Who's Registered for Biohazard Cleanup?

California's public register can be searched by company name: what it covers, what it doesn't mean, and what to check when a company cannot be looked up on one.

Most trades that enter a contaminated property are licensed in some way. Biohazard remediation is unusual in that one large state, California, keeps a specific public register that almost nobody points consumers to. This guide covers that register and what to check when you cannot use one.

The California register

Under the Medical Waste Management Act, a Trauma Scene Waste Management Practitioner is a person or company that provides trauma scene waste clean-up services commercially, meaning they are paid for their services. Practitioners must register with the Department of Public Health, and the Department publishes the list.

You do not have to take our word for how many companies are on it. Search the register directly on this site by company name or city and check whether a specific company is on it before you hire them.

The Act defines trauma scene waste by reference to the Cal/OSHA Bloodborne Pathogen Standard, and it specifically exempts people who volunteer to clean such sites, such as a neighbour or family member, because they are not hired to do it.

Source: California Department of Public Health, Registered Trauma Scene Waste Management Practitioners, list published July 20, 2026

What the state says registration does NOT mean

This part matters, and it comes from the Department itself rather than from us. The published list states that registration does not carry any expressed or implied endorsement by the Medical Waste Management Program of the quality of work or service provided.

It also states that registration is a separate process from the licensing activities of the Contractors' State License Board, and that under current law the Department does not require a practitioner to hold a contractor's licence as part of registration. It notes that some restoration jobs may nonetheless require a licensed contractor.

So the register answers one question well: is this company legally permitted to be paid for this work in California. It answers nothing about competence, and it does not tell you whether they can lawfully perform the reconstruction that follows.

Source: California Department of Public Health, Registered Trauma Scene Waste Management Practitioners, list published July 20, 2026

Where you cannot check a register

This guide tracks California's register, and does not state what other states require. Where you cannot look a company up on a public register, the checkable signals are certification, waste handling and insurance rather than licensure.

• IICRC certification, specifically Trauma and Crime Scene Technician, which is assessed against the ANSI/IICRC S540 standard for trauma and crime scene cleanup.
• How regulated medical waste is transported and disposed of, and who holds the permit for that. The waste leaving your property is regulated even where the cleaning is not.
• Whether technicians are trained under the bloodborne pathogens standard, and whether the company can evidence that.
• General liability and pollution liability insurance, and whether the limits are meaningful against the value of the property.
• Whether the same company or a separate licensed contractor performs any reconstruction.

The practical order

1. In California, check the published register first. It takes two minutes and it is a hard fact.
2. Everywhere, ask for the certification and the insurance certificate, and read the limits rather than accepting that cover exists.
3. Ask who takes the waste and under what permit.
4. Ask whether reconstruction is included, and if so under which licence.

If a national company is on your list, read what SERVPRO, BELFOR and ATI Restoration each publish about themselves before you call.

Not sure whether you actually need a biohazard specialist or whether a general restoration company's usual scope covers it? See biohazard cleanup vs. general restoration company.