of the cars and contents in the train which are involved in the incident, including, but not limited to, those cars which have derailed. (4) Emergency handling procedures for each hazardous material transported in or on the involved cars of the train. (Amended by Stats. 2013, Ch. 352, Sec. 505. (AB 1317) Effective September 26, 2013. Operative July 1, 2013, by Sec. 543 of Ch. 352.)

Last verified: January 23, 2026

Key Terms

corporationroadaccidentreleaseemergencyhazardouscommissionregulation

Related Statutes

  • § 7672.5 Railroad Hazardous Material Reporting
  • § 7533 Railroad Additional Track Construction
  • § 7662 Railroad Crossing And Flag Signals
  • § 6041 Railroad Mail Carrier Access
  • § 7527 Railroad Operations And Powers

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Public Utilities Code. Section 7673.
View Official Source