Not legally required. Practically unavoidable in most commercial transactions.
Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment in Florida
Know what you're buying before you close.
ASTM E1527-21 assessments across Florida for buyers, lenders, developers, and attorneys. Records review, site reconnaissance, and a clear finding, typically in 10 to 15 business days.
Start Your Project
Do You Need One?
Buying Commercial Property
Establishes the innocent landowner defense. Without it you inherit liability for someone else's release.
Getting a Commercial Loan
Nearly every lender requires one before funding. SBA has its own screening thresholds by property type.
Redeveloping a Parcel
Former gas stations, dry cleaners, auto shops, and agricultural land carry known risk profiles.
Selling
A pre-listing Phase 1 stops a buyer's finding from repricing your deal at the last minute.
Refinancing
Lenders often require a new or updated assessment even on property you already own.
Estate or Partnership Transfer
Foreclosure, bankruptcy and dissolution involving real property need a defensible environmental opinion.
The Four Components
ASTM E1527-21 defines what a Phase 1 must include. Here's what each part is actually doing.
Reading your findings
What It Means
What you do
Everything in a Phase 1 report resolves to one of these classifications.
If something is found
One rig, one contractor, from borings to closure.
A REC is not a dead deal. It's information you now have and the seller has to reckon with. The next step is a Phase 2 ESA: soil borings, monitoring wells, and laboratory analysis to find out what's actually there.
Because we schedule the drilling ourselves, a Phase 2 can mobilize within days. And if the results require it, we handle FDEP assessment under Rules 62-770 and 62-780 through to a No Further Action determination.
One Firm
Phase 1 through remediation, without re-bidding the work at every stage.
Phase 1 ESA Questions
What is a Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment?
A non-invasive investigation of a property's environmental history to ASTM E1527-21, covering records review, database search, site walkover, and interviews, identifying Recognized Environmental Conditions. No sampling is performed.
How much does a Phase 1 ESA cost in Florida?
It depends on parcel size, prior use, and how much historical research the property needs. A small commercial parcel with simple history sits at the low end; a large industrial site costs more. We quote a fixed fee once we see the address and prior use.
How long does a Phase 1 ESA take?
Typically 10 to 15 business days. Database and historical records retrieval drive the schedule. Expedited delivery is available for a closing date.
Is a Phase 1 ESA required to buy commercial property?
Not by law, but nearly every commercial lender requires one, and it's the only way to establish the innocent landowner defense under CERCLA.
What is a Recognized Environmental Condition?
A REC is the presence or likely presence of hazardous substances or petroleum products due to a release, a likely release, or conditions posing a material threat of a future release. Finding RECs is the whole point of a Phase 1. See all four classifications →
How long is a Phase 1 ESA valid?
Generally 180 days under All Appropriate Inquiries, with components requiring update past that. After one year it no longer satisfies AAI.
What happens if the Phase 1 finds a problem?
A Phase 2 ESA: soil borings, monitoring wells, and lab analysis to determine what's present and at what concentration. Phase 2 ESA →
